Portland Syrups Rose City Quinine Tonic Concentrate (16 ounces) 1 Pack

I am so happy I tried this Portland Syrups Rose City tonic. It has excellent flavor that doesn't overpower the gin or the quinine. I've tried eight other tonic syrups on the market, and this one is quite distinctive and different. This one to me is the perfect compliment to a juniper forward gin. It allows the flavors to come through and has just the right amount of bitterness. It has a touch of something different in it, which I attribute to the floral rose flavor. Very nice. What I don't like is the very spicy tonics like Strong, and El Guapo that taste too clovy and cinammony, which to me is not appropriate for a tonic. I also like Ruby D's citrus tonic, and Jack Rudy's Elderflower Tonic, which are all different and outstanding in their own way. Now I've got three totally different go-to tonics to choose from!

Tastes good

Unusual and delicate with only a subtle quinine flavor. Goes well with most gins especially if they're not extra dry. I do not find it overpoweringly floral as some others have. If you don't have malaria, and don't want to be punched in the face with quinine, this is good. If you want a classic bitter tonic, there are other options you'll like better.Edit to add: Do refrigerate after opening. Turned pretty nasty after being stored on the bar for months. Says so on the label, so was my mistake.

I purchased this after reading a comparison of many tonic syrups that said this was the least sweet of 18 syrups that they reviewed and had good quinine flavor. I disagree.

This is a hard syrup to write a review for as the words are trying to portray feelings and memories. As a child I would walk through my dad's rose garden in the rain and the smell of the moist rose leaves would transfer onto my clothing. It's a delicate green essence and a woody yet sweet flavor as it walks along the sides of your tongue and exhales out your nose. Another sip yields refreshing agua de Jamaica. As I sip this I'm making a huge pot of rich spaghetti sauce and meatballs from scratch and as I correct the flavor of the sauce, my beverage experience evolves. Some may not appreciate the depth of expression here, but its there.

I knew this was going to have some rose water in it, so I was somewhat prepared for it to taste like roses. But it has more of that taste than I expected, and it's not a pleasant taste, as far as I'm concerned. It's also too sweet. Even worse, to get any kind of nice quinine bite/real tonic taste you need to use at LEAST twice as much of this syrup as the directions on the bottle say to use. The directions call for 3/4 oz of syrup to 4 oz. of seltzer (plus your gin). That makes a very weak-tasting tonic, and thus is definitely not cost-effective. I tried this as an alternative to regular tonic , but the amazon sellers of the Q tonic I was regularly buying are price gouging (and amazon isn't stopping them), so I tried this as an alternative. I'll keep looking....

This product is OK especially if used with more straightforward brands of gin, like Gordon's. Too floral for my taste and didn't go very well with Citadelle and Blue Sapphire.

Lovely flavor with a London Gin - Sapphire and Ophir and Beefeater, I added a tiny slice of orange and it really was like sitting in a walled garden, relaxing in the shade on a very hot day. Would not recommend with an American malt gin (Genever), it just did not sit well.I added a teensy bit of elderflower cordial too and it was fabulous. But really only go that route if you like strongly herbal flavors. Definitely different but very tasty.