Moroccan Tonic
Travel Distilled samples Wildleaf Tonic and other mixers inspired by the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.
I’ve been lucky enough to visit Morocco, experienced the amazing market in Marrakech, been hiking in the Atlas Mountains, and sheltered in a tent through a sandstorm. I never thought that one day I’d be enjoying a Moroccan tonic and other mixers that were inspired by those same Atlas Mountains!
Wildleaf Moroccan Tonic
But Wildleaf is the name of a range of tonics and other mixers that are bottled in the UK but are indeed inspired by those dramatic mountains. They’re produced by restaurateur Ibi Issolah and his Wildleaf co-founder Victoria Kumaran, with Issolah pleased to share his North African heritage by way of these mixers.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site
Quinine-Free
The first thing to note is that the tonics are quinine-free, so if you don’t like the bitterness of most tonics, it could be worth giving Wildleaf a try. They do have a pleasing freshness about them, allowing the taste of the gin in a G&T to shine through.
The lack of quinine also means that less sugar is needed to counteract some of the bitterness. If you’ve ever checked the ingredients of some of the mass-market tonics made in the USA, for example, you’ll know they’re high in sugars and sometimes even the dreaded High Fructose Corn Syrup, which does nasty things to your body. In that respect, Wildleaf is a much healthier alternative.
Atlas Botanicals
So, how are they inspired by the Atlas Mountains? Well, by using botanicals from the mountains. One of these is the plant they’re named after: wildleaf, which is another name for wormwood, the plant more commonly found in absinthe.
Atlas Tonic
The flagship of the Wildleaf range is Atlas Tonic, which combines wormwood with another plant from the mountains, Quassia amara. Amara is the Latin word for ‘bitter’, and the plant, like quinine, was used in the past for treating fevers.
The tonic also has some citrus in it, resulting in a mixer that I was happy enough to sip on its own, but which went wonderfully well with my current favourite gin, Mermaid Pink Gin from the Isle of Wight. It’s quite the combination, the Isle of Wight with the Atlas Mountains, but the result was that the wonderful strawberry flavour of the gin was allowed to come zinging through.
Lumière Tonic
Wildleaf’s alternative to their Atlas Tonic is called Lumière, using a play on words as this is a ‘light’ tonic. With less than 3% sugar and with coriander seed and juniper thrown into the mix with the Atlas botanicals, it’s almost like an alcohol-free gin in its own right. It’s certainly another that I was happy to drink on its own, but it also paired well with a premium vodka to produce an unusual and very tasty G&T-like vodka cocktail.
Wildleaf Club Soda
Wildleaf’s Club Soda also uses wormwood and here the importance of the clean water source really matters. The water comes – no, not from the Atlas Mountains but from the county of Shropshire in England. It’s a beautiful and much under-rated area, and where I’ve had several great holidays. The Club Soda is indeed clean as a whistle but with a few subtle herbaceous notes.
Ginger Tail
Ginger Tail is Wildleaf’s low-sugar take on Ginger Ale, using ginger extract and a dash of bird’s eye chilli for that fiery kick that a good ginger ale needs. This one isn’t for sipping on its own but when mixed with a quality rum it definitely produced a drink with a pleasingly spicy punch to it.
Watch out for these Moroccan-inspired mixers, which are delightfully and delicately different. At £27.50 for a pack of 24x200ml bottles, they are also surprisingly affordable. You can buy them direct from Wildleaf.Wildlife Mixers
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