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9 Best Tonic Water Syrups for Soda Makers (November 2026)

Updated on · By the Fizz Butter team

The best tonic water syrups for soda makers include the Sodastream Diet Tonic New Pour Bottle Drink for everyday diet tonic, the Top Hat East India Craft Concentrated Quinine (best craft concentrate for gin and tonics), and the SodaStream Bubly Burst Variety Pack for flavored tonic-style spritzers.

On this page (17 sections)
  1. The best tonic water syrups for soda makers
  2. How we compared these tonic syrups
  3. Best tonic water syrups for soda makers, compared
  4. Best overall for everyday tonic
  5. Best craft concentrate for gin and tonics
  6. Best for flavored tonic-style spritzers
  7. Best small-batch tonic for spirit-forward drinks
  8. Best single bottle for testing diet tonic
  9. Best classic botanical concentrate
  10. Best organic cinchona concentrate
  11. Best floral tonic for spritzers
  12. Best earthy tonic for cocktail tinkering
  13. Does the syrup or the carbonation matter more?
  14. Full-sugar or diet tonic syrup: which is right for you?
  15. How many drinks does each tonic syrup make?
  16. Does the tonic style change the drink?
  17. Which tonic water syrup should you buy?

The best SodaStream tonic water syrup for most homes is the SodaStream Diet Tonic New Pour Bottle 4-pack, which gives you four 440ml bottles at about 24 drinks each. If you want a craft concentrate you mix by the ounce, Top Hat East India is the stronger choice.

Tonic is the one sparkling drink where the syrup decides whether you get a sharp gin and tonic or a sweet, flat-tasting soda. A good tonic syrup carries enough quinine to taste bitter and enough sweetener to balance it.

The quinine in most of these bottles comes from cinchona bark, the original source of the bitter compound that gives tonic its snap. That's why the craft concentrates taste more layered than a supermarket bottle.

This guide covers nine tonic syrups and concentrates that work with a SodaStream machine or any soda maker. You'll see which ones pour by the line and which ones you measure in ounces.

The best tonic water syrups for soda makers

The SodaStream diet four-pack wins on convenience and volume, and the craft concentrates win on flavor depth. Buy the first if you drink diet tonic most weeks, and buy a craft bottle if you keep good gin on the shelf.

The split matters because the two styles aren't interchangeable in the glass. A pour bottle delivers the same measured flavor every time, while a concentrate lets you push the bitterness up or down to match the spirit you're pouring.

Your choice comes down to how much control you want over each drink.

Our picks at a glance

  1. 1 Sodastream Diet Tonic New Pour Bottle Drink
    Best for everyday diet tonic

    Sodastream Diet Tonic New Pour Bottle Drink

    9.6/10 our score

    See it on Amazon
  2. 2 Top Hat East India Craft Concentrated Quinine
    Best craft concentrate for gin and tonics

    Top Hat East India Craft Concentrated Quinine

    9.5/10 our score

    See it on Amazon
  3. 3 SodaStream Bubly Burst Variety Pack
    Best for flavored tonic-style spritzers

    SodaStream Bubly Burst Variety Pack

    9.4/10 our score

    See it on Amazon
  1. 4Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. Small Batch Classic

    Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. Small Batch Classic

    Best small-batch tonic for spirit-forward drinks
    Check it
  2. 5SodaStream Diet Tonic Syrup

    SodaStream Diet Tonic Syrup

    Best single bottle for testing diet tonic
    Check it
  3. 6Top Hat Classic Tonic Syrup

    Top Hat Classic Tonic Syrup

    Best classic botanical concentrate
    Check it
  4. 7Tomr's Handcrafted Tonic Syrup Concentrate

    Tomr's Handcrafted Tonic Syrup Concentrate

    Best organic cinchona concentrate
    Check it
  5. 8Portland Syrups Rose City Tonic Concentrate

    Portland Syrups Rose City Tonic Concentrate

    Best floral tonic for spritzers
    Check it
  6. 9Small Hand Foods Tonic Syrup

    Small Hand Foods Tonic Syrup

    Best earthy tonic for cocktail tinkering
    Check it

How we compared these tonic syrups

We compared bottle size, serving yield, sweetener type, quinine source and how each syrup gets from the bottle to the glass. Pour-bottle syrups measure themselves at the fill line, while concentrates need a jigger or a measuring spoon.

Our score weighs specs, features and buyer feedback against what you're shopping for. It rewards syrups that make a lot of drinks, keep well, and let you adjust the strength of your pour.

Bottle size matters more than price tier here because tonic goes fast in a household that drinks gin and tonics. A 32 oz concentrate makes 32 servings at 1 oz each, while a 14.8 oz SodaStream bottle makes 7 liters of finished soda.

Those numbers tell you how often you'll restock.

Pour bottles versus concentrates

Pour bottles like the SodaStream four-pack and the Bubly Burst pack are built around the fill line on the bottle. You carbonate the water, pour to the line and stir.

There's no measuring cup and no guesswork.

Concentrates like Top Hat, Jack Rudy, Tomr's, Portland Syrups and Small Hand Foods ask for a measured ounce. That's more work per drink, but it's also the reason they can carry stronger botanicals and heavier quinine.

A concentrate gives you a dial; a pour bottle gives you a preset.

What the yield numbers mean in practice

A pack that makes about 96 drinks sounds enormous until you work out the pace. If two people each have a gin and tonic three nights a week, that's roughly six drinks a week, so a four-pack lasts about four months.

A 32 oz craft bottle at 32 servings covers about five weeks at the same pace.

The smaller bottles are a different calculation. An 8.5 oz bottle or a 12 oz floral bottle makes a couple of dozen drinks at most, which is why they suit occasional mixing rather than a weekly habit.

Best tonic water syrups for soda makers, compared

ProductBest forBottle sizeServingsSugarOur score
Sodastream Diet Tonic New Pour Bottle Drinkeveryday diet tonic4 x 440ml (59.6 fl oz)About 96 drinks per packZero sugar9.6
Top Hat East India Craft Concentrated Quininecraft concentrate for gin and tonics32 fl oz32 per bottle9.5
SodaStream Bubly Burst Variety Packflavored tonic-style spritzers44.7 fl oz totalAbout 72 drinks per pack9.4
Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. Small Batch Classicsmall-batch tonic for spirit-forward drinks16 fl oz9.2
SodaStream Diet Tonic Syrupsingle bottle for testing diet tonic14.8 fl oz8.9
Top Hat Classic Tonic Syrupclassic botanical concentrate32 fl oz32 per bottle8.6
Tomr's Handcrafted Tonic Syrup Concentrateorganic cinchona concentrate25.36 fl oz8.4
Portland Syrups Rose City Tonic Concentratefloral tonic for spritzers2 x 12 fl oz24 per bottle8.0
Small Hand Foods Tonic Syrupearthy tonic for cocktail tinkering8.5 fl oz7.8

Best overall for everyday tonic

1

Sodastream Diet Tonic New Pour Bottle Drink: Best for everyday diet tonic

Sodastream Diet Tonic New Pour Bottle Drink, tonic water syrups for soda makers
9.6/10Our score
  • 4 x 440ml pour bottles
  • About 24 drinks per bottle
  • Zero sugar and zero calories
  • Pour spout cap

A four-pack of SodaStream's diet tonic in the new pour bottle, sized to keep tonic flowing through cocktail nights without a supermarket run.

See it on Amazon

Pros

  • Four bottles per pack
  • Pour spout makes mixing easier
  • Zero sugar and zero calories

Cons

  • Made for SodaStream machines rather than stirred into store-bought soda

This four-pack suits the household that reaches for a diet tonic several nights a week. Each 440ml bottle makes about 24 twelve-ounce drinks, so the pack covers roughly 96 glasses before you restock.

The new pour bottle is the practical part. A spout cap lets you pour to the flavor line, about half an inch above the water fill line, straight into freshly carbonated water.

That takes the guessing out of a gin and tonic on a weeknight.

Zero sugar and zero calories mean the bitterness of quinine does the talking. If you've only had full-sugar tonic, expect a drier drink that lets the gin come forward.

The four bottles stack in a cupboard without taking up much room, and you can open one at a time so the rest stay sealed.

The trade-off is that you're locked into SodaStream's recipe. The craft concentrates here let you choose the quinine strength and the sugar level.

Buy this one for steady, low-effort pours and keep a craft bottle alongside it for the weekends. SodaStream makes it for water carbonated in one of its machines, which is the only way to get the intended fizz.

Sodastream Diet Tonic New Pour Bottle DrinkCheck it on Amazon

Best craft concentrate for gin and tonics

2

Top Hat East India Craft Concentrated Quinine: Best craft concentrate for gin and tonics

Top Hat East India Craft Concentrated Quinine, tonic water syrups for soda makers
9.5/10Our score
  • 5x natural quinine concentrate
  • 32oz bottle
  • Cinchona, Zeus hop, grapefruit and chamomile
  • Real cane sugar

A quinine-heavy craft concentrate for drinkers who want a botanical tonic and don't mind measuring 1 oz by hand.

See it on Amazon

Pros

  • Botanical flavor from cinchona, hop and darjeeling
  • 32 servings per bottle
  • Mixes with soda water or club soda

Cons

  • Needs shaking and refrigeration after opening

Top Hat's East India expression is the bottle to reach for when the gin is the point of the drink. It's a 5x quinine concentrate built on cinchona bark, with Zeus hop, grapefruit peel, darjeeling tea and chamomile behind it.

One ounce into five ounces of soda water makes a full tonic. A 32 oz bottle therefore makes 32 servings, and you can push it stronger or lighter depending on the gin.

The grapefruit peel and tea give it a bright, almost citrusy lift that sits well against the botanicals in a London dry.

Top Hat says to shake the bottle before each use and refrigerate after opening, which is worth remembering before your first pour. The brand also points buyers to cocktail recipes on the back of the bottle, handy if you want to try it beyond a straight G&T.

The hop and tea notes make this the most complex tonic in the group. If you want a plain, clean tonic, the SodaStream four-pack is simpler.

If you want a tonic that changes with the gin you pair it with, this is the pick. Just budget the fridge space, since an open bottle lives in there.

Top Hat East India Craft Concentrated QuinineCheck it on Amazon

Best for flavored tonic-style spritzers

3

SodaStream Bubly Burst Variety Pack: Best for flavored tonic-style spritzers

SodaStream Bubly Burst Variety Pack, tonic water syrups for soda makers
9.4/10Our score
  • 3 flavor variety
  • Cherry Lemonade, Peach Mango, Watermelon Lime
  • New pour bottle
  • 45 calories per 12oz serving

Fruit-forward Bubly Burst flavors for soda makers, handy when you want a tonic-style mixer without the quinine bite of a true tonic.

See it on Amazon

Pros

  • Three flavors in one pack
  • About 72 drinks per pack
  • Made for SodaStream machines

Cons

  • Fruity rather than bitter tonic
  • Contains calories

Bubly Burst is not a true tonic, and that's the point. It's a three-flavor variety pack of Cherry Lemonade, Peach Mango and Watermelon Lime drink mix, made for pouring into fresh sparkling water with the same spout bottle as the diet tonic.

Each 440ml bottle makes about 24 twelve-ounce servings, and the pack totals about 72 drinks across three flavors. At 45 calories per serving, these are sweeter and fruitier than a quinine tonic.

There's no quinine in the mix, so the bitterness that defines tonic is absent entirely.

Buy it if you want a mixed-drink base for vodka spritzers or alcohol-free pours that don't taste like bitter tonic. The three flavors let you keep a rotation going so the soda maker doesn't produce the same glass every night.

Skip it for a gin and tonic, where the fruit would bury the gin.

It's the least tonic-like syrup here, but it fills a real gap for anyone who wants variety on the soda maker shelf. The pour bottle works the same way as the diet tonic, so you only learn one pouring routine.

For more fruit-forward options, see our best Italian soda syrups picks.

SodaStream Bubly Burst Variety PackCheck it on Amazon

Best small-batch tonic for spirit-forward drinks

4

Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. Small Batch Classic: Best small-batch tonic for spirit-forward drinks

Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. Small Batch Classic, tonic water syrups for soda makers
9.2/10Our score
  • Quinine backbone
  • Botanicals and real cane sugar
  • 16 fl oz bottle
  • Made for gin and vodka highballs

A bar-cart concentrate built to hold its own against a good gin, with quinine, botanicals and cane sugar in a smaller 16 oz bottle.

See it on Amazon

Pros

  • Built for gin and vodka highballs
  • Balanced quinine and botanical mix
  • Compact bottle

Cons

  • Smaller bottle than the 32 oz craft picks

Jack Rudy's Classic is a 16 fl oz concentrate made for a gin and tonic with a real spirit in it. Quinine is the backbone, layered with botanicals and a measured amount of real cane sugar.

The mixing method is simple: add a little to your gin or vodka, top with soda, and finish with lemon or lime. That order matters because you can taste the mix before the soda dilutes it.

The cane sugar rounds the quinine without burying it, which is why the brand positions it as a match for a fine gin.

At 16 oz it's one of the smaller cane-sugar craft concentrates, so it suits a bar cart or a household that makes a few drinks a week rather than a daily tonic habit. The flavor leans classic, with less floral or hop character than Top Hat brings.

Jack Rudy leaves the pour to your taste, so you adjust by feel each time.

Buy it if you want a bar-quality highball from a cane-sugar concentrate. Buy Top Hat if you want more servings and a more botanical profile.

Keep a London dry on hand and let the tonic do the rest.

Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. Small Batch ClassicCheck it on Amazon

Best single bottle for testing diet tonic

5

SodaStream Diet Tonic Syrup: Best single bottle for testing diet tonic

SodaStream Diet Tonic Syrup, tonic water syrups for soda makers
8.9/10Our score
  • Sweetened with sucralose and stevia
  • 14.8 fl oz bottle
  • Makes 7 liters
  • Caffeine-free

The single-bottle diet tonic from SodaStream, a low-commitment way to try the flavor before buying a bulk pack.

See it on Amazon

Pros

  • Makes 7 liters
  • No sugar or aspartame
  • Caffeine-free

Cons

  • Smaller yield than the 4-pack

This is the single 14.8 oz diet tonic bottle, and it's the sensible first buy if you're unsure about SodaStream's zero-sugar recipe. One bottle makes 7 liters, or 29 servings, so you can test a few gin and tonics before committing to the four-pack.

It's sweetened with sucralose and stevia rather than sugar or aspartame, and it's caffeine-free. The taste is lighter and slightly sweeter than the craft tonics, with less botanical depth.

The sweetness comes from two sources rather than one, which is often why diet tonic splits opinion: some palates notice the stevia's lingering finish more than the sucralose.

The trade-off against the four-pack is yield and pour convenience. This older bottle style is made for pouring by measure rather than dipping a spout to the line.

If you already know you like diet tonic, the four-pack makes more sense; if you're new to it, start here. It's the cheaper way to find out whether the stevia note bothers you before you buy four bottles.

SodaStream Diet Tonic SyrupCheck it on Amazon

Best classic botanical concentrate

6

Top Hat Classic Tonic Syrup: Best classic botanical concentrate

Top Hat Classic Tonic Syrup, tonic water syrups for soda makers
8.6/10Our score
  • 5x quinine concentrate
  • Cinchona, lavender, orange peel and juniper
  • 32oz bottle
  • Real cane sugar

A softer, lavender-and-juniper take on craft tonic that gives soda water a classic gin-and-tonic backbone.

See it on Amazon

Pros

  • Lavender, orange peel and juniper botanicals
  • 32 servings per bottle
  • Works as a mocktail base

Cons

  • One flavor profile only

Top Hat's Classic expression pairs quinine and cinchona bark with lavender, orange peel and juniper berry in a 100% cane sugar base. The bottle holds 32 oz and makes 32 servings at 1 oz per 5 oz of soda.

The lavender and juniper push it toward a softer, more aromatic tonic than the East India. It's a good match for a lighter gin and works as a mocktail base when you skip the spirit.

Top Hat says it has 33% fewer calories than most premium tonic waters, so it sits between a full-sugar pour and a diet one.

Top Hat says to shake well and refrigerate after opening, the same routine as the East India bottle. The cane sugar gives it a rounder mouthfeel than the diet bottles, which is the main reason to pick it over the four-pack if calories aren't your concern.

Buy it if you want a classic G&T profile with a floral edge. Buy East India if you want more hop and tea, or SodaStream if you want zero sugar.

The lavender is the dividing line: it's lovely in a light gin and overpowering in a heavily botanical one.

Top Hat Classic Tonic SyrupCheck it on Amazon

Best organic cinchona concentrate

7

Tomr's Handcrafted Tonic Syrup Concentrate: Best organic cinchona concentrate

Tomr's Handcrafted Tonic Syrup Concentrate, tonic water syrups for soda makers
8.4/10Our score
  • 750ml bottle
  • Organic cinchona bark
  • 1 oz per serving
  • Rust-colored concentrate

A natural cinchona-bark concentrate with a deep rust color, for drinkers who want organic tonic and control over dilution.

See it on Amazon

Pros

  • Organic cinchona bark
  • 750ml bottle
  • Mixes with club soda and spirits

Cons

  • Color can tint a clear highball

Tomr's is a 750ml concentrate made from organic cinchona bark, the original quinine source, and it's the deepest rust color in the group. Mix one ounce with club soda and any spirit for a full drink.

The 25.36 fl oz bottle gives you a long run of servings, and the 1 oz dose makes each pour easy to scale. Because it's a pure concentrate rather than a finished tonic, you decide how strong the bitterness runs.

The bark is also the source of that rust color, so the amber tint comes from the cinchona itself.

The trade-off is the color. It tints a clear highball amber rather than keeping it transparent.

That won't matter in a gin and tonic, but it shows in a clear vodka tonic. Tomr's sells it as an all-natural, organic option, which matters if you're picky about what goes into a mixer.

Buy it if you want an organic tonic with a real bark backbone. Buy Jack Rudy if you want a lighter botanical mix.

It's the no-frills choice: one ingredient story, one dose, and a big bottle that lasts.

Tomr's Handcrafted Tonic Syrup ConcentrateCheck it on Amazon

Best floral tonic for spritzers

8

Portland Syrups Rose City Tonic Concentrate: Best floral tonic for spritzers

Portland Syrups Rose City Tonic Concentrate, tonic water syrups for soda makers
8.0/10Our score
  • Rose floral flavor
  • 12 oz bottle, 24 servings
  • Pack of 2
  • Mixes with sparkling water

A rose-tonic concentrate for floral spritzers and mocktails rather than a traditional bitter G&T.

See it on Amazon

Pros

  • Delicate floral note
  • Two bottles per pack
  • Works in mocktails and spritzers

Cons

  • Rose flavor is a niche taste

Portland Syrups Rose City is a rose-flavored tonic concentrate sold as a pack of two 12 oz bottles, each making 24 servings. Pour it into sparkling water, or pair it with gin, rum or vodka for a floral highball.

The rose note is delicate rather than sweet, and it works well in mocktails, iced tea and lemonade. That makes it the most versatile bottle here for anyone who mixes alcohol-free drinks often.

The brand suggests it in coffee drinks too, so it's less a tonic than a floral mixer that happens to carry tonic in its name.

It's not a traditional quinine-forward tonic. If your goal is a sharp gin and tonic, the East India or Jack Rudy bottles do that job better.

This one is for drinkers who want a signature flavor, not a standard tonic. Two bottles per pack also means you can keep one sealed while the other is open.

Buy it if you like floral spritzers and want a mixer for entertaining. Buy Top Hat if you want classic bitterness.

It's the bottle to reach for when the guest doesn't drink gin but still wants something grown-up in the glass.

Portland Syrups Rose City Tonic ConcentrateCheck it on Amazon

Best earthy tonic for cocktail tinkering

9

Small Hand Foods Tonic Syrup: Best earthy tonic for cocktail tinkering

Small Hand Foods Tonic Syrup, tonic water syrups for soda makers
7.8/10Our score
  • House-made gentian extract
  • Cinchona bark and spices
  • 8.5 fl oz bottle
  • Amber color

The smallest, earthiest bottle here, a bartender-style tonic for drinkers who like a woodsy edge and treat it as a mixer.

See it on Amazon

Pros

  • Gentian and cinchona bark
  • Distinct earthy character
  • Small bottle suits occasional mixing

Cons

  • Least tonic in the bottle

Small Hand Foods makes this 8.5 oz tonic by simmering spices with house-made gentian extract and finely cut cinchona bark. The result is an earthy, spiced amber tonic with a woodsy edge the other bottles don't have.

The gentian adds a second kind of bitterness on top of the quinine, which gives it that almost smoky depth.

Mixing it with sparkling water lets you control the strength, and it works in a classic gin and tonic or with any spirit you choose. At 8.5 oz it's the smallest bottle in the group, so it suits occasional mixing rather than a daily habit.

Jennifer Colliau began the brand in 2008 while tending bar at the Slanted Door in San Francisco, and the bottle reads that way: small, intense and made for experimenting.

The trade-off is volume and intensity. You'll get far fewer drinks than from the 32 oz Top Hat bottles, and the earthy character won't suit everyone.

Buy it if you want a bartender-style tonic to experiment with. Buy Jack Rudy if you want a larger bottle that still makes a crowd-pleasing highball.

Small Hand Foods Tonic SyrupCheck it on Amazon

Does the syrup or the carbonation matter more?

The carbonation matters more for texture, but the syrup decides the flavor. Carbonate the water first and pour the syrup in afterward, because adding syrup before carbonating can foam over the bottle.

Fizz level changes the feel of a tonic. A hard fizz makes a sharper, more refreshing drink.

If you're shopping for a new machine to pair with these syrups, our premium sparkling water maker picks cover glass and plastic bottles, and our Aarke vs SodaStream comparison explains how the two brands differ on fizz control.

Should you carbonate water with tonic syrup already in it?

No. Tonic syrup is added after carbonation.

Carbonating flavored water can make a mess and can coat the machine's internals. For a fuller walkthrough of the pour, see our guide to how much SodaStream syrup to use.

What fizz level suits tonic?

A medium-to-high fizz gives tonic its snap, and you can dial it back if the bubbles feel too aggressive. Because tonic is poured over ice, start with a hard fizz to keep the drink lively as the ice melts.

Does the order of pour change the taste?

It changes how well the syrup dissolves. Pouring the syrup into the glass first and then adding the carbonated water over it lets the bubbles do the stirring.

Stirring gently afterward evens out the sweetness without knocking all the fizz out.

Full-sugar or diet tonic syrup: which is right for you?

Full-sugar tonics balance quinine with cane sugar, and the diet ones use sucralose or stevia instead. A full-sugar pour tastes richer in a gin and tonic, while diet tonic lets the gin and bitter quinine come through without a sugary finish.

If you drink several tonics a week, the zero-sugar options are easier to keep in rotation. If you only make gin and tonics for guests, a cane-sugar concentrate like Jack Rudy or Top Hat feels more like a bar pour.

The cane-sugar bottles also tend to carry more botanical weight, because the sugar rounds off flavors that a diet sweetener can leave sharp.

The diet pick here is the SodaStream four-pack at about 96 drinks per pack. The cane-sugar picks are Top Hat, Jack Rudy, Tomr's and Small Hand Foods.

There's also a middle ground: Top Hat Classic uses cane sugar but with fewer calories than most premium tonic waters, so it's a step down from full sugar without going to zero.

How the sweeteners differ in the glass

Sucralose and stevia don't taste identical to sugar. Sucralose is closer to sugar's clean sweetness, while stevia can leave a slight herbal linger.

Some drinkers notice that finish more in a clear highball than in a mixed drink with gin and citrus.

Cane sugar brings body as well as sweetness. That's why a cane-sugar tonic feels heavier in the mouth than a diet one, and why it pairs so well with a strong juniper gin.

If you're serving guests who expect a bar pour, a cane-sugar bottle is the safer bet.

How many drinks does each tonic syrup make?

Yield depends on whether the bottle is a pour-mix or a concentrate. The SodaStream diet four-pack makes about 96 drinks, the Top Hat bottles make 32 servings each, and the Small Hand Foods bottle makes the fewest because it's only 8.5 oz.

Use one ounce per drink for most concentrate bottles, which is the dose Top Hat and Tomr's both call for. SodaStream's pour bottles use their fill line, roughly three tablespoons, and produce about 24 drinks each.

Jack Rudy leaves the pour to your taste, so you estimate it by the ounce at your own strength.

If you host often, a 32 oz concentrate is the better buy. For one or two drinks a night, the single SodaStream bottle or the Jack Rudy bottle takes up less shelf space.

Working out your own pace

Count the drinks your household actually makes in a week rather than the ones you imagine. A four-pack at about 96 drinks covers months at a modest pace, while a craft bottle at 32 servings covers weeks.

If your count is low, a small bottle and a fresh restock beats a bulk pack that goes stale on the shelf.

Does the tonic style change the drink?

Yes, and more than most mixers do. A quinine-forward bottle like Top Hat East India gives a dry, bitter G&T, while the rose and fruit bottles turn tonic into a spritzer base.

Pair a botanical tonic with a London dry gin, and a softer floral tonic with a lighter gin or a vodka pour. A diet tonic keeps the drink crisp and lets the gin's botanicals show through.

The hop and tea in East India, for example, echo the citrus and spice in many modern gins, while the lavender in Top Hat Classic softens a harsher pour.

Sweetness is the other lever. Cane-sugar tonics round off the bitterness, while zero-sugar ones leave a sharper edge.

Taste the first pour before you mix a batch. A quick sip of the tonic alone tells you whether to add more syrup or more soda before the gin goes in.

Which tonic water syrup should you buy?

For most kitchens, buy the SodaStream Diet Tonic four-pack and keep a craft bottle like Top Hat East India on the shelf for weekend gin and tonics. The four-pack covers everyday diet tonic, and the concentrate gives you the strength and bitterness you control.

Buy Jack Rudy if you want a small-batch tonic for a bar cart and Top Hat Classic if you prefer lavender and juniper. Pick Portland Syrups for floral spritzers, Tomr's for organic cinchona, and Bubly Burst if you want fruit flavors instead of bitter tonic.

The best SodaStream tonic water syrup is the one you'll drink through before it goes flat on the shelf. Start with a small bottle if you're new to a flavor, then buy the bulk pack once you know the pour you like.

The one thing to get right from the start is the order of the pour: carbonated water first, syrup after, and a gentle stir.

Our top 3 picks at a glance

  1. 1 Sodastream Diet Tonic New Pour Bottle Drink
    Best for everyday diet tonic

    Sodastream Diet Tonic New Pour Bottle Drink

    9.6/10 our score

    See it on Amazon
  2. 2 Top Hat East India Craft Concentrated Quinine
    Best craft concentrate for gin and tonics

    Top Hat East India Craft Concentrated Quinine

    9.5/10 our score

    See it on Amazon
  3. 3 SodaStream Bubly Burst Variety Pack
    Best for flavored tonic-style spritzers

    SodaStream Bubly Burst Variety Pack

    9.4/10 our score

    See it on Amazon

Frequently asked questions

Can you use tonic syrup with a SodaStream machine?

Yes. Carbonate the water first, then pour the syrup into the finished sparkling water.

Adding syrup before carbonating can foam over and can affect the machine's carbonation performance.

How much tonic syrup goes into sparkling water?

Most concentrates call for 1 oz of syrup per 5 oz of soda. SodaStream's own bottles work from a pour line near the top of the cap.

Our syrup dosing guide covers the measure in detail.

Is SodaStream diet tonic the same as regular tonic water?

The diet version is sweetened with sucralose and stevia rather than sugar, and it has no calories. The bitterness of quinine is still there, so it works for gin and tonics, but the sweetness profile differs from a cane-sugar tonic.

Which tonic syrup is best for a gin and tonic?

Top Hat East India and Jack Rudy are built for spirit-forward drinks, with quinine and botanicals doing the work. Pair either with a good gin, fresh sparkling water and a citrus twist.

How long does an open tonic syrup last?

Concentrates like Top Hat and Tomr's call for refrigeration after opening. Sealed bottles keep to the printed date, so write the open date on the cap of each bottle you start.