Charles Rolls: my quest for the perfect gin and tonic

As chief executive of a gin distillery, Charles Rolls could never find the perfect tonic. So he set up his own company to produce one.

Once dubbed 'mother's ruin', gin's image has come a long way since William Hogarth portrayed it as the scourge of working-class London in the 18th century. These days, few things could be more civilised than a sunlit gin and tonic, and premium gin brands abound. Now Charles Rolls, 51, is doing the same thing for tonic. His company, Fever Tree, is growing at 300% a year, as drinkers take to his premium range of natural mixers even in the downturn.

The grandson of a South African immigrant "who got torpedoed off Southampton and swam to shore in his pyjamas", London-born Rolls was chief executive at Plymouth Gin in the early 2000s. He was on the lookout for tonics to go with the 200-year-old premium brand. But when he went to New York to try some American tonics, "they were no good at all. They all tasted far too sweet, were very sickly, and for some reason all had a taste of grapefruit about them." What was the point, he thought, of companies going to extraordinary lengths to make premium gin when most of the glass was filled with sickly, syrupy tonic?

Subscribe to MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Sign up
Jody Clarke

Jody studied at the University of Limerick and was a senior writer for MoneyWeek. Jody is experienced in interviewing, for example digging into the lives of an ex-M15 agent and quirky business owners who have made millions. Jody’s other areas of expertise include advice on funds, stocks and house prices.