Chasing down the rice with a glass of tea & tonic, although this time it's Fever-Tree Sicilian Lemon tonic.
https://fever-tree.com/en_US/products/lemon-tonic
I had to double-check that there was actual tonic water in the bottle and not just lemon juice. The lemon overpowers the quinine and renders its bitterness undetectable.
Very tasty, nonetheless.
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Upon triple checking, I've learned that Amazon mislabeled the box in which my "tonic water" came. Instead of Sicilian Lemon, they sent me Sparkling Lemon - in essence, lemonade, sans quinine.
I called for and received a refund from Amazon, then placed another order for the Sicilian Lemon Tonic Water. Here's hoping they send the right stuff this time.