Gin

Gin is a spirit drink flavoured primarily with juniper berries. That juniper character is the defining feature of the category, even though many gins also incorporate other botanicals such as coriander, citrus peel, angelica, cardamom or floral ingredients.

Gin is typically produced by taking a neutral spirit of agricultural origin and adding flavour through botanicals. These flavours can be introduced by redistilling the spirit with botanicals, by vapour infusion, or by other approved methods depending on the style. The essential point is that juniper must remain the dominant flavour.

Gin gets its flavour from botanicals. Juniper is essential, while other common botanicals include coriander seed, citrus peel, angelica root, liquorice, cassia, cardamom and many others. Different distillers employ varying botanical recipes to craft styles that can be citrus-forward, floral, spicy, savoury or more traditionally dry.

Gin can taste crisp, fresh, herbal, citrusy, floral or spicy depending on the recipe, but juniper typically provides a piney, resinous backbone. Some styles are quite dry and traditional, while others are gentler, more fragrant or more modern in character.

Vodka is typically produced to be relatively neutral in flavour, while gin is characterised by botanical elements, particularly juniper. Put simply, gin begins with a vodka-like base spirit but then develops its identity through botanical flavouring and, in many cases, redistillation.

Common styles include London Dry gin, distilled gin, Old Tom gin, Plymouth Gin and flavoured or contemporary styles that highlight botanicals beyond juniper while still maintaining it as the dominant flavour. These categories can overlap in some areas, but they provide a helpful guide to how a gin might taste and how it has been produced.

London Dry gin is a production style rather than a geographical name, so it doesn't need to be made in London. It must be produced by distillation from ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, all flavouring must be natural botanical material added during distillation, and the finished gin cannot contain more than 0.1 grams of added sugar per litre. Other gins can be made differently or include different post-distillation additions.

Gin is highly versatile. It works brilliantly in a classic gin and tonic, in cocktails like the Martini or Negroni, and sometimes neat if you want to concentrate on the botanical detail. Lighter citrus-driven styles often suit long drinks, while drier and more traditional gins can work particularly well in spirit-forward cocktails.