Gin

Gin is a spirit drink that gets its flavour predominantly from juniper berries. This juniper character serves as 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, through vapour infusion, or by other approved methods depending on the style. The essential requirement is that juniper must remain the dominant flavour.

Gin derives its flavour from botanicals. Juniper is essential, whilst other common botanicals include coriander seed, citrus peel, angelica root, liquorice, cassia, cardamom and many others. Different distillers employ different botanical recipes to create styles that can be citrus-led, floral, spicy, savoury or more classically 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, whilst 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 distinctive character 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 primary flavour. These categories may overlap in some areas, but they offer a helpful guide to understanding how a gin might taste and the methods used in its production.

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 may be made differently or include different post-distillation additions.

Gin is highly versatile. It performs well in a classic gin and tonic, in cocktails such as the Martini or Negroni, and sometimes neat if you wish to focus on the botanical detail. Lighter citrus-led styles often complement long drinks, whilst drier and more traditional gins can work particularly well in spirit-forward cocktails.