What Makes Gin Taste Like Gin?

If I’m at a dive bar, then my drink of choice is a gin and tonic. If I’m at a nicer bar, then it’s a dry gin martini, and if I’m at a craft cocktail bar where most drinks are named things like “Free Britney” or “Re-Downloading Tinder Again,” then it’s whatever menu item has gin and something citrusy in it. I’m not the only one that turns to gin often when ordering a beverage — after a slump in popularity during the latter half of the 20th century, the rise of craft cocktail culture as well as an uptick in demand for premium spirits has made gin trendy again, with growth in the industry predicted to continue across the next few years. Gin is the perfect choice for bartenders who want to create more thoughtful cocktails,  especially because botanicals give this versatile spirit a nearly endless array of flavor profiles to draw on.

All gins are infused with botanicals, also known as plant additives. These range from run of the mill herbs, to bark, citrus, roots, and seeds..  The only botanical that all gins require is juniper berries; beyond that, it’s dealer’s choice. Juniper berries are what give gin its signature herbal, piney, almost-medicinal flavor — although distillers can add more or less juniper depending on their preference.  If you prefer a more juniper-forward gin, go with a London Dry. 

Other botanicals are where the magic of creating a unique profile for each gin comes in.  Ingredients like citrus peels, coriander, Angelica root, or cardamom are considered classic additions to gin. Gray Whale uses botanicals foraged along the migratory path of the California Gray Whale, including sea kelp and almonds. In addition to some more traditional ingredients, Roku gin includes six Japanese botanicals cultivated over four seasons: sakura leaf (spring), sakura flower (spring), yuzu (winter), gyokuro tea (summer), sencha tea (summer), and sansho pepper (autumn). Some of the options out there appeal to me more than others. I’m eager to try Condesa’s Prickly Pear and Orange Blossom Gin, which is exactly what its name indicates. And while I’d certainly taste it, I’m a little skeptical of Anty Gin, another literally named product that’s infused with red wood ants.

This breadth of variability means you can tailor the gin you use to the cocktail you’re making, because not every botanical bouquet is right for every drink. A citrus-forward spirit would be a nice option for a French 75, while the gin you use in a martini should play well with the botanicals of whichever vermouth you choose. With the right one, you can even swap gin into cocktails that wouldn’t normally call for it. For example, a barrel-aged gin has some of the caramelly notes you’ll find in bourbon, and can make a great Old Fashioned (or be sipped straight). So if you think you’re not a gin person, think again — there’s likely some combination of herbs, fruit, roots, insects, seeds, bark, and spices out there that yields a bottle of this spirit you’re going to love.