What Is Gin Made Out Of?

For bar owners and hospitality professionals, understanding what defines gin is crucial in selecting quality products for your establishment. Gin is a distilled spirit that must have a dominant flavor of juniper berries. Beyond juniper, gin makers can add a diverse range of botanicals, allowing them to create unique flavor profiles that appeal to different tastes.

• Legal Definition and Standards: To meet legal requirements, gin must be primarily flavored with juniper berries. This juniper-forward quality is a crucial identifier for gin, setting it apart from other spirits.
• Flexibility in Botanicals: Beyond juniper, gin makers are free to add any botanicals they choose. This flexibility allows for an exciting variety of gins, each offering a unique tasting experience.
• Implications for Bar Menus: Understanding this diversity means you can cater to a broader clientele by offering gins that range from classic, juniper-heavy styles to modern gins with innovative botanical profiles.

Juniper berries are the heart and soul of gin, giving it the signature pine-like aroma and taste that customers associate with the spirit. Knowing the role of juniper can enhance how you describe gin to patrons.

• Flavor Contribution: Juniper berries add a piney, resinous quality often balanced by citrus and spice notes. This distinct taste is why gin appeals to patrons looking for a refreshing, botanical flavor.
• Historical Context: Juniper in spirits dates back centuries, initially used for medicinal purposes. For bartenders, sharing this history can add an exciting narrative to your gin offerings.
• Importance for Bar Selections: Since juniper flavor can vary in intensity across different gins, having options ranging from light to bold juniper-forward gins enables you to cater to diverse customer preferences.

In addition to juniper, gin typically includes a core set of botanicals that provide balance and complexity. Understanding these ingredients allows you to craft cocktails that bring out the best in each gin.

• Coriander Seeds: Coriander adds a hint of spice and citrus, often rounding out the gin’s flavor profile and adding warmth.
• Angelica Root: Known for its earthy, slightly bitter notes, angelica root acts as a grounding botanical, adding depth and balancing the lighter flavors in gin.
• Orris Root: This botanical, derived from the iris flower, provides floral sweetness and has fixative properties that help maintain gin’s aroma.
• Citrus Peels: Peels from lemons, oranges, or limes add a bright, zesty element to gin, making it more refreshing and adding a pleasing acidity.
• Licorice Root: This ingredient contributes mild sweetness and herbaceous flavors that help to mellow and harmonize the gin.

By understanding these botanicals, you can make more educated recommendations for cocktails that align with each gin’s unique flavor profile.

Using unique or locally sourced botanicals has become a trend in modern gin production. Regional flair creates a distinctive touch to your gin drinks and gives customers a sense of place.

• Local and Seasonal Ingredients: Many gins incorporate ingredients like heather, hibiscus, or bay laurel native to the distiller’s region. These botanicals create flavors specific to certain areas, making the gin feel more personal and exclusive.
• Exotic Botanicals: Some producers use unconventional ingredients like chamomile, green tea, or exotic spices like cardamom. Highlighting these flavors can add sophistication and intrigue to your menu.
• Marketing Tip: Regional or unique botanicals offer a storytelling opportunity. Patrons may be excited to try a gin that features flavors from a particular region, especially if it’s locally made or includes ingredients tied to a cultural heritage.

Distillation is critical in determining a gin’s flavor profile, texture, and overall character. Each method affects how botanicals interact with the base spirit, making it essential for bar owners and hospitality professionals to understand these variations. By knowing the distinctions between distillation techniques, you can select gins with particular flavor intensities, complexities, and qualities that align with your cocktail program and customer preferences.

The Basics of Gin Distillation

Gin is typically distilled in copper pot stills or column stills. Pot stills allow for small-batch production focusing on flavor concentration, while column stills produce a lighter spirit with a more neutral profile. The distillation process can generally be broken down into a few stages:

1. Base Spirit Preparation: Gin starts with a neutral spirit, typically distilled from grains, sugarcane, or sometimes grapes. This base spirit is the “blank canvas” infused with botanicals to create gin.
2. Botanical Infusion: Botanicals are added in specific stages, with juniper usually introduced first to ensure its dominant flavor.
3. Heating and Vaporization: The spirit is heated, and as it turns into vapor, it passes through or over botanicals, absorbing essential oils and flavors.

Incorporating botanicals—whether through direct infusion, vapor infusion, or vacuum distillation—dramatically impacts the flavor. Let’s dive into each method and what it brings to the final product.

Direct Infusion (Maceration) Method

In the direct infusion—or maceration—method, botanicals steep in the neutral spirit for an extended period before distilling the spirit. This method allows for a more intense extraction of flavors and aromas, resulting in a bold and full-bodied gin.

• Process: Botanicals are soaked in the neutral spirit in a still, typically overnight or longer, allowing flavors to infuse thoroughly.
• Flavor Impact: Direct infusion produces a robust, concentrated flavor. Juniper, spices, and heavier botanicals like angelica root come through more prominently, making the gin ideal for classic cocktails where a strong gin presence is desired.
• Consideration for Bars: This method’s intensity makes these gins excellent for cocktails where gin’s flavor needs to stand out, such as martinis and Negronis. Knowing which gins are macerated can help select robust, aromatic options for customers who appreciate a traditional gin profile.

Vapor Infusion Method

Vapor infusion is a gentler method where the botanicals go in a basket within the still, above the base spirit. As the spirit vapor rises, it passes through the botanicals, capturing their volatile oils without fully saturating them.

• Process: The base spirit is heated in the still, and the vapor rises to meet a botanical-filled basket. Since the botanicals aren’t immersed, the flavors are more delicately extracted.
• Flavor Impact: Vapor-infused gins often exhibit a lighter, more floral profile, with brighter notes from botanicals like citrus peels and flowers. This method preserves subtle flavors, making the gin more versatile and softer on the palate.
• Consideration for Bars: Gins made through vapor infusion work well in delicate cocktails, like a gin spritz or a gin and tonic. The gentle extraction also allows unique botanicals to shine without overpowering the spirit, providing an appealing choice for patrons who prefer nuanced flavors.

Vacuum Distillation (Cold Distillation) Method

Vacuum or cold distillation uses lower temperatures and is an innovative approach in some craft distilleries. By distilling gin under vacuum pressure, the boiling point of the spirit is reduced, preserving the freshest, most vibrant botanical flavors.

• Process: The spirit and botanicals are placed under vacuum conditions, allowing distillation at lower temperatures. This reduces the risk of heat-induced flavor degradation, especially with fresh or delicate botanicals.
• Flavor Impact: Vacuum distillation captures a fresher, more vibrant botanical character with intense notes of herbs, florals, and citrus. Cold-distilled gins often taste “brighter” and more aromatic, ideal for modern gin profiles.
• Consideration for Bars: Vacuum-distilled gins bring out the best of botanicals like mint, rosemary, and lavender, making them great for cocktails with garden-fresh, aromatic themes. For establishments looking to offer something distinctive, vacuum-distilled gins add a unique, contemporary option to the menu.

Multi-Distillation and Layering Techniques

Some distilleries use multi-distillation or layering techniques, distilling botanicals separately and then blending. This approach allows distillers to control each flavor’s intensity, resulting in a complex, layered gin.

• Process: Botanicals are divided into groups and distilled individually, then blended to create the final gin. This process allows for precise flavor balance.
• Flavor Impact: Multi-distilled gins are often smooth and balanced, with distinct layers of flavor that evolve on the palate. Such gins might start with bright citrus notes, transition to earthy spices, and finish with a hint of sweetness.
• Consideration for Bars: These gins are versatile and can adapt to a range of cocktails. Multi-distilled gins work well in complex cocktails, as their layered flavors unfold with each sip, enhancing the drinking experience.

Pot vs. Column Still Distillation

The choice of pot or column still also impacts the gin’s flavor, and understanding these distinctions can help in menu development.

• Pot Still: Pot stills create a rich, full-bodied spirit, ideal for gins with a heavier botanical presence. Pot-distilled gins are often chosen for bold, juniper-heavy profiles.
• Column Still: Column stills produce a cleaner, lighter spirit. This method suits floral or citrus-forward gins that aim for a smoother taste.

Blending and Finishing

After distillation, gin may undergo blending or finishing techniques to achieve the desired flavor profile. For example, some gins are cut with mineral-rich water to add mouthfeel, while others are slightly aged in barrels for a mellow, woody note.

• Blending Process: Blending allows the distiller to adjust the balance of botanicals, perfecting the final taste. This step enhances consistency and ensures each batch meets the brand’s flavor standards.
• Aging Options: While rare, some distilleries age gin in barrels, which can add depth and slight sweetness, resulting in a gin that works well in more robust cocktails.
• Consideration for Bars: Knowing how a gin finishes enables you to pair it effectively with cocktail ingredients. For example, a lightly aged gin may pair beautifully with bitter ingredients like Campari, while a blended gin with a rounded profile could be ideal in citrus-forward drinks.

The foundation of any gin is its alcohol base, typically a neutral spirit distilled from grains and water, which makes up a large portion of the final product.

• Quality of Water: High-quality water is essential in gin production, affecting both the smoothness and clarity of the spirit. Many distillers use purified or mineral-rich water, which can subtly influence the gin’s mouthfeel.
• Neutral Spirit Base: Most gins start with a neutral spirit, though some producers experiment with nontraditional bases, such as grape or sugarcane, which can lend faint flavor nuances.
• Alcohol Strength and Balance: Distillers adjust the alcohol level in gin to ensure it highlights the botanicals without overpowering them, which is essential for mixability in cocktails.

The botanicals in gin are carefully selected to create a balanced, appealing flavor profile. Knowing where ingredients come from and how they are sourced can help you make more ethical and sustainable choices for your establishment.

• Sourcing Practices: Many distilleries are transparent about their sourcing practices, offering organic or sustainably harvested botanicals. Sourcing from reputable suppliers ensures quality and freshness.
• Recipe Development: Crafting the perfect gin recipe often involves months of testing and experimentation. Distillers test different botanical combinations to achieve a balanced, complex flavor profile.
• Brand Storytelling: Using information about botanical sourcing can be a powerful way to connect with customers who value quality and authenticity in the spirits they consume.

Gin comes in several styles, each with distinct ingredients and flavor profiles. Offering a range of gin types on your menu can satisfy customers looking for classic and innovative options.

London Dry Gin

Known for its strong juniper presence, London Dry gin has little to no added sweetener and is commonly used in traditional cocktails like the gin and tonic.

Plymouth Gin

This style is slightly earthier, with a softer finish. It is only produced in Plymouth, England, making it a unique, place-specific offering.

Old Tom Gin

This is a sweeter style of gin that was popular in the nineteenth century, making it an excellent option for classic cocktail recreations like Tom Collins.

New Western or Contemporary Gin

These modern gins highlight botanicals other than juniper, providing flavors ranging from floral to fruity.

As the gin industry evolves, craft distillers embrace new ingredients, techniques, and values. For bar owners, offering a mix of classic and craft gin options can broaden your customer base and enhance your reputation as a gin destination.

• Craft and Artisanal Gins: Many new distilleries focus on small-batch production with unique botanicals and innovative techniques, catering to customers who appreciate artisanal products.
• Sustainability Trends: Some distillers now emphasize eco-friendly practices, from sourcing ingredients to minimizing water and energy use. Featuring these brands on your menu can appeal to environmentally conscious patrons.
• Global Influence: With gin now produced worldwide, ingredients and influences from different cultures are finding their way into bottles. Highlighting global gin options allows patrons to explore flavors from around the world.

For bar owners and hospitality managers, understanding what gin is made out of enables you to make informed choices when curating a gin selection. From classic London Dry gins with juniper-forward profiles to contemporary craft gins featuring exotic botanicals, there’s a world of options to explore. By familiarizing yourself with the ingredients, distillation methods, and sourcing practices behind each bottle, you can create a gin menu that resonates with customers, enhances their experience, and keeps people coming back for more.