There is something warmly comforting about sipping a drink that makes you feel like you’re in the middle of a Christmas tree.
Gin is nothing more than flvaored vodka, whose predominant flavor comes from a wonderful little berry: juniper. Juniper has been around for millions of years, and the juniper that is used most often for gin can live for up to 2 hundred years! As a child, I only knew juniper as the annoying shrub in our front yard that made my arms and legs itch when I walked through it. Little did I know, that I would come to love that intoxicating fresh pine scent in my cocktails.
Juniper lends countless flavors to the spirit, which is why the flavor of gin is so intense and complex. Juniper contains a few key molecule that greatly impact its flavor profile: α-Pinene, which is responsible for the flavor pine or rosemary; myrcene, which interestingly enough, is also found in cannabis, hopes, and wild thyme; and limonene, which is the well-known citrus flavor. Due to the wide array of flavors that can be pulled out of one small juniper berry, gin is often flavored and mixed with botanicals and beverages with similar flavor complexes. Every combination extracts different oils from the plants and yields a different and corresponding flavor.
Not all gins are created equal and the differences between them are subtle at best. Gin is a high-proof, vodka-like alcohol that is flavored with juniper and other natural flavorings. Distilled gin is an alcohol that has been redistilled with juniper and other botanicals, with added flavorings. London gin, or dry gin, is when the spirit has been redistilled with juniper and other botanicals, with no additional ingredients other than water and ethanol. Plymouth gin is similar to London gin, but it can only be made in Plymouth, England. And lastly, Sloe gin is a liqueur produced by soaking sloe berries in gin, and is bottle at 25% alcohol or higher.
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