Dutch courage, mother’s ruin, juniper juice … No matter what you want to call it, gin is one of the most important spirit categories in the world.
Loosely defined as a spirit with a predominant juniper aroma, gin has surprising potential for complexity in its construction. Sure, the vast majority of the stuff is going to be consumed in the form of some kind of cocktail or highball—and I do love a good G&T—but that doesn’t mean you can simply distill some vodka with a few juniper berries and call it a day.
The problem is that the world of gin botanicals is a bonanza of choice. As long as you aren’t using ingredients that your governing regulatory authority has deemed unfit for human consumption, then the world is your oyster … or gin basket, as the case may be.
So, in the spirit of herbaceous deliciousness, let’s dive into the lush world of gin botanicals and how to use them.