Gin
Gin is thought to be a British adaptation of the Dutch spirit genever, though the origins of both gin and genever are subject to debate. Gin is, in essence, a flavored vodka as it is in fact a neutral spirit with certain flavorings added to it, though gin distillers won’t thank you for saying that. The key, characteristic flavor of gin must be of juniper, and historically juniper has been an overwhelming component of the spirit. In recent years, distillers have moved to tempering the impact of juniper and pumping up other flavors in the bottle, sometimes resulting in a spirit that’s closer to a flavored vodka. In the European Union and some other places gin must be at least 75 proof, while in the U.S. it must be at least 80 proof. “Navy Strength” gins are often bottled at 114 proof. Today, numerous sub-styles of gin have emerged out of the classic London Dry, including a resurgence of the archaic Old Tom gin style, Plymouth gin (which is also a famous brand), and New Western (or New American) gin, which tends to push the flavor boundaries of the spirit. Aside from Plymouth gin, which must be produced in a specific town in England, these gins have no formal, legal definitions or requirements.
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Ireland’s The Shed Distillery is reaching deep into the botanical bag to keep their annual limited-edition offerings flowing. If you thought last year’s Brazilian Pineapple was exotic, this latest release is maybe even more unique. In collaboration with Bruno Vanzan, two-time world champion mixologist, Gunpowder (no longer formally using the old Drumshanbo branding — though…
Fredericksburg, Texas is known as Central Texas’s wine country, but it’s also the home of Salvation Spirits, which in 2021 began producing vodka and gin. Today we’re looking at Fritztown Gin, its most straightforward of three gin offerings. The company is cagey about its botanicals, describing the gin as being made “with traditional elements, Texas…
Technically Luxardo Italian London Dry Gin, this is the creation of the well-regarded maraschino producer. Nine botanicals are included in the botanical bill — juniper, coriander, iris, angelica, licorice, cinchona, cinnamon, cardamom, and bitter oranges — which are infused for 24 hours in alcohol (unstated in origin) before redistillation in copper pot stills. The recipe…
The amaro craze continues with the launch of Brucato, a collection of three amari made in San Francisco with a heavy reliance on California-grown botanicals. The trio of expressions are markedly different, but all are widely versatile, able to be used as an aperitif, digestif, or — my pick — as a cocktail ingredient or…
Citadelle Gin Rouge features red fruits in its gin bill, but don’t get too excited: Despite the name, the gin is crystal clear. Only the label is red. This new release is described as “a true celebration of the French tradition of distilling seasonal fruits” and it features a bevy of red fruits — all…
The vast majority of gins today start as a neutral spirit made with grain (typically barley, wheat, rye, or corn), which is then infused with juniper and other botanicals. Feather & Folly Gin is unusual in that its base spirit is made by distilling the juice of wine grapes. More specifically, it is made entirely…
Monkey 47‘s annual special edition for 2025 — wherein a 48th ingredient is famously added to the botanical bill — is focused on fleur de sel, salt from Camargue’s pale-pink salt marshes in the south of France. Given the connection between gin and briny olives, it’s a combination that makes immediate sense, unlike some prior…
Did 2025 turn out the way you were expecting it to? The world’s gone so insane that, at this point, I don’t think anything that happens in the next 12 months could possibly surprise us. Did you also get the memo that the alcohol business is in massive decline? Turns out people stopped drinking, just…
First things first: That vibrant blue liquid is gin — not violet liqueur, not sloe gin, not something from the planet Zebulon. It’s a straight gin colored to be blue, thanks to the addition of butterfly pea blossoms to the distillate. Why make a blue gin? The British Columbia-based distillery explains: Victoria Distillers introduced Empress…
Grape-based gins aren’t exactly a new thing, but they remain rare even after years of innovation and numberless new brand launches during the now-fizzling gin boom of recent years. New Zealand’s Strange Nature distills its eponymous gin from grapes but not just any grape. Strange Nature is made entirely from the grape that arguably put…