What Is Gin? The Ultimate Guide to Gin

Gin has a contested history that dates back to the 16th century (the French, English, and Dutch all claim its origins), but one thing is certain: In the modern day, the botanical-infused spirit is more popular than ever. Today consumers appreciate gin’s natural ingredients that showcase deliciously in common aperitif cocktails, like a Negroni (equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari) or a gin and tonic. As a result of its contemporary renaissance, gin has witnessed an uptick in new brands and innovative releases from historic distilleries. 

What Is Gin?

Gin is a spirit that contains infusions of various botanicals, including any mix of fruits, berries, seeds, spices, roots, and herbs, but the majority flavor must be juniper berries. Many people credit a Netherlands-based doctor, Professor Sylvius de Bouve, as the inventor of gin. He distilled a spirit using juniper berries called genever to use as a medicinal ingredient. 

In the 17th century, the British government taxed and passed legislation to reduce the amount of brandy imports from France. It encouraged local production of gin as an alternative, and there was a proliferation of gin distilleries and home distillation across England. This led to the Gin Craze in the 18th century, when poor Londoners were drinking too much gin, including some dangerously produced gin. In response, the government passed a series of gin-related bills that became known as the Gin Acts to regulate gin consumption. The 19th century saw the birth of the classic gin cocktail, the gin and tonic, as the British navy had to drink quinine to prevent getting malaria in India. They added sugar, water, and lime to the quinine to cover its bitter taste — and one day, they added gin.

Today there are many different styles of gin, including the popular London Dry gin (which fuels the confusion of gin’s origin story), as well as newer types from luxury gin brands, such as barrel-aged Tom Cat gin and Japanese gin.

What Is Gin Made From?

Producers distill gin using grains such as rye and barley (the most traditional) as well as wheat and corn. The base distillate doesn’t matter as much as the botanical additions, because the predominant flavor of juniper berries is what legally defines gin.

As long as the main flavor is juniper berries, brands have plenty of flexibility to experiment with various botanicals. As previously mentioned, this can be a combination of numerous natural ingredients — some brands use more than 40 botanicals in a blend. Some of the most common botanicals include coriander, angelica root, bergamot, orris root, cardamom, and citrus peel.

Every distiller crafts its own blend of berries and other botanicals. Some push the limit on the predominance of juniper berries in order to present the most unique flavors. 

How Is Gin Made?

Gin production starts by fermenting grains and distilling them into a neutral alcohol. Distillers then infuse their proprietary blend of botanicals into the neutral alcohol via three main redistillation methods. The most customary method is the steep method, in which they steep the base spirit in a pot still with the blend of botanicals for up to 48 hours.  

Other methods include the vapor-infusion method, which involves heating the botanicals to release their essences over the base spirit (they stay separate the entire time), and vacuum distillation, which uses a low-pressure vacuum environment to reduce the boiling point of alcohol to preserve the delicate flavors of the botanicals. Some brands might infuse ingredients after redistillation, such as cucumber, to add freshness to the final gin. Finally, water is added to dilute the alcohol content, which is called the alcohol by volume (ABV). The global minimum for gin is 37.5% ABV, but the U.S. requires a minimum gin ABV of 40% (also labeled as 80 proof). 

8 Different Types of Gin

There are several different types of gin, each with its own flavor and nuances. Discover the eight main types of gin here. 

London Dry Gin

A London Dry gin, as its name suggests, is bone-dry (which means not sweet). This is a result of the distillation process; London Dry gins undergo redistillation immediately after botanical maceration and are not sweetened post-distillation. The gin is classically juniper-forward with pine aromas and citrus notes, but it can have certain secondary characteristics of botanicals including coriander seed, orris root, and angelica root. These add spicy, nutty, and earthy layers to the gin. If you’re making a gin martini, the clean profile of London Dry gin is ideal. Just add a simple twist of lemon to accent some of the citrus of the gin. Despite its name, this gin is not unique to London. Brands can produce it anywhere in the world.  

Try: Dr Eamers’ London Dry, The Corinthian London Dry, Tanqueray London Dry, No. 3 London Dry, Bombay Sapphire London Dry

Navy Strength Gin

A gin that’s Navy Strength must be above 57% ABV. This type of gin is potent and the flavor is strong to mask the high level of alcohol. Some brands will sweeten the gin so it’s more drinkable, but mostly, this gin is used in cocktails like gimlets. It’s a style that dates back to the 18th century, when sailors drank gin to prevent a slew of ailments. Once they suspected their gin was being diluted, some guards started testing the gin with gunpowder — if it caught fire, then it was still 57% ABV. Today, Navy Strength gin is distilled around the world, from the United States to Australia; Scotland is one of the most popular pockets for this type of gin. 

Try: Conniption Navy Strength, Windspiel Navy Strength, Dartmouth Navy Strength

Plymouth Gin

Plymouth Gin is the only gin with a PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status, denoting that it can originate only from the English city of Plymouth (kind of like Champagne or Cognac). This type of gin has a distinct sweetness with a fuller mouthfeel, especially in comparison with London Dry gin. The sweetness isn’t cloying, but rather fruity, thanks to a concentrated use of lemon peel, sweet orange peel, and absolutely no bitter botanicals. The Black Friars Distillery has produced the gin since 1793 using a signature blend of seven botanicals. The sweeter profile pairs well as a base in a Tom Collins cocktail. 

Try: Plymouth Gin

Old Tom Gin

Old Tom gin is another sweet style of gin that dates back to the 18th century. Unlike its counterparts on this list, though, Old Tom gin hasn’t always been popular. In fact, it all but disappeared in the 19th century, only to emerge again at the turn of the 20th century. Old Tom gin has rich flavors because it can mature in barrels to produce a darker spirit and bolder flavor. Producers typically sweeten it with licorice post-distillation, making it a fantastic choice for cocktails, as its toasty, nutty flavor profile mingles well with bitter and spicy ingredients. 

Try: Cotswolds Old Tom, Himbrimi Old Tom Gin, Barrel Hill Reserve Tom Cat

Genever 

This gin is a nod to the spirit’s Dutch origins. Genever, sometimes spelled jenever, may seem more juniper-forward than other gins due to its distillation process. Genever gin uses a malted grain mash rather than a neutral grain spirit, resulting in a slight malt flavor and a more dense mouthfeel. Though it is certainly a unique flavor and texture, many bartenders will use Genever as a seamless riff on a classic gin and tonic.

Try: Rutte Old Simon Genever, Old Duff Genever

Japanese Gin

Japan’s gin production may not be as long established as Europe’s, but it’s a revolutionary style that caught consumers’ interest thanks to its combination of juniper and new types of botanicals. Japanese gin uses a base of native Asian herbs and aromatics. Popular ingredients include ginger, shiso leaf, sansho pepper, sakura (or cherry blossom), yuzu, and Japanese citrus. The palate is typically smooth, with floral notes and a peppercorn quality. 

Try: Sakurao Japanese Dry Gin Original, Kyoto “Ki No Tea” Japanese Dry Gin, Suntory Roku Gin, Tsukusu Craft Gin

Sloe Gin 

Even though we call sloe gin a type of gin, it is technically a liqueur due to its use of sloeberries over juniper berries. The flavors of sloeberries share some similarities with juniper, but sloeberries are sweeter. The distillation process for sloe gin also varies, as producers create it by steeping sugar and sloeberries with the neutral spirit. As a result, this gin usually has a lower ABV (on average 30%); thus, it is not legally a gin despite its name. Bartenders recognize its sweet flavor and rounder texture and employ it in entirely unique versions of gin’s classic cocktails. Therefore, mixologists label them as such, like the sloe gin fizz and sloe gin collins.

Try: Monkey 47 Sloe Gin, The Boatyard Sloe Boat Gin, Berkshire Botanical Sloe Gin, Plymouth Sloe Gin

Flavored Gin 

Technically, experts don’t recognize flavored gin as a type of gin since it contains ingredients that stray from the typical juniper base. Sloe gin, for example, categorically falls under flavored gin since it is produced with sloeberries, but since it’s been adopted as a style of its own, we’ll let it be. Pink gin is another popular but maligned category of gin, but it is, in fact, a flavored gin — and the most popular flavored gin, at that — due to the process of infusing color and flavors like rose, raspberries, and strawberries. Citrus-infused gins like Sevilla orange or Italian lemon are other common types of flavored gins, along with cucumber, coconut, and plum.

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