Gin

Gin is a juniper-flavored spirit: an alcohol of agricultural origin flavored with juniper berries that must taste primarily of juniper and be bottled at a minimum of 37.5% ABV.

Gin is a spirit with juniper: an alcohol of agricultural origin flavored with juniper berries, which must primarily taste of juniper and be bottled at a minimum of 37.5% ABV.

At its core, therefore, gin is a very pure alcohol imbued with the character of a forest, a garden, or a heath. The juniper berry always sets the tone, and this is already reflected in its name. The Duden dictionary traces "Gin" via the English "geneva" and the Dutch "genever" back to the Old French "genevre," which means juniper. So, when you order a gin, you are ordering juniper, just by way of two other languages.

What alcohol is in gin?

Ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin—that is what the EU spirit drinks regulation calls it. This refers to an alcohol obtained exclusively from agricultural products, with a strength of at least 96% ABV and no detectable foreign taste. It does not possess its own profile; that is provided only by the distiller's botanicals. The regulation does not specify which fruit of the field it must originate from, and that is precisely where the distiller's signature begins.

In the Volcanic Eifel, Sandra Wimmeler and Denis Lönnendonker created a gin made from potatoes as the first product of their Windspiel distillery. The potatoes come from their own Weilerhof farm and from contracted farmers in the Eifel region. Every year after the harvest in autumn, the distillery distills its base alcohol from them, with the tubers coming from a single vintage. They attribute the smoothness of their Premium Dry Gin to these potatoes. Twelve botanicals are added: juniper forms the base, lemon peel and coriander provide freshness, and lavender and cinnamon bark add floral depth.

Other houses choose differently. Ferdinand's on the Saar river derives its base alcohol from spelt, wheat, and rye, and adds over 30 botanicals, predominantly from their own cultivation and the region, along with an infusion of Riesling grapes. Lantenhammer, located at Lake Schliersee, macerates the juniper in potato spirit. In all cases, the label simply says "gin."

Is gin always made from juniper?

It is not distilled *from* juniper, but without juniper, there is no gin. The berries of *Juniperus communis* flavor the alcohol, and their taste must predominate. In distilled gin, other natural botanicals are added to the still—citrus peels, coriander, lavender, or herbs—as long as the juniper remains at the forefront. If it recedes, it remains only in the category of "spirit drink with juniper": in this case, 30% ABV is sufficient, and the berry must merely be perceptible, sometimes in a subdued form.

The Feinbrennerei Sasse demonstrates how far one can take the juniper itself. Their Heide Gin is the first gin made from juniper berries from the County of Bentheim, hand-picked on the local juniper heaths. The distillery macerates the berries, distills the macerate, and refines it with further botanicals. It tastes first of citrus and grapefruit, then earthy and mineral, and the juniper remains mild.

Others give the juniper primarily time. At Lantenhammer, it rests for up to three weeks in potato spirit before being distilled for eight hours. At Hoos in Karlsruhe, the botanicals steep for two days in neutral alcohol, then the copper still slowly extracts them at a low temperature. In both cases, patience does the work.

What do "dry," "distilled," and "London" mean on the label?

Three terms, all regulated, and not every one denotes a quality tier. For simple gin, it is enough to flavor alcohol with juniper and aromas. Distilled gin goes through the still with juniper berries and other natural botanicals, using an alcohol that had a strength of at least 96% ABV beforehand. Anyone adding only essences or aromas to alcohol may not call their gin "distilled."

London Gin is the strictest tier. Its entire aroma must be created during the distillation process, during which all botanicals used are present; the distillate must be at least 70% ABV. It is not colored, sweetened by no more than 0.1 g per liter, and nothing else is added except water. This has nothing to do with the city; the regulation mentions no such place. Heiko Hoos distills his London Gin in Karlsruhe, in batches of 120 bottles, using 15 botanicals ranging from pine shoots to chamomile blossoms.

And "dry"? This word may appear on all three tiers if there are no more than 0.1 g of added sweetening products per liter. This is your touchstone when shopping: "Distilled" means the juniper passed through the still. "London" means no aroma was added after distillation. "Dry" means the gin was essentially not sweetened.

Can you drink gin neat?

Yes, and the Duden dictionary even cites drinking it neat as an example in its entry. The distilleries see it the same way. Sasse recommends the Heide Gin neat or in a cocktail, Lantenhammer suggests the Josef Gin neat, with tonic, or in a Negroni. At room temperature, the Heide Gin reveals its earthy side most clearly when neat. Windspiel is better poured over a large ice cube, which brings out its mild, floral side.

For a Gin and Tonic, Windspiel suggests a ratio of 40 ml of gin to 100 ml of neutral tonic and a lemon twist. Put a slice of cucumber in the glass instead of the twist, and the gin will taste more floral. With Heide Gin, use a grapefruit twist, and it will taste more distinctly of grapefruit. In a Martini, gin meets vermouth, and a fruity gin like Ferdinand's Saar Dry Gin provides a foundation instead of getting in the way.

A heavy glass, a large ice cube, and a finger's width of gin: that is all a long summer evening on the balcony needs.

Five distilleries, five times juniper

All bottles are listed under Gin. From the Volcanic Eifel comes the Windspiel Premium Dry Gin, distilled from potato alcohol, and from Karlsruhe the Hoos London Gin. From the Saar region comes the Saar Dry Gin by Ferdinand's, featuring Riesling from the Saarburger Rausch vineyard. The Feinbrennerei Sasse bottles the Grafschafter Heide Gin made from local juniper, and from Lake Schliersee comes the Josef Gin Alpine Botanicals by Lantenhammer, containing hay flowers, hops, and rose hips.

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