Gin a Spirit with Taste and Aroma

With the introduction of craft or boutique distilleries gin an alcoholic drink has undergone a revolutionary diversification. The availability of micro equipment for distillation and the rise of master blenders have resulted in culmination of various styles the World over. With diversification, a vast variety of flavors have flooded the market. At any bar in Europe you will find a vast layer of brands on the rack in appealing bottles.

Gin is clear liquor distilled from rye and flavored with juniper berries which accord it a unique taste and aroma. It is a neutral and is additionally flavored. This spirit is distilled from mesh and then re-distilled to refine the taste and appearance. Flavoring is followed as the nest step before eventually bottling the gin so made.

The Estonian Rye and fresh juniper berries are most appealing to the craft distillers. Although rye mash is most popular other meshes are also used in places. Berries are also grown and supplied from India, Italy, Macedonia and Serbia. It is the essential oil within the berry seed that creates the magical taste. Even upon storage the berries do not lose the essential oil content.

This drink is often consumed with tonic soda or lime juice cordial. The tonic is a bitter concoction of lime, and quinine though now in much reduced quantity to make it palatable. Sugar is added to the mix to make it sweet while some distillery may use artificial sugar in order to cut calories.

It is the botanical that are making the difference and resulting in the wide spectrum of flavors and hence new brands. It is distillation from rye and infusion of juniper berries which accords a distinct flavor to the gin and separates it from vodka. And unlike whisky and rum this beverage is not aged. But some distillers prefer to age it in well seasoned casks for six months at the most in order to further smoothen the taste.

A large blend of botanical and spices in this drink is not unusual. But in spite, the flavor revolves around juniper at large an expression that is always present in brands. The botanical are either steeped or are absorbed as vapors in the distillate. Apart from juniper, coriander seed extract is being widely used in the distillate. The list of alternatives is vast and angelica seed, orris root, cardamom, ginger, licorices, cubeb berries and plethora of others find use as flavors.

The revival of gin has given rise to plenty of brands of tonics as well. Apart from standard lime and quinine mix spruce is also being used especially in Estonia.

Often the spirit is used as a base of some cocktails in Europe. Some of the popular cocktails are gin and tonic, martini, gimlet, Tom Collins and Negroni. The infusion of extracts, essence and spices, percentage of alcohol and geography has led to various styles. Most common are the dry and sweet gin widely available in USA and Europe.

Artisanal or craft gin are becoming more popular. The trend is moving towards craft spirits due to wide varieties of flavor available and the unique local taste.

Uday writes often on Indian wildlife especially about the tigers. He works as a naturalist and is fond of travel. Uday also provides search engine optimization service and website contents in English.