Gin, with its unmistakable juniper note and the versatility that makes it the star of countless cocktails, is far more than a simple spirit. It's the result of a process combining science and craft, where botanical ingredients and distillation techniques come together to create unique aromatic profiles. But how exactly is it made?
The Essential Ingredients: the Soul of Gin
1. Neutral Alcohol (the Base Spirit)
This is the starting point: a high-strength, neutral-tasting alcohol, usually obtained by fermenting and distilling grains such as barley, maize or wheat — and, less often, potatoes or molasses. Its neutrality is essential, because it has to work as the canvas on which the flavours of the botanicals can express themselves fully. It is the very same alcohol vodka is made from: everything that separates the two spirits happens after this point, as we explain in gin vs vodka, what's actually the difference.
2. Juniper (Juniperus communis)
This is the ingredient that defines gin: without juniper, there is no gin. Its essential oils give the spirit that balsamic, resinous, faintly peppery character that is the hallmark of the category. By law, juniper must be the predominant ingredient in aromatic terms.
3. The Botanicals
This is where the distiller's creativity comes in. Botanicals are a wide range of herbs, spices, roots, seeds, citrus peels and flowers added to the base spirit to give gin its aromatic profile. The combination and the proportions are the secret of every recipe. Among the most common:
- Coriander: brings citrus and spiced notes.
- Angelica root: adds earthiness and helps fix the aromas.
- Citrus peel (lemon, orange, grapefruit): brings fresh, lively notes.
- Liquorice: adds sweetness and a spiced touch.
- Cardamom: offers a warm, spiced aroma.
- Cinnamon and cassia: for sweet, spiced notes.
- Almond: adds softness and a slightly bitter aftertaste.
- And many others: pepper, rose, orris, cumin, nutmeg, ginger.
When the defining botanical becomes the load-bearing structure of the spirit rather than a simple accent, you enter the territory of flavoured gins.
The Distillation Process: the Heart of Production
Distillation is the process through which the aromas of the botanicals are extracted and concentrated in the alcohol. In simple terms, it exploits the different boiling points of alcohol and of the essential oils.
What Distillation Actually Means
Distillation is a separation technique that purifies or concentrates a substance by separating it from others. It rests on the principle that different components of a mixture have different boiling points: when the mixture is heated, the substances with the lowest boiling point evaporate first, turning into vapour. That vapour is then cooled and returned to liquid form, separating it from the heavier substances.
In the case of gin, the goal is to extract the essential oils and aromatic compounds from the botanicals and carry them into the alcohol. Easier said than done, because temperature comes into play and it matters enormously for juniper and botanicals alike: a few degrees too many and the most delicate notes are lost, while the bitter ones come forward.
The Main Gin Production Methods
There are several techniques for making gin, and each one shapes the final aromatic profile. For a complete overview of the categories and styles, there's our guide to gin types.
London Dry Gin (Classic Distillation)
Process. This is the most traditional and rigorous method. The neutral alcohol is diluted with water and infused with the botanicals; the mixture is then heated in a copper still. The alcohol vapours, enriched by the aromas, rise and are channelled into a condenser, where they cool and return to liquid form as the gin distillate.
Characteristics. No colourings or sugars may be added after distillation, other than in minimal quantities. The result is a dry, clean gin with the botanicals well integrated. We covered it in detail in our piece on what London Dry Gin is.
Distilled Gin
Process. Similar to London Dry, but with more flexibility: the neutral alcohol is distilled with the botanicals and, unlike London Dry, natural flavourings or colourings may be added after distillation, provided the predominant flavour remains juniper.
Characteristics. It allows producers to experiment with post-distillation aromas, building more complex or distinctive profiles. The category is explored in our article on distilled gin.
Compound Gin (Cold Compound or Bathtub Gin)
Process. This is the simplest method and involves no redistillation. The botanicals are steeped directly in the neutral alcohol for a period, releasing their aromas; the mixture is then filtered and bottled.
Characteristics. It often produces gin with a deeper colour, because pigments are extracted directly, and a rougher flavour than distilled gins. It's the oldest method and the least controllable in terms of aromatic precision.
Vapour Infusion
Process. Here the botanicals are not immersed in the alcohol: they sit in a basket suspended above the boiling spirit inside the still. The rising vapours pass through them and gently extract their essential oils and aromatic compounds.
Characteristics. It tends to produce lighter, more elegant and floral gins, because the extraction is more selective. It's particularly prized for capturing the most delicate nuances.
From the Still to the Bottle
Once ready, the gin distillate is high in strength, often above 70-80% ABV. It is then diluted with purified water to the desired bottling strength, typically between 37.5% and 47% ABV. Some producers let the gin rest briefly before bottling, so the aromas can settle together.
Making gin is a craft that demands knowledge of the ingredients, control of the process and a good dose of creativity. It's that combination that produces the extraordinary variety of gins available today, each with its own story and profile. To see how the spirit evolved over the centuries, read the history of gin; to understand how to spot genuine craftsmanship at the moment of buying, the guide to craft gin profiles.
How We Do It
GIN NIRO comes from distilling the botanicals separately, with the addition of an infusion of Sicilian zibibbo from an island of volcanic origin: an aromatic grape in place of dried botanicals alone. Production is artisanal, in small batches. The full path, step by step, is on the page devoted to our production method.
And if all this theory has left you wanting to check it in the glass: GIN NIRO, 70 cl, with free shipping within Italy.
