MEET THE BOTANICALS
Getting the balance right
As a company, we are passionate about our gin. With all our new handcrafted gin, the first thing you should taste is gin, sounds silly right but rest assured our gins are not sickly sweet. The fruity flavoured essences we use are there to compliment the gin not to dominate it.
A botanical is a plant that has been valued and chosen because of its flavour, scent, medicinal or therapeutic properties. Botanicals are the key ingredients used in gin to give it its unique taste. NU ERA SPIRITS use a variety of leaves, fruits, nuts, barks, seeds, roots and flowers that provide a range of flavours to our spirits.
Botanicals provide a number of flavours which are classified in many different ways from herbaceous, spicy, citrus, floral or fruity. A good gin should contain elements of several flavour groups.
Meet the Botanicals
Juniper
Juniper berries are the single most important botanical used in gin manufacture. Did you know Gin cannot be called gin if it does not contain juniper? Purists believe that the overriding flavour of gin should be that of juniper, with the other flavours layered below. So if your gin tastes of raspberries, it’s not strictly gin!
Juniper grows throughout the northern hemisphere, from the arctic circle to the tropics and has been used for thousands of years in traditional and herbal medicine.
The plant is rich in aromatic oils and the most important molecule as far as gin makers are concerned is alpha-pinene, which provides the ‘ginny’ flavour that is so highly prized.
Juniper berries are tart and sharp, with a resinous, piney flavour and hints of citrus.
Coriander
Coriander, or more specifically, coriander seeds are the second most important botanical used in gin. Although more commonly associated with Indian cuisine and the flavour of curry, they actually impart complex citrus notes to gin.
The molecule making up the essential oil in coriander is linalool. Interestingly, this is also found in basil, rose, orange and lavender. It has a spicy aromatic flavour of lemons and sage.
It is probably the use of coriander in gin that makes a G&T the perfect match for a spicy curry!
Angelica
After juniper and coriander, angelica is the third key ingredient in gin.
It belongs to the same family of herbs as coriander and grows throughout the northern hemisphere.
All parts of the plant can be used in making gin but most commonly it is the dried root that is prized. It has a musky, nutty, earthy kind of smell that is reminiscent of a woodland floor and it imparts an important ‘rootiness’ or savoury flavour to gin.
It also plays an important role in fixing or holding the other flavours in solution so that they don’t disappear with age.
Citrus Peels
Citrus notes play a really important part when trying to balance the flavours in gin. As well as the obvious orange, lemon or grapefruity flavours, citrus peels impart bright, fresh notes to gin which complement the piney flavours and rootiness associated with the drink.
The fresh or dried peel can be used as they give subtly different flavours.
Grains of Paradise
A West African peppercorn, grains of paradise (or GOP to gin aficionados) bring a little heat to our Island Spice Dry gin. Mellower than black peppercorn, they also add to the lemony citrus notes from coriander and peels.
Liquorice
Liquorice is an unusual botanical in that it brings a little spicy heat as well as a sweetness to gin.
It is actually a vegetable and part of the bean family. It has been used for thousands of years as a flavouring.
Orris
Orris root is obtained from irises. The rhizomes (or roots) are aged for about four years before being ground up into a powder. It also has a pleasant smell.
Samphire
Not many gins use marsh samphire as a botanical. In fact, we are one of the few to do so! Also known as glasswort, this plant grows in many coastal places around the world and is more commonly eaten as a vegetable.
Our Master Distiller is really careful not to disturb the roots of this delicate plant. In horticulture it is known as a ‘cut-and-come-again’ plant as it can be harvested many times throughout the season. As a result our Master Distiller likes to leave three to four weeks between our foraging expeditions.
The contribution of samphire to the flavour is probably minimal, but we believe it brings a taste of the fresh British sea-air to our gins. But we do think that samphire is responsible for the deliciously silky smoothness and the lingering flavours which leave you wanting more!