Botanical spirits: a field guide

Juniper is the defining botanical of gin — legally, a spirit cannot be called gin unless juniper is the dominant flavour. The small, dark berries carry a resinous, piney character with notes of citrus and a slight bitterness. They are almost always used dried, which concentrates their oils.

The intensity of juniper varies enormously between gin styles. A classic London Dry — think Tanqueray or Beefeater — leads with bold, assertive juniper. A contemporary gin might use juniper as a background note, allowing other botanicals to take the foreground. Neither approach is wrong; they simply produce very different drinks.

The second most common botanical in gin after juniper, coriander seed brings a warm, spicy, slightly citrusy character that is quite different from the fresh herb. It adds body and a gentle earthiness that balances juniper's resinous sharpness.

Coriander seed is also a key botanical in aquavit — the Scandinavian spirit that uses it alongside caraway to create a distinctly different flavour profile from gin. In amaro, it appears alongside dozens of other botanicals as part of a complex, bitter-sweet blend.

Cardamom is one of the most aromatic spices in the world — intensely fragrant, with notes of eucalyptus, citrus, and a warm, almost floral sweetness. In spirits, it adds an exotic, perfumed quality that lifts the entire botanical blend.

It appears in many contemporary gins, particularly those with a more exotic or Eastern-influenced character. Hendrick's uses it as part of its distinctive floral profile. It is also a key botanical in many non-alcoholic spirits, where its intensity helps compensate for the absence of ethanol's flavour-carrying properties.

Angelica root is the unsung hero of gin botanicals. It does not have a particularly distinctive flavour of its own — earthy, slightly musky, with a gentle bitterness — but it acts as a fixative, binding the other botanical flavours together and helping them persist on the palate.

Remove angelica from a gin recipe and the other botanicals become more volatile and less integrated. It is the botanical equivalent of a good bass line: you might not notice it consciously, but you would miss it immediately if it were gone.

Dried citrus peel — most commonly lemon and sweet orange, though grapefruit, yuzu, and bergamot are increasingly common — adds brightness and freshness to botanical spirits. The essential oils in the peel are highly aromatic and volatile, contributing to the spirit's nose as much as its flavour.

The choice of citrus has a significant impact on the final spirit. Lemon peel adds a sharp, clean brightness; sweet orange is rounder and more floral; grapefruit brings a bitter, pithy quality; yuzu is intensely aromatic with a complex, almost floral citrus character.

Orris root — the dried root of the iris flower — has a distinctive violet and woody character that adds a floral, almost powdery quality to botanical spirits. Like angelica, it also acts as a fixative, helping to bind and preserve the other botanical flavours.

It is a subtle botanical, rarely dominant, but its absence is noticeable. Many classic London Dry gins use both angelica and orris as fixatives, creating a stable, well-integrated botanical blend that holds together across different serving temperatures and dilutions.