MSA_Pure_Spirits_2019_Q2 - 24

in England during the late-17th century after William
of Orange, from the Netherlands, became King William
III of England. Since then, gin has been synonymous
with England, London in particular, and its popularity
has spread across the globe.
London or London Dry Gin has for many years
been the most common expression of the spirit. To be
labeled as such the drink must be at least 70 percent
ABV with no added colorings or ingredients (aside
from water). London Gin must contain no more than
0.1 grams per liter of added sweeteners, and the predominant flavor must be derived from juniper.
Today, the landscape is changing very quickly.
People all over the world still enjoy a traditional London Dry Gin, and the classic Gin & Tonic continues to
be the leading gin cocktail. At the same time, however,
there are a wide range of new choices out there.
So what exactly is going on? At the turn of the century, a number of American distilleries began producing varieties of gin that were not juniper-forward and
which challenged our understanding of what constituted "gin." The term New American Gin was applied
to this rather broad category, and the beverage market
was excited by the new flavors and styles. Over the past
five years, this sense of experimentation and originality has exploded.
Why? The answer is simple. There's been a flood of
new craft distilleries and many of them are producing
unique, small-batch gin. According to BeverageDaily,
by mid-2018 there were over 1,500 craft distillers in
the US. For each of the past few years this figure has

24 PURE SPIRITS

Gin Fizz

Pour gin, sugar and juice

2 oz. gin

into a cocktail shaker. Add

dash of lime juice

ice. Shake vigorously, strain

½ tsp. sugar

into highball glass. Float

club soda

soda on top and garnish

maraschino cherry

with a cherry.

Gimlet

Fill a shaker with ice. Add gin,

2 oz. gin

lime juice and syrup. Stir with

¾ oz. fresh lime juice

a long spoon until quite cold,

3/4 ounce simple syrup

strain into a martini glass.

lime wedge

Garnish with lime.

been growing by 20-25 percent, and the trend is active
in all 50 states. In order to stand out in an increasingly
crowded market, craft distillers are thinking up new
ways to concoct the same old gin. The major spirits
manufacturers, of course, are fighting back with their
own distinct, specialized products.
Gin is now being produced, throughout the country, in a number of news ways, from the subtle to the
shocking. The herb bills-the list of herbs, spices and
botanicals used to produce the spirit-are being revolutionized. Rather than simply flavoring gin with juniper berries, distillers are exploring a wide range of
options.
This is nothing new. Creative gin flavoring has
been around for years. What's new is just how many
different flavors are out there and how common it's
become. Traditional gin is quickly becoming non-traditional, while fun, uniquely-flavored beverages are
becoming the norm. Moreover, the number of flavors
added to a single gin has grown, with some containing
more than 30. Some popular flavors include: ginger,
cucumber, nutmeg, apple, citrus, pine, lemongrass, coriander, cinnamon, lavender, cardamom, sarsaparilla,
blueberry, bilberry, tea, peppercorn and hops. Pretty
much nothing is off the table. It's not uncommon for
distillers to work through a series of trial runs, tinkering with the flavor profile before locking in the final
recipe.
Sloe gin is also making a comeback. A standard tipple from the early 20th century through the 1960s, this
drink was especially popular in the Sloe Gin Fizz cocktail. Sloe gin is a liqueur made from gin and the plum-

MSA_Pure_Spirits_2019_Q2

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