What are botanicals in gin?

Juniper is the only mandatory botanical. Regulation (EU) 2019/787 requires gin to be flavoured with berries of Juniperus communis L. and the flavour to be predominantly that of juniper.

All other botanicals are the distiller's choice. The regulation names no other plant and sets no number either. A gin with four botanicals is just as legal as one with thirty, as long as juniper sets the tone. Without recognisable juniper, a drink may not be called gin.

Besides juniper, coriander, angelica root, orris root and citrus peel are the best known. The Gin Guild's botanical directory also lists lavender, cinnamon and dozens of other herbs, seeds, roots and peels.

Coriander provides the spicy layer beneath the juniper. Angelica and orris are roots that hold on to the volatile aromas. Citrus peel brings the fresh top notes. The Gin Guild points out that the amount of volatile oil in a botanical varies from harvest to harvest, depending on the weather. A distiller therefore has to adjust the recipe for each batch.

With maceration, the botanicals steep in the alcohol before distillation. With vapour infusion, they hang in a basket above the liquid and only the alcohol vapour passes through them.

The Gin Guild describes maceration as steeping botanicals in neutral alcohol, after which the liquid is strained and brought to strength. With vapour infusion, the alcohol vapour passes through a basket of botanicals and picks up the flavour on the way. Many distillers combine both. The label may state which route was chosen, but the regulation prescribes neither.

Gin may be flavoured after distillation, distilled gin must have the botanicals distilled with it, and London gin must get all its flavour from that single distillation. All three at least 37.5% vol.

For gin, flavouring agricultural ethanol with juniper is sufficient. For distilled gin, agricultural ethanol of at least 96% vol must be distilled together with juniper and other natural botanicals. For London gin, the flavour must come solely from distillation, the distillate must be at least 70% vol, only water and the same agricultural ethanol may be added afterwards, and colouring is not permitted.

In the regulation, dry means that no more than 0.1 gram of sweetener per litre has been added, expressed as invert sugar. Gin, distilled gin and London gin may carry this term.

So the term says nothing about botanicals or the distillation method, only about sugar. Since London gin may in any case contain no more than 0.1 gram per litre, London dry gin is in practice almost always the name used.