Gin

Gin is a neutral spirit that gets its flavour from juniper berries. Everything else in the bottle, whether coriander, citrus peel, angelica root or cucumber, is optional. That single legal requirement is the whole definition, and it is why gin can taste so different from brand to brand while still being the same category.

What gin is made from

The base is a neutral spirit, usually grain, distilled to a high strength and then flavoured. Producers do this in a few ways. Distilled gin is made by redistilling the base spirit with botanicals in a still, so the flavour comes over in the vapour. Compound gin is made by steeping or mixing flavourings into neutral spirit without redistilling. Ten or so botanicals is typical: Tanqueray uses four, Sipsmith ten.

How gin is made

The usual route is a copper pot still, with the botanicals either steeped in the spirit before heating or hung in a basket above it so the vapour passes through. Some distillers, Hendrick’s among them, add flavour after distillation with essences, which is where the cucumber and rose come from.

What the law requires

In the US, 27 CFR 5.144 says gin must derive its main flavour from juniper berries and be bottled at no less than 40% ABV. Only gin made by original distillation or redistillation can be labelled “distilled”, “Dry”, “London”, or “Old Tom”. In the EU, Regulation 2019/787 sets a minimum of 37.5% ABV for distilled gin. It also defines London gin more tightly: flavour added only by redistillation, no colouring, and no more than 0.1 grams of sweetening per litre. “London Dry” is therefore a method, not a place.

Types of gin

London Dry is the juniper-forward standard. Plymouth, made at Black Friars since 1793 and covered on its own page, is a softer, root-heavy style. Old Tom is sweeter, and the sugar is the point. Navy strength gin is bottled around 57% ABV; that is a trade convention, not a legal category. New Western gins push juniper back in favour of other botanicals.

Calories and sugar

Plain gin at 40% is about 97 kcal per 1.5 oz, all from ethanol, and it has effectively no sugar. London gin is capped at 0.1 g per litre. Old Tom and some flavoured gins are the exceptions, and regular tonic water is the larger source of sugar by far. Our healthiest gin page ranks bottles, and the gluten-free gin page covers the base question.

Gin and vodka

Gin starts from the same neutral spirit as vodka, so the comparison is mostly about what the botanicals add. We put them side by side in gin vs vodka.

What it means for hangovers

Gin scores a 3 on the hangover index: low congeners, very low histamines and sugar. The botanical oils are the variable. Some drinkers react to juniper, coriander or citrus peel in a way they do not with vodka. Barrel-aged gins pick up tannins, and sweetened styles add sugar. If gin gives you a headache and vodka does not, the botanicals are the likeliest culprit.