Harold McGee

Gins

Appears in
On Food and Cooking
On Food and Cooking

By Harold McGee

Published 2004

  • About

There are two principal styles of distilled gin made today, English and Dutch, as well as cheaper gin that cannot be called distilled because its flavorings are simply added to neutral alcohol.

The traditional Dutch production method is to distill a fermented mixture of malt, corn, and rye two or three times in pot stills at low proof: that is, the distillate contains a fair amount of congeners, and resembles a light whisky. Then this distillate is distilled one last time, to a minimum of 37.5% alcohol, along with juniper berries and other spices and herbs, whose aromatic molecules end up in the final gin.