Juniper
Juniper berries aren’t actually berries at all –
they’re female pine cones that produce juniper plants. They are also the only spice to come
from
a conifer tree. Piney, resinous and slightly citrus, these berries give our beloved spirit
its
distinctive taste and aroma.
Coriander
Coriander was one of the many plants cultivated
in the Hanging Gardens
of Babylon and cultivation started around 2000 BC. The Ancient Greeks used coriander as an
ingredient in perfume making. Fragrant, nutty and warm, alongside juniper it is a true
staple of
gin
distillation.
Cardamom
Known as the ‘Queen of the Spices’, cardamom is
the world's second most
expensive spice (after saffron). Originating from India, it’s been consumed by us humans for
over
4000 years! Spiced and intensely fragrant, cardamom is a majestic botanical for distilling
gin.
Angelica
Since the 10th century angelica has been used
in
herbal teas and to
flavour liqueurs, vermouths and aquavits. Bitter, earthy and reminiscent of wormwood,
angelica
brings a nice dry finish to a distillation and is used to create the dry style gins that our
modern
palates have come to love.
Cinnamon
Back in the days of quinine, gins were made
sweeter than today to combat
the bitter taste of the antimalarial tonic. The cinnamon in our 1947 expression has a sweet
warmth
that’s absolutely characteristic of an authentic Bombay style gin.
Fennel
Fennel is a flowering plant that actually
belongs
to the carrot family!
People in India and Pakistan chew sugar-coated fennel seeds after a meal to freshen their
breath.
Anise-like in flavour and green on the nose, fennel plays an integral role in our
Pickering’s
gins.
Anise
Anise is used to flavour many spirits such as
absinthe, pastis and ouzo. In
high concentration anise can sometimes produce the ‘ouzo effect’ – when diluted with water
it
becomes milky. We use it to bring a liquorice-like sweetness to our distillation.
Lemons
Botanically speaking, lemons are actually
berries!
The British Navy has used
lemon juice to prevent scurvy amongst sailors since the 1800s. Lemon juice has been used as
an
invisible ink from 600 CE all the way through to England’s Lemon Juice Spies during WWI.
Lime
Limes are predecessors to lemons; they are the
most
acidic of the citrus
fruits but have almost half the vitamin C of a lemon. Lime and lemon peel bring the bright,
zesty
top notes to Pickering’s Gin, giving us the beautiful characteristics of a clean, classic,
juniper
forward gin.
Cloves
The clove tree is an evergreen from
Indonesia
and
belongs to the myrtle
family. Cloves today are used in ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and Chinese five-spice
powder. In
our
gin, they complement the sweet anise and fennel botanicals with intense aromatic notes.
