Botanicals

In a gin region without its own fields, juniper doesn't grow on the doorstep. It arrives by ship. For centuries, London was one of the world's largest trading ports. Cargo ships brought in exactly the plants that define a gin.

Juniper berries themselves usually come from Italy, North Macedonia, or Croatia. There, the shrubs grow on sparse, sunny slopes. They give gin its base note of pine and conifer. Without them, a gin isn't legally a gin at all under EU law.

Then came whatever arrived at the Thames quays and into the city's warehouses. Coriander seed from Morocco or Russia brought a slightly citrusy, spicy note. Angelica root from Central Europe gave the gin earthiness and a long finish. Licorice root suggested sweetness without any added sugar.

Citrus peels also arrived via the port, especially from Seville oranges and lemons. Orris root from Morocco acts as a fixative: it binds the volatile aromas of the other botanicals and keeps them in the glass longer. According to the distillery, Beefeater macerates nine such ingredients for twenty-four hours before distilling.

The only juniper that truly grows in the region isn't found at the port, but on the chalk hills south of the city. On the North Downs, it has clung to thin, lime-rich soils for centuries. It's exactly there that the water the distilleries use eventually seeps through as well.

So a London botanical list essentially tells two stories at once. Most ingredients traveled a long way by river. Only the juniper itself has truly put down roots right on the city's doorstep.