Which alcohol is made primarily from juniper berries?

Gin is a distilled, colourless-to-pale yellow liquor that contains juniper berries as the principal flavouring ingredient. The name of the drink comes from the French word for juniper berry, 'genièvre', which was shortened by the English to 'gin'.

The practice of using juniper berries as flavouring dates back to around 70 AD. Juniper berries were often added to wine for restorative properties and health benefits, but it was not until the 16th century that the Dutch began to produce a spirit called' genever' made from a blend of malt wine and juniper berries.

Juniper berries are the female seed cones of juniper plants. It is not a true berry, but its roundness gives it the appearance of such. As well as flavouring gin, juniper berries are used in spices.

Gin is usually a dry liquor, meaning it is not very sweet. It is a popular ingredient in cocktails, such as Gin & Tonic (gin mixed with tonic water) and the Martini (gin mixed with vermouth). Gin usually contains about 35-50% alcohol.

More Info: en.m.wikipedia.org

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8 Comments

Richard G. Gomsrud

The answer and the question are out of sync. Juniper berries are the primary flavoring agent, not what gin is primarily made from. It's made primarily from a grain and is a neutral spirit to which the berries are added for flavor. They are only a small part of the whole.

Paul Greenslade

As all below have said, gin is not distilled from Juniper berries, it is flavoured with them. Bourbon, Scotch and Tequila are not flavoured usually and reflect the taste of their source ingredient.

Ken Putnam

From YOUR reference Gin is a distilled, colourless-to-pale yellow liquor that contains juniper berries as the principal flavouring ingredient. If they are added for flavor, they can hardly be "made primarily from juniper berries", can they?