Botanicals are the herbs, spices, and fruits that give gin its flavour. Gin must contain the botanical ‘juniper’ to be classified as a gin spirit, it is the juniper which gives gin the pine taste you might recognise. Other than juniper, the distiller can choose any other remaining botanicals, making gin the diverse spirit it is. Some of these botanicals are considered more ‘common’ such as coriander, angelica, and citrus fruit. Others are more unusual, such as lavender and ginger.
Something which might surprise, and please you, is that drinking gin (in moderation of course) does have health benefits. Hundreds of years ago gin was used as a form of medicine, as juniper berries (considered a superfood) help fight infection, prevent heart disease, and improve blood circulation.
Another botanical known for its health benefits is Milk Thistle, which features in Cricketers Gin, the plant contains silymarin, an ingredient known to have beneficial effects on the liver. You have probably passed Milk Thistle many times on your country walks, its the prickly plant with pinky / purple flowers and white veins. It has also been suggested that Milk Thistle may even prevent a hangover, which might be why so many customers have told us that our gin is so smooth and easy to drink!
