While gin and vodka are made as neutral liquors, gin has additional ingredients, such as juniper berries, that give it its characteristic pine flavor. In fact, gin can only be called gin if it contains juniper. Without this, liquor is technically vodka. The flavor also differs greatly between the two liquors.
No, gin and vodka are not the same thing. Vodka is a neutral-grained liqueur, while gin is a neutral-grained liqueur with botanical ingredients. Gin should be infused mainly with juniper berries. This is according to the law, otherwise it cannot be called gin.
Vodka, on the other hand, does not need to be infused with juniper berries or anything. There are also differences in flavor and serving. Vodka tastes mild, clean and neutral, while gin has more complexity due to juniper and other botanical ingredients. By law, all gins must contain juniper, but the amount of juniper varies by brand, and London Dry gins have a pronounced juniper flavor.
Some American gins and many artisanal gins soften juniper with a more balanced botanical blend. It's a common misconception that gin tastes like vodka. While spirits are similar, the ingredients and distillation processes are different. Gin is a little more complicated in its preparation, as Brian O'Rourke, a culinary journalist, rightly said: “Gin is the Disneyland of liquor.
There is a rich history of the creation, modification and exploitation of gin. Gin is made with grain alcohol, distilled with juniper berries. It is the berries that give gin its natural flavor and smell. Vodka can be prepared with a variety of fermented ingredients and is mainly known as a potato-based beverage.
But many other ingredients can be used as a base, from corn and wheat to molasses, rice and soy used in production. As long as you have enough starch or sugar, you can use almost any plant. It is interesting to note that the exact origins of vodka are the subject of heated debate between Russia and Poland, and both claim that it originated in their country. Gin, on the other hand, is a liquor that has 40 percent alcohol or more, with its main characteristic flavor derived from juniper berries.
The effervescence of citrus fruits, the bittersweet of the tonic or the complexities of various fruit juices or liquors highlight the botanical ingredients and the depth of flavor of gin. From here on out, water is added to reduce alcohol to about 40 percent alcohol, and in the case of gin, this is where it is mixed with juniper and other herbs and spices. Tonic is the classic gin mixer, which offers the perfect complement to the flavor of juniper berries and allows you to add bubbles without losing too much flavor. The modern Vodka Martini consists solely of vodka served in an iconic triangular glass and is often served “dirty” (with a drizzle of olive juice).
The term vodka belt is used exclusively for the Slavic countries of Central and Eastern Europe, since they are the historical homeland of vodka. This super-strong alcohol hasn't gone through the filtration and refining process that would technically turn it into vodka. Therefore, in its most basic sense, gin is a British spirit drink, of Dutch origin, which depends largely on the juniper flavor, which is also commonly made with more herbal aromas and flavors. In the (relative) world of spirits, they could probably be considered more similar than different, but both have different flavors, chemical differences, and different origin stories.
Popular botanical ingredients or flavoring agents for gin often include citrus elements such as lemon or orange peel, as well as a combination of other spices, which may include star anise, dragon's eye, coriander, nutmeg and cinnamon. Gin comes from the English word genever, which is related to the French word genièvre and the Dutch word jenever, however, they all derive from the word Juniperus, the Latin word that means juniper. This is why people assume that gin is just flavored vodka; if you make gin at home, vodka is the easiest neutral liquor to get. .
