While gin and vodka are made as neutral liquors, gin has additional ingredients, such as juniper berries, to give it its characteristic pine flavor. In fact, gin can only be called gin if it contains juniper. Without this, liquor is technically vodka. Vodka is a neutral grain liqueur, while gin is a neutral grain liquor 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, doesn't need to be infused with juniper berries or anything. There are also differences in flavor and serving.
It's easy to think that gin is essentially a flavored vodka, but there are several complexities that set them apart. Here is a manual that describes the differences and similarities between vodka and gin. Vodka is defined by what it isn't. It is designed to be tasteless (good, other than flavored vodka), transparent and in every way indistinct.
The government defines vodka as “neutral spirits or filtered or treated alcohol” so that it has no distinctive character, aroma, flavor or color. However, Americans love it. Vodka has been the most consumed liquor by volume since 1970, and 32 percent of the liquor market is vodka. The average American drinks the equivalent of more than 3.5 shots of vodka a month.
However, in Russia and Eastern Europe, where liquor originated, people consume more than triple that amount. Russians get a whopping 17.28 shots of vodka a month. Vodka isn't the only clear liquor, of course. There are also cachaza, rum, soju and others.
What sets vodka apart is that it can be made anywhere and with a lot of things. Popular Vodka Brands in the U.S. UU. Includes Smirnoff, Absolut, Svedka, Skyy and Grey Goose.
Vodka cocktails generally take on the characteristics and flavors of anything else that is mixed into the beverage. If it's a vodka and orange soda, it'll mostly taste like orange soda. If it's a cranberry with vodka, it tastes a lot like blueberry. However, there are some iconic vodka cocktails, such as the Bloody Mary, the White Russian, the Moscow Mule and the Vesper Martini, popularized by James Bond.
Gin is a liquor with a certain level of juniper flavor that is bottled with at least 40 percent alcohol by volume. The government defines gin as a liquid “produced by distilling or mixing liquors with juniper berries and other aromatic compounds or extracts. Juniper, the defining characteristic of gin, mainly tastes like pine, but is also herbaceous and floral. Gin production dates back to Dutch gin, a medicinal wine-based liquor.
The English seized Geneva during the 80 Years' War and the 30 Years' War in the 17th century, where it was referred to as “Dutch courage”. Over time, gin lost the base of the wine to a neutral distilled spirit base, but it retained the juniper. The United Kingdom adopted gin wholeheartedly (a little too much) and was known as “the mother's ruin” because of the amount of gin consumed by every person in the country. In the United States,.
Gin became the basic spirit drink for many of the first batches of classic cocktails. Gin can be divided into five basic styles. There's London Dry, which lacks all sweetness; Plymouth gin, which must be made in Plymouth, England; Old Tom gin, which is slightly sweeter; Navy Strength, which contains 57 percent alcohol by volume or more; and American or West Coast gin, which is usually more herbal. Regardless of the style, gin can be produced in three ways.
Popular brands include Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire and Aviation. Popular cocktails with gin include Negroni, the classic Martini (originally always made with gin) and Gin & Tonic. Both gin and vodka can be made with just about anything, but some common bases include corn, wheat, rye, potatoes, grapes, and sorghum. Other possibilities include carrots, beets and even milk.
Whatever the main ingredient is, it is first fermented and then distilled. This usually happens several times to eliminate as much flavor as possible. Then, water is added to reduce alcohol to 40 percent alcohol by volume and, in the case of gin, it is mixed with juniper and other herbs and spices. This super strong alcohol hasn't gone through the filtration and refining process that would technically turn it into vodka.
There are decent arguments for both sides; however, gin and flavored vodka are ultimately different beverages. The alcohol content and production process are similar to those of traditional gin, but common and long-established botanical ingredients are taking a backseat to stronger fruit, spice and berry flavors, such as clementine, plum, strawberry and blood orange. And some iconic cocktails that traditionally use vodka include the Moscow Mule, the Bloody Mary, the White Russian and the vodka martini. Today, some of the most popular vodka brands available on the market are Grey Goose, Absolut, Smirnoff, Ketel One and Ciroc, and many U.S.
imports come from the so-called Vodka Belt, an Eastern European region that includes Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Poland and Ukraine. Strong opinions abound on both sides of the argument about how or whether or not innovative new products should be allowed to call themselves “gin”. Saying you don't like gin is like saying you don't like sauce: all gin uses juniper as the main ingredient. No two gins are the same, making the liquor very diverse in flavor and exciting for the budding waiter.
However, even though they are very different beverages, there are quite a few similarities that make people wonder if gin is just flavored vodka. 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. When the golden age of martini was in full swing, most people in countries that drank cocktails hadn't tried vodka yet. .
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