When it comes to floral gins, they can greet you gently like the breeze of spring flowers or they can, well, instantly offend you.
To be fair, tasting what you are used to smelling is a very unusual and even odd experience. It reminds me of when I tried lavender gum for the first time. It was pleasant, tasted good…. yet it’s just too offbeat to have all of the time.
The same goes for floral gins… we just aren’t used to drinking a bouquet of flowers.
So what does a fellow gin enthusiast do with a perfumey gin? Instead of deciding that you don’t like it, let me show you 3 ways to balance floral gins to make the most of them.
What is Floral Gin?
Floral gins feature the natural aromas from flowers such as lavender, rose, honeysuckle, chamomile, hibiscus, lilac, jasmine and elderflower. To extract the flavors, flowers are steeped into the spirit for several hours before distilling or put into a steam basket to impart their flavors during distilling.
Notable Gin Brands with Floral Notes
Well-known brands include Hendrick’s, Hendrick’s Flora Adora, Hendrick’s Lunar, Hana, Uncle Val’s Botanical, Bloom Jasmine & Rose, Glendalough, Indoggo and Monkey 47.
It is key to understand that floral gin brands vary greatly in flavor so tasting them is the first step for mixing and blending. Some floral gins do well with other floral additions and some need to stand alone.
For example, when I’m enjoying Uncle Val’s Botanical (which is very floral), I absolutely love it with light Fever-Tree tonic and a huge slice of lemon.
On the other hand, Monkey 47 is so complex and so delicious, I don’t want to mix it at all….so I sip it.
Brands like Indoggo and Brockman’s are more of a challenge. I enjoy these best as a nice long cocktail in an effort to tame their heavy fruit flavors.
Bottom line, it’s best to pour a small amount, taste the gin and let it tell you where you to go with it.
3 Ways to Use Floral Gin
Depending on how you feel about your floral gin, your aim may be to get the most or least out of it. So, we can blend it, use it as an accent or simply use a mixer. Here are some things to try in no particular order.
- Enhance Floral Gins with Fruit or Tea
Fruit – You can add fruit to smooth out the edges of a floral spirit and there are combinations that always seem to work. We do this in baking also. If you were given 10 lbs of rhubarb, it’s not obvious what to do with it. But, think about strawberry rhubarb jam or pie! The power is in the blending.
When you use tart flavors like citrus, berries and pomegranate, they do very well with floral gin because they add complexity. Gin Smashes and Gin and Juice are good choices because they are simple to make and highly customizable.
It’s summertime here and I took advantage of a mountain of cherry pits to try Serious Eats’ Cherry Pit Syrup. In as little as three hours, you can mix up a Fresh Cherry Martini. I mixed it using Hendrick’s Flora Adora and was happy the cherry flavor peacefully mingled with the robust floral gin.
Tea – Herbal teas companies are role models when it comes to successful blending. So why not take advantage of the master blenders and brew some tea? Ginger and peach, lemon and lavender, strawberry and hibiscus, raspberry and elderflower work so well. Enjoy the tang of cranberries, blueberries, blackberries and hibiscus in your cocktail glass as well as your teacup.
If you like Mojitos, mix some brewed mint tea and lime for a herbaceous and flowery cocktail. Just remember to balance G and Tea with about a half ounce each of citrus juice and sweetener. I like to use St. Germain Elderflower liqueur in place of simple syrup.
Also, black and green teas can be mixed in a cocktail or made into syrups for bespoke cocktails.
2. Use Floral Gin as a Base Layer
Let the floral gin become a supporting flavor rather than the feature flavor.
Simply rinsing your cocktail glass with a small amount of floral gin will give you a whisper of a summer bouquet.
Go a little further and measure a 1/2 oz to be blended with another spirit. When used as an element in the drink, as you would a liqueur, it keeps the flavors in line and can be a tasty twist.
A floral gin makes an interesting Vesper which is gin, vodka and vermouth. Vermouths are unique blends so expect some variance in combination with the floral gin you use. Some purists may prefer to stick to the original so this is for those looking for a variation.
3. Tame Flowery Gins With The Best Tonics, Sodas and Bitters
Using a good quality tonic or soda a good place to start for all gins. There are many flavored mixers but strive to find combinations that enhance and enliven the gin. The best test is to ask yourself if you would drink the mixer it on its own, if so, then it’s worth trying.
I recommend Fevertree Light Tonic or a sparkling lemonade as a starting point. I have had success with many of Trader Joe’s fruit flavored sodas, especially their Elderflower Soda.
I typically avoid ginger beer since it is very bold and can create an unpleasant clash.
Don’t be afraid to shake some bitters in to your drink. Bitters help “season” and round out the edges in cocktails. When I mix a drink off the grid, I’ll taste different bitters to help me decide which might taste the best and give that little extra.
As I write this I have 7 different bottles of bitters in the cupboard.
You’ll find the classic ones like Angostura, Peychaud’s and Regan’s Orange as well as chocolate, grapefruit, cardamom and lavender bottles. In my opinion, there’s always room for more. So again, always taste first.
Recipes Using Floral Gin
When using floral gin, look for cocktail recipes that contain flavors like elderflower, violet, lavender, mint, rose or orange. You can achieve this through jams, waters, purées, nectars, liqueurs or muddled fresh fruit. Try a tangy and delicious Orange Martini, Apricot Jam Martini, Lunar Brunch Fizz with apricot and mango jam or even better an Aviation which features violet while layering the floral flavors.
If you love juice, read up on How to Mix Gin and Juice Drink: What Fruit Makes the Best Cocktail: Orange, Apple, Grapefruit, Tomato.
Got lots of mint? Try a gin mojito. Got a cucumber and some lime juice? Go for a Cucumber Gimlet.
I made a thoroughly enjoyable Corpse Reviver #2 with the powerfully floral Hendrick’s Flora Adora. Some are turned off by its puissant character but it mingled beautifully with the lemon juice and orange liqueur. I must also credit the bright and magical contribution of Lillet Blanc. All in all, I only tasted a whisper violet, lavender and rose and it was lovely.
Flora Adora also yields good results with lemon, soda, fruit and a little simple syrup. Try Hendrick’s top recommendation, the simple Wildgarden Cup.
The Bottom Line on Floral Gins
So even if floral gins are not your go-to and you only have it occasionally or receive it as a gift, there are plenty of directions to go. Remember, don’t dismiss a gin at first sniff because they will always react when you mix them with something else.
New flavors will come and go leaving only the favorites a spot on the shelf. Floral gins can have a place there too with the classics known for spice and heat. It is only a new canvas.
