Gin must be a neutral spirit distilled from something natural like wheat, barley, potatoes or grapes.
Jackford Irish Potato Gin is the first distilled spirit from Stafford Irish Spirits. It was created by John Stafford to use the surplus potatoes that don't meet retail requirements and to reduce waste on the Stafford family farm in Enniscorthy in South East Ireland.
Vodka is traditionally made from potatoes or fermented cereal grains. Some brands also make it from other substances like fruit or sugar. One of the most used and loved alcoholic drink, vodka is either consumed neat or as cocktails like Martini, Bloody Mary and Cosmopolitan.
Some of the spices used in gin include: coriander, Angelica root, cardamom, and cinnamon. The two most common ingredients used to make vodka are potatoes and grains.
The primary three ingredients used in the majority of gins are juniper, coriander and angelica. Even though these are the most popular, there are hundreds of flowers, roots, fruits, berries and nuts that are used to create a palate for each gin that makes it distinctive.
Gin has less sugar and fewer calories than some other liquors. If you already consume alcohol, gin may be a slightly healthier option. Be careful with mixers, however. They can make the sugar content of your drink skyrocket.
Bombay Sapphire is a brand of gin, produced in England from a recipe of 10 botanicals: cassia, cubeb berries, coriander, angelica, juniper berries, orris root, almond, lemon, grains of paradise, and liquorice.
It's entirely wheat-based.
There are commercial vodkas made from potatoes, grapes, rye, and mixed grains that include barley. Grey Goose uses soft winter wheat sourced from Picardy, a grain-growing region in northern France that's often referred to as the nation's breadbasket.
Tanqueray: a 'simple' recipe.
There's only juniper. Many recipes go well beyond with unexpected ingredients — Scottish rowan berries, lavender, love — but for 180-plus years, Tanqueray stuck by the seemingly simple combination of only four botanicals: Tuscan juniper, coriander, angelica root, and licorice.
Smirnoff vodka: Smirnoff is distilled from corn, and the company's plain vodka should be safe, even if you're sensitive to gluten-grain-based alcohol.
Luksusowa Vodka
Poland- This award winning vodka's recipe remains unchanged since its beginnings in 1928, using pure, locally-sourced water, fresh potatoes from local family farms, and a proprietary distillation process for a rich, smooth finish. Luksusowa is the #1 selling potato vodka in the world.
Most vodka isn't made from potatoes.
Potatoes have since proven a viable source in vodka production, but all you really need to make vodka is a sugar source (even just sugar). Most modern vodka is grain-based, though some—hey, Puff! —is made from grapes, even milk whey.
The main ingredients in Absolut Vodka are water and winter wheat. The water comes from a deep well in Åhus where it's protected from impurities. Winter wheat differs from other crops: it's sown in fall, and harvested the next one. Days in between it grows under the Swedish snow developing its hard grain.
Tanqueray is a London dry gin, reflecting its distillation process and origin in Bloomsbury, London. London dry gin is made by double distilling grain, with select botanicals added during the second distillation.
While gin and vodka are both crafted as neutral spirits, gin has additional ingredients—namely juniper berries—to give it its signature pine flavour. In fact, gin can only be called a gin if it has juniper in it. Without this, the spirit is technically vodka. The taste also hugely differs between the two spirits.
What is gin made out of? All gins contain juniper. Hendrick's unique taste comes from its use of roses and cucumbers along with 11 other botanicals, of course including juniper - but also coriander, orange, lemon, angelic, orris root, cubeb berries, caraway seeds, chamomile, elderflower, and yarrow berries.
Bombay Sapphire is a London Dry gin, but that's not a regional designation (like Bordeaux or Scotch whisky). It's a style — specifically, a dry style of gin that doesn't use any artificial ingredients. Instead, distillers balance piney juniper notes with a dealer's choice of botanicals and spices.
Smirnoff Vodka is distilled from corn, making it gluten-free. Smirnoff offers over 35 different flavored vodkas.
Absolut Vodka is a Swedish vodka made exclusively from natural ingredients, with no added sugar and made from water and winter wheat grown in the fields of Åhus, Sweden.
Ketel One Vodka is distilled from 100% wheat in copper pot stills, filtered over loose charcoal, and rests in tile-lined tanks until ready.
A distinctively refreshing gin crafted from the finest handpicked juniper berries and a secret selection of botanicals.
Tanqueray is a classic. A smooth, delicious premium London Dry Gin with an array of botanicals and a grapefruit peel edge.
How is Bloody Shiraz Gin Made? Simple. Four Pillars takes Yarra Valley shiraz grapes and steep them in gin for eight weeks. Smelling it there was, of course, the distinctive juniper scent, though not overpoweringly so.