Could you grow your own gin garden? Including the tonic? The answer, as we shall see is both yes and no – but if you’re a gin lover and have a bit of space to grow things you could certainly have a go!
A Very Brief History of Gin
Humans have been making drinks with a kick, ie alcoholic, for millennia. Sometimes these have been for medicinal purposes, other times for pleasure, and not uncommonly, a for bit of both. And the antecedents to gin manage to fall into all of these ‘categories’ although arguably it started off as medicinal.
- It seems that in 14th century Flanders (the current day Netherlands) a juniper based cordial was created to protect against the Black Death, bubonic plague. Not only did the Dutch drink the medicine they also wore masks filled with juniper berries to further protect them from plague. And if this is sounding like a not unfamiliar landscape of 2020 and 2021, I don’t think they injected themselves with jenever as well…
- By the late 1400s adding juniper to grain based spirits became popular and profitable in the Low Countries. Between 1500-1700 distilling was as distinctly Dutch as cheesemaking, tobacco and tulips.
- Jenever came over to England with William of Orange and Queen Mary in 1688, a part of the Glorious Revolution.
- The 1690 Distillery Act had an enormous impact on the home market, as did William’s fondness for gin.
- By the 18th century gin had become popular in England, it was a patriotic drink. But it exacerbated many of the problems caused by an influx of population into the towns and cities: think Hogarth and ‘Gin Lane’.
- However, mid 19th century ladies would frequently drink gin with their afternoon tea. This was London dry gin. Less sweet than the earlier types.
- Naval officers, army officers, British empire administrators all drank gin, sometimes with angostura bitters ‘pink gin’ or quinine (prime ingredient of tonic water) as medicinal additives.
Hogarth, ‘Gin Alley’
So how did jenever become gin? Distilling the alcohol is the key
- Distilling as a process of creating gin differs little from the methods used by the Chinese around 800 BCE (or earlier). They were making sautchoo from fermented rice alcohol.
- Written evidence of distilling is found in 4 CE from Aristotle. He was describing a method of distilling sea water into drinking water.
- There is evidence that both Scotland and Ireland were distilling grain alcohol by the 6th century.
But it is in 11th century Italy that we first get a glimmer of gin. From the Benedictine monastery in Salerno where they were experimenting with various gin botanicals, adding them to distilled alcohol for medical remedies. As juniper grows all over Italy and was already used as a cure due to its diuretic properties, a proto-gin seems highly likely to have been distilled. We just don’t have absolute proof (pun intended)
The botanicals are added once the pure alcohol has been distilled and there are various methods for achieving this.
Now I’m not suggesting you set up a distillery in your garden, this isn’t an article on starting your own artisan gin business. But, in order to consider what you could grow, it helps to list the essential and popular botanical elements in gin. For example, so we know what type of soil will be needed.
Grow Your Own Gin Garden – the Essential Plants
Flowers, trees, shrubs, herbs, berries, bark all play their part. But the three most important are juniper, coriander and angelica.
Juniper
Juniperus communis is to gin what hops are to beer. Without it, the alcohol isn’t gin. The prickly shrub is found across Europe and does best on light soils. It is not too fussy about soil pH, so chalk lowland, rocky areas and pine woodland (ie a more acid soil) would all be fine.
Coriander
Coriandrum sativum is native to Southern Europe. An annual herb, it is the seeds which are used in gin, but all parts of the plant are edible. Coriander seeds add a citrussy note and have been used in gin for centuries. Well-drained soil and full sun are best for this herb, although some light shade would be tolerated. The soil pH should hover around neutral, 6.5 – 7.5.
Angelica
Angelica Archangelica is a biennial herb and it’s the root which is used in gin to help ‘fix’ the flavours. Like coriander a fairly neutral soil pH is needed and a sunny spot. But this architectural plant, which can reach up to 8 foot tall, needs a deep soil for its long tap root. A few gins use the flowers or seeds of the plant as botanicals, but generally speaking almost all angelica in gin is angelica root.
Other frequently used gin botanicals are: –
- Almond (bitter almond)
- Cardamon
- Cassia bark
- Cubeb berries
- Ginger
- Grains of Paradise
- Lemon (peel)
- Liquorice
- Nutmeg
- Orange (peel)
- Orris root (used alongside angelica to bind the flavours)
Almond (bitter almond)
This is Prunus dulcis var. amara rather than Prunus dulcis, the sweet almond that you can eat straight from the tree. The bitter almond is also sometimes referred to as Prunus amygdalus.
Almonds are lovely deciduous trees, growing up to 15 foot high, and replete with fragrant pink or white flowers in early spring. They are easy to grow, not being too fussy over soil pH, so long as the soil is fertile, and free draining. However, cropping will be light unless the right weather conditions prevail: warm, dry summers and mild, wet, ie frost-free winters. Having said that, they will tolerate some frost and actually need below 7°C for bud break to occur.
You could try one outside, especially in southern and sheltered areas, as at the very least you’ll enjoy the fragrant blossom. They will grow in large pots so you can keep them frost free over winter. They have good drought resistance once established.
Buying a container grown plant is easiest, but if you fancy growing from sees, you must use fresh, unpasteurized, unshelled, and unroasted almonds or they won’t germinate.
Cardamon
Elettaria cardamomum is an herbaceous perennial in the ginger family. It grows in tropical rainforests and is native to parts of India, Nepal and South Asia. No prizes for guessing that it likes heat, partial shade and rain, and a loamy, acidic soil. It can grow up to 13 foot, but will also grow in a pot.
Cassia bark
The bark comes from the Cinnamomum cassia tree, an evergreen native to southern China and Southeast Asia. The tree grows to about 45 foot tall and is best grown away from other plants as it can prevent them from thriving. Cinnamomum needs full sun, a decent amount of rain and a fertile sandy or sandy loam soil, ie acidic. It is possible to grow it in a large pot – which will keep it to manageable proportions. And there’s no reason why after 3 years or so you shouldn’t harvest your own cassia bark.
Ginger
Ginger, Zingiber officinale, is an herbaceous perennial originally from maritime Southeast Asia. Imported into Europe from the early Medieval period, in 14th century England, a pound of ginger cost as much as a sheep! Ginger can be grown in the ground or in a pot if your soil is heavy clay or winters are very frosty. They like partial shade and a sheltered, wind free spot.
However, it is fairly easy to grow and is happy as a houseplant – where it will even give you a crop for your gin (or ginger biscuits!)
Lemon and Orange
It is the peel of these fruits which is used as having a good odour. Lemon, Citrus limon, and the bitter orange, Citrus × aurantium are both used. Easy to grow, see blog link below for full details.
Liquorice
Liquorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra, is a member of the bean family Fabaceae. It is the root from which the aromatic flavouring is extracted. Another herbaceous perennial, it is native to Western Asia, North Africa, and Southern Europe. Although slow to get going, about 4 years before your first harvest, it will be reasonably hardy outdoors by then.
Buying a small plant is a quicker way of establishing your liquorice plant. If you live in the northern regions of the UK, growing it in a pot may be a safer bet. It will need a long tom style pot as yet again we have a deep rooted plant. As it’s the roots which are used, leave yourself room to dig them up. You could always have a small perennial bed in the kitchen garden for liquorice, as you would for asparagus. In fact, if you like the flavour, that’s rather a good idea as you can use the plant in cooking as well as gin.
Orris root
This is the root of the bearded Iris. Typically, the powered roots of the historic bearded Iris Florentina. It adds violet and sweet earthy notes to gin.
This is an Intermediate Bearded Iris, with unusual mother-of-pearl or soft grey-blue shade flowers in late spring. They are decorative in the garden and as cut flowers. The plants need to be 3-4 years old before the roots can be lifted to use in gin. Conveniently, iris benefit from division at about this age anyway. Dry the roots you intend to use and keep for 2 – 5 years to allow the fragrance to fully develop.
Grow in a sunny position, on a well-drained soil; it’s not too fussed about pH so long as you avoid extremes.
And the difficult gin botanicals to grow for those who really like a challenge
These won’t be an easy one to grow without a heated glasshouse, always assuming you can get hold of (legal) viable seeds in the first place.
Cubeb berries
Piper Cubeba is a perennial vine, native to Indonesia, with a taste somewhere between pepper and allspice, and hints of nutmeg or camphor. In gin, cubeb offers aromatic pepperiness, and lemon, pine or floral notes.
Grains of Paradise
The wonderfully named spice is Aframomum melegueta, a species in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, and closely related to cardamom. It adds citrus, lavender and peppery notes. Native to and grown in Ghana.
Nutmeg
Myristica fragrans, tropical evergreen tree native to the Spice Islands (Moluccas). The trees grow to about 65 foot. Not really one for growing in the UK though as they need well-draining soil, humidity, lots of rainfall and daily dose of 12 hours of sunlight.
Grow Your Own Gin Garden – Basics, ie soil and so on
Cultivating your gin garden in the ground
Soil –
Firstly, check the soil pH and the soil type.
- A heavy clay soil is going to need a fair bit of work in order to grow most of the gin botanicals
- Soil pH of 6.5 – 7.5 will suit many of the plants
Prepare the soil to improve drainage and fertility if this isn’t a regular task you carry out. Depending on your current soil and preferred cultivation methods. See blog links below for more info, but for example, this may include: –
- double digging
- adding organic matter, home grown compost, grit, sand, bought in soil improver
- trench composting
- creating raised beds
- lasagne gardening
Aspect and altitude –
Interestingly, it’s the juniper which is the gin botanical that is happiest in a wide range of locations and soils. Or maybe that’s not so surprising…
The others vary, so I refer you back to their notes.
Where in the garden?
The question for you here is would you like a designated gin garden or to have all or most of your plants incorporated within the main planting scheme? You could grow some in the kitchen garden, especially where they have further culinary uses.
In the herb garden you could have a separate gin garden section. This might work well as some need to be in pots so they can be moved inside for frost protection. A cluster of terracotta plant pots with ginger, lemons, cardamon, lemongrass, thyme, lemon verbena and more would thrive in a sunny spot.
In the ornamental borders as part of a mixed planting scheme, liquorice, iris, lavender, borage, roses, bergamot and an almond tree would be great for gin, for wildlife and for fragrance through spring and summer. And you could edge the borders with a low hedge of lavender, rosemary or thyme.
Cultivating your gin garden in pots
We’ve already mentioned many of the gin botanicals which would grow well in pots. The others include: –
- Lavender
- Lemon verbena
- Lemongrass
- Mint (best grown in pots anyway as has a tendency to be invasive!)
- Rosemary
Lemongrass, Cymbopogon, and lemon verbena, Aloysia citrodora, will both need protection from frost.
NB Depending how cold it generally gets where you garden, an unheated greenhouse, plus hessian for wrapping the pot will sort out most of our gin botanicals that are tender perennials.
When you plan to have lots of pots in a small space, such as a balcony garden, one tip is to use square pots. Sounds obvious! But square pots and rectangular planters will maximse your growing space. They can add an air of formaility and help the focus to be on the plants if you use all the same style and colour.
Grow Your Own Gin Garden – a splash of Tonic and Flavour
Tonic water
Quinine is a bitter compound that comes from the bark of Cinchona officinalis. It is found in South and Central America and Africa’s west coast and it will grow in many areas of the UK. An evergreen tree growing to about 26 foot, it prefers a well-drained sandy loam. However, it is not a good idea to make your own tonic even if you grow the Cinchona tree, as there are some very nasty side effects if you get the proportions wrong.
Other Botanicals for Gin
I’ve mentioned quite a few above, all of which may be added during the distillation process to make particular gins. But many plants have been added to gin to give a unique flavour, including nettles, elderflower, dandelion and honeysuckle. Which I mention because they will all easily grow in British gardens.
If we move onto garnishes, then we have a whole new list of possibilities to add, which is probably best covered in another blog. Personally, I like to choose my garnish depending on the flavour of the gin I’m drinking. For example, if it’s a heavily citrussy gin, I wouldn’t add lemon or lime, but might add a sprig of thyme.
Oh and grow an olive tree if you like to nibble on these whilst drinking your gin. Well, if we get a hot summer the fruit will ripen! Olive trees, Olea europaea are hardy across most of UK and will grow in pots or in the ground and are okay in maritime locations too.
And finally
Themed planting designs can be fun as well as edible. If you’d like help to grow your own gin garden or have one designed, please do get in touch for planting schemes and more. For example –
Why not ask about our bespoke Gardening Lessons, where your classroom is actually your own garden? You could learn how to grow your own gin garden. Have a read through this pdf download for info.
For further gardening advice and inspiration, check out Plews Potting Shed blogs, including the selection below Plus we have a monthly Tipsheet (currently changing our provider, so there may be a delay) You could come and find us on Instagram Pinterest and Facebook too.
Feeling nosey? You can have a peek at the progress of my garden renovation, Spitfires and Slow Worms, on Instagram and Facebook
You’ll get to see it in person if you come to the Plews Gardening Workshops
Plus get your local garden club, allotment, WI, U3A or other group to ask me along to give a talk (and bring plants 😉)
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