Flower Power written by Aaron Knoll
T
he appeal of flowers likely predates civilized society itself. There’s the vibrant colors, the geometric arrangements and — of course — the aroma. As far back as the 13th century BCE, a woman named Tapputi worked as a perfumer and chemist in a Babylonian court, using equipment that we would recognize today to preserve the scent of flowers. Chronicled in cuneiform, recipes exist that talk of distilling flowers for use in perfumes. This is the oldest reference in writing to any type of still. Now of course, Tapputi wasn’t distilling flowers with alcohol, nor was she intending her distillates for consumption. However, it’s clear to see flowers and their aroma drove people to innovate in different ways to capture them.
Flash forward to the modern era, flowers have again taken a central role among a slightly different group of distillers. Although it’s not a completely new concept, as domestic manuals throughout the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries often included medicinal recipes that distilled locally grown flowers. There’s even been a resurgence of interest in many of these once obscure, medicinal flower liqueurs. For example, Golden Moon Distillery recently launched a génépi, a type of liqueur made from macerating wormwood flower heads in a spirit. However, the primary driver of the increasing number of flowers in spirits has been innovation in gin. Hendrick’s may have paved the way for this with their bold-at-the-time inclusion of rose in their
Gordon's Spot of Elderflower
Elderflower, post distillation addition of flavor
Black Button Distillery Lilac Gin
Rose, lilac, distillation; hibiscus post-distillation maceration
gin. Since then, the growth in flower use accelerated throughout the 2010s. This floral trend is driven by consumer interest. Since 2017, preference for floral flavors has been consistently high. A desire for gins with a floral facet has consistently ranked ahead of herbal and spiced flavor profiles.1 People who expressed interest in a botanical spirit with little to no juniper rank a floral flavor profile as their second most desired profile, just behind citrus.2 This trend seems to be driven by younger drinkers; people under 35 were significantly more likely to like floral facets in their gin than those over 35. Despite the millennia that have passed since Tapputi’s time as a perfumer, distillers today are grappling with the same fundamental challenge: how do you capture the aroma of something so delicate as a flower? Fortunately, there’s a variety of techniques distillers can utilize. Year Some can be applied 1997 during ingredient 1999 sourcing, while others can be applied at the 2000 still. While this over2003 view of flowers can’t 2010 be exhaustive, given 2011 their sheer botanical 2011 diversity, it can help provide a starting 2013 point for distillers 2015 looking to dive in.
Pinckney Bend Hibiscus Gin
Yarrow, elderflower distilation; hibiscus, post-distillation maceration
2016
Dark Corner Distillery Jōcassee Gin
Magnolia, distillation
2016
Lockhouse Distillery Sakura Gin
Cherry blossom, distillation
2017
Table 1
NOTABLE FLORAL GIN LAUNCHES Ingredient and Technique Tanqueray Malacca
Rose, distillation
Hendrick's Gin
Rose, post distillation addition of flavor
Tanqueray No. 10
Chamomile flowers, distillation
Magellan Gin
Iris flower, post distillation infusion
Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin
Elderflower, jasmine, bee balm distillation
St. George Terroir
Lily of the valley, distillation
New York Distilling Co. Dorothy Parker Gin
Hibiscus, distillation
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1 Knoll, p 29 2 Knoll, p 30
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