Botanical & raw ingredient

Herbs, roots, barks, spices and raw ingredients behind the flavors.

• agaveSpiky desert succulents. The roasted hearts (piñas) are fermented and distilled into tequila, mezcal and other agave spirits.
• allspiceDried berries of a Caribbean tree. Called allspice because it tastes like clove, cinnamon and nutmeg together.
• angelicaA tall herb whose root is a classic gin botanical and appears in Chartreuse and Bénédictine.
• aniseAnise seed and star anise taste like black licorice; licorice root is sweeter. They flavor absinthe, pastis, ouzo, sambuca and many amari.
• artichokeThe leaves of the artichoke plant flavor Cynar.
• bergamotA fragrant citrus from southern Italy. It flavors Earl Grey tea and many aperitivi.
• cacaoBeans of the cacao tree, the source of chocolate. Nibs are crushed roasted beans.
• cardamomGreen pods of a ginger-family plant, used in gin, aquavit and some amari.
• chamomileSmall daisy-like flowers best known as a tea.
• cinchonaBark of a South American tree, the original source of quinine, once taken against malaria. It's why tonic water and quinquinas are bitter.
• cinnamonBark of a tropical tree, rolled into sticks. Big in tiki syrups.
• cloveDried flower buds of an Indonesian tree. A key flavor in falernum and Angostura.
• elderflowerThe tiny cream-colored flowers of the elder tree, picked in late spring.
• fennelA plant whose seeds and fronds taste of mild anise. Used in absinthe, Strega and aquavit.
• gentianA yellow-flowered Alpine plant whose root is one of the most bitter things in nature. It's in Angostura, Suze, Campari-style bitters and many amari.
• gingerSpicy root used fresh, as syrup, or in ginger beer and falernum.
• juniperSmall blue berries (really cones) of an evergreen shrub. By law, gin has to taste mainly of juniper.
• Marasca cherryA small sour cherry from the Dalmatian coast, the source of maraschino liqueur and Luxardo cherries.
• molassesThe thick dark syrup left after sugar is boiled out of cane juice. Most rum is distilled from it.
• nutmegSeed of a tropical tree, grated fresh over flips, eggnog and tiki drinks.
• orrisDried iris root, used in gin to hold the other aromas together.
• peatPartly rotted moss and plants dug from bogs and burned as fuel. Drying barley over peat smoke makes smoky Scotch.
• rhubarbRhubarb root is a bittering agent in Campari-style aperitivi and amari (the stalks are the tart pie kind).
• saffronDried stigmas of the crocus flower, the world's most expensive spice. Colors Strega and yellow Chartreuse.
• sugarcaneA giant tropical grass. Its fresh juice makes rhum agricole and cachaça; its molasses makes most other rum.
• vanillaThe cured seed pod of a Mexican orchid.
• wormwoodA bitter silver-green herb (Artemisia absinthium). It gives absinthe its name and vermouth its bitterness; vermouth comes from Wermut, German for wormwood.

Other categories: Spirit · Liqueur · Amaro & aperitivo · Wine & vermouth · Syrup & mixer · Bitters & seasoning · Technique · Drink family · Glass & serve