It's JUNEiper Season!

Hiding across from all the mixers at PJ's, the perfect summer liquor is waiting for you.
"Gin is designed to work in many different directions," Desmond Payne, Master Distiller for Beefeater, told the New York Times in 2019. "Very few people drink gin on its own. Gin should have the ability to be versatile."
It may not be as ubiquitous as Vodka or Tequila in America but botanical business is still blooming. Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, and Ryan Reynolds are making news with their recent ventures in the Gin game. Financial forecasters expect the American Gin market to expand by one-third of its current size by 2030. 
In England, the birthplace of London Dry Gin, more than 300 new distilleries have opened in the past decade. But that only became possible after centuries-old laws against small distillers of Gin were finally eased.
The Gin Act of 1751 was one of several laws meant to curtail alcoholism in England after Gin gained a reputation for causing debauchery among the lower-class. Gin had become commonplace because of the low cost and availability of juniper and barley plus an ongoing war with France meant an embargo on all of that country's exports of wine and spirits.
During Prohibition in the 1920's and early 30's, American bootleggers and families alike mixed a mash of vegetables with glycerin and a touch of juniper oil before watering it down in the bathtub. Bartenders had to add bitters, soda, or juice in order to make Bathtub Gin tolerable to drink.

Today, only one law really matters. Gin has to have Juniper in it to be considered Gin. How much or how little depends on each distiller as they try to craft their own flavor profile. Gin can be categorized as London Dry Gin (strong juniper flavors with citrus notes; good for Gin and Tonics and Martinis), Old Tom Gin (sweeter than Dry Gin; good for mixed drinks), and Navy Strength Gin (114 Proof!) among others. Japanese Gin is gaining traction around the world as well, especially Roku Gin, launched in 2017.

For their concoction, one couple in California drew inspiration from the migratory path the Gray Whale takes each year. Marsh and Jan Mokhtari and their two daughters love the beach and they source the botanicals for Gray Whale Gin from the California Coast. Their juniper comes from Big Sur, limes from the Temecula Valley, fir trees from Sonoma, sea kelp from the Mendocino coast, mint from Santa Cruz, and almonds from the Central Valley.
"We set out to make an inherently 'California' gin," Marsh told Barron's in April. "And I think we did that."