If you’ve ever been hiking in the mountains or in an evergreen forest during the summer, you can’t help but take in the delicious aroma of the trees as the warm sun brings out their essence. The fragrance alone can give you a boost. Similar elements—namely, juniper berries—make gin one of summer’s best refreshers.

While some people may bristle at the spirit’s “pineiness,” it’s this unique characteristic that makes gin gin. Fans of this spirit have long known the refreshing kick it gives to summer cocktails. And, with the right balance of additional botanicals, plus some of the newer, “milder” gins on the market, non gin drinkers will enjoy giving it another try. 

When Dr. Sylvuis (also known as Franciscus de la Boe), a professor of medicine at Leiden, Holland, invented gin in 1650 as a remedy for kidney disorders, he couldn’t have imagined how popular his elixir would become. Starting with a neutral grain spirit, a number of botanicals, from coriander, cassia bark, and orange peel, to licorice and others (bottler’s guarded secrets) combine with the essential juniper berries. It comes in three styles: Genever, Plymouth, and London Dry. The Plymouth and London Dry styles are similar in flavor, but Plymouth is made only in Plymouth, England. London Dry refers to a style, not necessarily a place of origin, and accounts for most of the gin on the market.

In addition to gin’s long-standing reputation as the key element in the Martini, it is also the base for many popular cocktails, including the Tom Collins, Long Island Iced Tea, Gimlet, Ramos Fizz, Negroni, and Singapore Sling, among others. And of course, the Gin and Tonic is the quintessential summer drink. Served over ice with a tonic quantity to desired taste, a slice of lime gives it zest, herbal flavors, and an aroma similar to freshly-cut grass. Some may prefer a lemon slice, which blends well with gin’s citrus notes. For an extra refreshing Gin and Tonic, first chill a glass in the freezer, then fill it with ice, which will slow the melting process and not dilute the drink.