Junípero Gin
Hotaling & Co. (formerly Anchor Distilling) · Anchor Distillery, Potrero Hill, San Francisco
Nose
Bold and juniper-forward. The botanicals arrive in sequence: pine-forward juniper, bright lemon and orange peel, earthy angelica, then a warming spice from coriander and cardamom. The high proof delivers them all without dilution.
Palate
Long and warming with lingering juniper resin, dried citrus peel, and a peppery herbaceous dryness.
Finish
Juniper (Pine), Juniper (Woody/Resinous), Coriander, Orange, Lemon, Peppery
- Base Spirit
- Crystal clear
- Distillation
- Twelve botanicals including juniper, coriander, angelica root, and citrus peels (full recipe proprietary)
Cocktail Suggestion
The San Francisco Martini: Combine 2.5 oz Junípero Gin and 0.5 oz dry vermouth in a mixing glass. Stir with ice for thirty seconds until well chilled, strain into a chilled coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist expressed over the surface. The high-proof juniper carries the vermouth rather than fighting it.
Food Pairing
A Meyer lemon tart with shortbread crust — the gin's bright citrus botanicals amplify the lemon while the juniper cuts through the richness of the shortbread.
Junípero is the gin that started a movement. Three decades after its debut, it still represents the American craft gin gold standard — not because it chases trends, but because it doesn't need to. Every bottle is made entirely on Potrero Hill: grain-to-glass at a scale that most craft gins now claim but few actually deliver. The high proof, the juniper-forward profile, and the twelve hand-selected botanicals all come together in a gin of uncommon structural clarity. At thirty dollars, it is the finest estate-distilled American gin you can buy.
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