If we didn’t have juniper berries, we wouldn’t have gin. That’d be a shame, of course. Juniper’s just one ingredient, though, and it’s an old-school one at that. London Dry Gin is the standard bearer for the classic gin. Modern gin isn’t trying to abolish juniper, but it goes far beyond and gives other flavors a chance to make a statement. Botanicals of every stripe can bring new elements to modern gin, with juniper flavor hanging in the background to remind you that you haven’t gone too far afield. Your gin and tonic is safe with modern gin, but it might never be the same.

Modern gin is a distilled spirit category, so it starts out with fermented grains that producers steep and distill with a blend of carefully selected botanicals – or anything else they think might work. Many producers use small-batch techniques and smaller copper stills to capture volatile flavor compounds that would burn off on larger, more industrial stills. You don’t want to lose all those delicate botanical flavors that you worked so hard to get. Similar to standard gin, you’ll find alcohol content sitting pretty around 40%.

Feel free to think big here, because the distilleries certainly are. Some will highlight a particular ingredient like cucumber or honey. Others will try for that elusive alchemy of several herbs and spices. Coriander, elderflower, cinnamon, citrus, even black tea – they can all add to the juniper backdrop. Take a look at the bottle to see what medley of flavors you can expect.

Modern gin doesn’t shy away from standard gin cocktails. Instead of muddying the waters of a gin and tonic, it can add citrusy, spicy complexity to the bright juniper character. Taste how an elderflower modern gin blends into a fruity, plum-forward sloe gin fizz. Your party might even want to keep it simple and start with a side-by-side martini tasting. Use modern gin for one and London dry for the other.

Modern gin isn’t trying to reinvent the gin wheel, but it’s a more open-minded approach to an old favorite spirit. See how it stacks up against your favorite dry gin. At the very least, don’t miss it. Pick some up with Drizly. Shop Drizly by clicking on these links to search for Drizly in your city and look for liquor stores on Drizly near you.