Behind the juniper, wormwood takes the lead in Teuchtler New Western, a gin from Peuerbach, in the Hausruckviertel region of Upper Austria that deliberately moves away from the classic juniper-forward style. The producer describes the subtle, bittersweet nuances of wormwood as the heart of the recipe, designed to surprise both connoisseurs and newcomers. It is bottled at 44% ABV in a 50 cl bottle.

Dry · Spicy · Herbal

The recipe lists twelve botanicals: wormwood, juniper, lemon, cardamom, sage, clove, rosemary, liquorice, cinnamon stick, angelica root, orris root and calamus root. The gin is made by hand in small batches using traditional distillation, cut with limestone water from the nearby Mühlviertel and bottled without artificial additives or flavourings. The New Western label describes the style, in which juniper shares the stage with other botanicals instead of dominating them.

Teuchtler sums up the profile as herbaceous, fresh and spicy. Wormwood gives a dry, gently bitter backbone, sage and rosemary add a savoury herbal layer, and cardamom, clove and cinnamon warm the middle. Lemon keeps the nose fresh, while liquorice, angelica, orris and calamus round off a long, dry finish. At 44% ABV, a small neat pour is the best way to follow how the herbs and the bitterness unfold.

For a gin and tonic, use large ice and a chilled Indian tonic, then add a thin lemon twist and a sage leaf, both of which echo the recipe. The tonic softens the bitterness without adding sweetness, so the drink stays dry to the last sip. Its herbal, slightly bitter character also suits stirred drinks such as a Martini or a Negroni, where wormwood links naturally with vermouth, itself traditionally flavoured with the same plant.