BERGAMOT

The first known bergamot orchard was established near Reggio Calabria in 1750, although the tree had been grown ornamentally in Italian aristocratic gardens since at least the 16th century. Bergamot essential oil first appears in commercial pharmacy records from Giessen, Germany, in 1688, [source] and from the early 18th century onward became a foundational ingredient in Eau de Cologne and modern perfumery. Its most famous culinary use is the flavouring of Earl Grey tea — black tea scented with bergamot oil — a blend most often attributed to Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl Grey and British Prime Minister in the 1830s, who is said to have received an early example as a diplomatic gift. [source] In gin, bergamot has become one of the signature contemporary citrus botanicals — used in everything from Hendrick's-style floral gins to modern Italian craft distillations — because it offers a citrus character no other peel can match.

Bergamot is one of the most distinctive citrus notes available to a distiller — floral, slightly bitter, both brighter and more complex than lemon or orange. A full sachet pushes a gin firmly into Earl-Grey territory; a half-sachet adds an aromatic citrus lift without dominating, working beautifully alongside juniper and coriander. Pair with lavender for an explicitly Mediterranean profile, or with cardamom and pink peppercorn for something more spice-route. Avoid combining with very heavy floral botanicals (jasmine, rose) — bergamot itself is floral enough.

Bergamot's chemistry is dominated by limonene (typically 30–45% of the oil) — the same compound that defines lemon, orange and grapefruit, but here paired with two distinguishing aromatics. Linalyl acetate (15–30%) is the soft floral note that gives bergamot its perfumery character — it's also a major component of lavender, which is why the two pair so well. Linalool layers a sweet woody-floral lift on top. Bergamottin is a furanocoumarin not aromatic itself but responsible for bergamot oil's well-documented photosensitivity (don't apply bergamot oil to skin before sun exposure). [source] Cool vapour infusion preserves the linalyl acetate floral note best; long maceration tends to deepen the bitter background.