gin
Beverages
Trigger checker for gin
See gin rated across every trigger — FODMAP, histamine, salicylate, oxalate, tyramine and more — plus diet compatibility, all in one quick ingredient profile.
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Triggers
Diets
Serving size, prep, and portion notes for gin
Gin is the botanical spirit: a neutral base spirit redistilled with juniper and a bill of other botanicals such as coriander, angelica, citrus peel and orris. That botanical bill is what makes gin taste like a plant, so people reasonably assume it carries a plant-sized chemical load. The grades say otherwise. Gin rates clean on salicylates, clean on gluten even when the base is grain, and clean across every FODMAP column, because distillation carries volatile aroma compounds across and leaves the heavier plant chemistry, the proteins and the fermentable sugars behind in the still. The flag that actually matters on this page is the alcohol. Gin grades mild for histamine content and moderate as a histamine liberator, since ethanol and its breakdown product acetaldehyde both push histamine release and slow the enzyme that clears it. It carries a light sulfite trace, sits moderate for low-fermentation SIBO protocols, grades pro-inflammatory and is not paleo or AIP compliant. One practical note that the grades make plain: with gin the mixer often contributes more than the spirit, since tonic water grades worse than gin on sugar load, fermentability and inflammation.
Watch for
Moderate histamine liberator with mild histamine of its own, which is why a spirit can bring flushing, a blocked nose or a headache faster than the volume suggests. Alcohol both prompts histamine release and interferes with the diamine oxidase that clears it / Clean on salicylates despite the juniper. A botanical spirit does not behave like a botanical food, because what crosses the still is aroma rather than the salicylate load of the berries. If salicylates are your trigger, gin is unlikely to be the culprit in the glass / Graded gluten free. The base grain is fermented and then distilled, and gluten proteins do not carry over. The exception is compound and flavoured gins, where syrups, fruit or other ingredients are added after distillation / Only a light sulfite trace, so gin sits far below wine, cider and dried fruit on sulfites. Low is not the same as zero if you are severely sulfite reactive / The mixer is the hidden variable. Tonic water grades moderate FODMAP and moderate excess fructose, poor for low-fermentation protocols and pro-inflammatory, so a gin and tonic carries a sugar problem the gin itself does not have
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FAQ
What does the FODMAP rating mean for gin?
Low FODMAP: usually easier for most people, still watch portion size.
Is gin generally well tolerated?
Histamine Liberators (Moderate) and Low Fermentation (Moderate) Start with those if you react.
What should I check next?
Compare within the Beverages group.