When bartender Ryan Magarian and distiller Christian Krogstad co-founded Aviation Gin in 2006 there was no commonly used term to describe their settled-upon style of gin. So Magarian coined one himself: New Western Dry.
To comply with TTB regulations, the “main characteristic flavor” of any distilled spirit classified as gin must be derived from juniper berries. But like many laws, this definition leaves room for interpretation. Rather than produce a juniper-dominant gin, akin to a classic London Dry, Magarian and Krogstad instead crafted a style that was simply juniper-driven. Or as Magarian describes it, “A botanical democracy [with] President Juniper holding office.”