Spent Botanicals from Distilleries Find Their Way Into Dishes

For every batch of gin they produce, distilleries are left with 30 to 40 pounds of byproduct comprising juniper, orris root, lemon, coriander and other assorted ingredients—a highly alcoholic combination that looks like wet tea and is considered garbage. Peter Smith, chef-owner of PS 7’s in Washington, D.C., had a better idea. “I saw all these spent botanicals with their next step likely being the trash, compost or feed, and I felt they...