Gin, a distilled spirit, uses juniper as a main ingredient (hence some gins having that sort of Christmas-y taste). But unlike other spirits, there’s little regulation on what constitutes a “gin” after that– there are many flavor profiles and ingredients that can be in your gin of choice. Its popularity is on the up and up, and being used more and more in cocktail programs around the country. Just please, do not shoot gin– it’s a spirit made for mixing. So what gins should you know? Here, some of the best and most known gins on the market.
Hendrick’s
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A classic, Hendrick’s redefined the gin and tonic with the simple addition of cucumber. With flavors of cucumbers and rose, this gin is made for easy drinking.
Sipsmith London Dry Gin
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Made with 10 botanicals, honey and citrus take center stage in this dry gin, which is perfect as the base of sweeter cocktails. It’s made 400 bottles at a time, and is just really, really good. I promise!
Bombay Sapphire
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In its distinctive blue bottle, Bombay Sapphire features 10 botanicals from around the world, including lemon from Spain and coriander from Morocco. Perfect in pretty much any cocktail, but especially a negroni.
Nolet’s
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With peach and raspberry notes throughout, Nolet’s is a lighter, more floral gin with less of that juniper flavor that typically characterizes the spirit.
Beefeater London
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A true classic, the world’s most awarded gin is an unsweetened, juniper-forward gin that is a hallmark of the spirit. It’s what many people think of when they think “London dry” gin. Try it using it to make this English Harvest Gin Cocktail.
Tanqueray
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Another quintessential London Dry gin, this one features only four botanicals and has a crystal clear flavor profile characteristic of gin. Use in, well, anything. It’s bound to work for one of these 75 delicious gin cocktail recipes.
Plymouth
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/80924124543402217/
Citrus and 6 other botanicals take hold here, and it’s fair to say this is a mixologist and bartender staple. It has more of an earthy flavor, with a smooth finish.
The Botanist
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/20547742039056265/
A small-batch gin, this one features 31 different botanicals and is a complex, floral gin that takes any cocktail to the next level.
