It's a botanical garden
Every gin starts with juniper, then distillers add whatever they like: citrus peel, coriander, cardamom, rose, cucumber, seaweed. No two taste the same.
Why gin?
Some spirits do one thing well. Gin does a dozen things well, and looks good doing them.
It carries the classics
The Martini, the Negroni, the Tom Collins, the Gimlet. A lot of the cocktail canon was built on gin.
It has a past
From Dutch genever to the London gin craze to Prohibition bathtubs, gin has been at the centre of a lot of good stories and a few bad decisions.
It's easy to love
You don't need a bar cart. Gin, tonic, ice and a wedge of lime is one of the best drinks there is, and it takes thirty seconds.
What's in the bottle
Juniper is the only rule. Everything else is the distiller showing off.
- Juniper
- Coriander seed
- Angelica root
- Orris root
- Lemon peel
- Orange peel
- Cardamom
- Cassia bark
- Liquorice
- Grains of paradise
- Cucumber
- Rose petals
- Pink peppercorn
- Lavender
Start here
Four drinks that make the case better than any web page could.
01
Gin & Tonic
50ml gin, 150ml good tonic, lots of ice, a citrus wedge. Big glass.
02
Negroni
Equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. Stir over ice, garnish with orange.
03
Dry Martini
60ml gin, 10ml dry vermouth. Stir until very cold, strain, add a twist or an olive.
04
Gimlet
60ml gin, 20ml fresh lime juice, 15ml sugar syrup. Shake hard, strain, done.
"The gin and tonic has saved more Englishmen's lives, and minds, than all the doctors in the Empire." Winston Churchill (probably)