The best gins for the perfect G&T and premium gin cocktails
Discerning drinkers still can’t get enough of gin, gin, glorious gin. Here’s GQ’s guide to the best gins to nail that perfect serve...
All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
There are few things as profoundly pleasing as a proper gin and tonic. While, yes, gin did once seem to be a spirit best left for ageing aunts and martini-swilling secret agents, the gin boom of the last decade-plus has gifted the world with some of the best gins ever produced. So good, in fact, that I’ve become partial to sipping a few of them straight.
Of course, said boom has also gifted the world with some less-than-stellar spirits, making it more difficult to sort the best from the rest. Until now. After over a decade of taste-testing, we have curated the ultimate guide to the very best gins on the market today, from big names to boutique gin makers–and every brilliant brand in between.
What's the best gin to buy in 2023?
With a plethora of gins sniffed, sipped, and used in cocktails, we managed to wrangle our picks down to the 23 top-tier tipples, below. A few standouts include:
- Best affordable gin: Elephant Gin, £29 at masterofmalt.com
- Best gin to buy as a gift: Renais gin, £44 at thewhiskyexchange.com
- Best flavoured gin: Ukiyo Yuzu Gin, £37 at houseofmalt.co.uk
- Best luxury gin: Silent Pool Black Juniper Gin, £305 at masterofmalt.com
- Best new age gin: Hernö Old Tom, £39 at waitrosecellar.com
- Best non-alcoholic gin: Tanqueray Gin 0%, £17 at sainsburys.co.uk
How is gin made?
Gin is typically made by distilling a neutral grain alcohol with juniper berries and a range of botanicals. The botanicals used are often “secret” to each gin maker, as the slightest shift in spice or florals can have a significant effect on the flavour of the gin, but the majority of British gins use juniper, coriander and angelica.
Distillation techniques can also vary across gin makers, but steeping, vapour infusion, and vacuum distillation are all common. Steeping uses a pot still to gently heat botanicals in the base spirit, which can infuse for up to 48 hours. Vapour infusions uses a still equipped with a suspended basket, known as a Carter-head still, to release the botanicals oils into the base spirit. Vaccum Distillation, or "cold" distillation, doesn't use the same about of heat as the previous methods, opting for a specialised low-pressure vacuum system to release the flavours from the botanicals. Some gin makers use a combination of methods with their chosen botanicals and blend the results to produce compound gins.
What are the different gin styles?
While juniper-based spirits have been kicking about since the sixteenth century, a few different styles reign supreme as global favourites.
The first, London Dry, is a gin originating in England–but not always London. To be defined as a London Dry, the gin must be made without artificial ingredients, colours or flavours, and juniper must be the dominant botanical. They also tend to be higher proof.
Old Tom gins, on the other hand, tends to be more citrus-forward. The recipe, which first found popularity in 18th-century England. In modern times, is distilled to be slightly sweeter than London Dry, with a richer, malty mouthfeel. Many modern Old Tom producers also play with cask- or barrel-ageing their gins.
Of course, the Gin Boom brought a number of new expressions and styles to the market. Contemporary gins rarely follow the precedents set by the London Drys and Old Toms of yesteryear, with many lesser-known, gin-producing companies experimenting with local roots and botanicals.
What are the best gin cocktails?
While I’m sure I needn’t wax lyrical about the joy of a good G&T, I’m going to take a second to do so, because there really is no simpler or more satisfying cocktail in the land (see: pour gin, pour tonic, add an obnoxiously large ice cube and some mad garnishes, fin).
Those who want to put in a tad more effort (but only a tad) might opt for a classic negroni; one part Campari, one part gin, one part sweet vermouth, with an orange peel for garnish.
If you’re wanting to let the gin shine, a Gin Rickey is also a brilliant choice. Just fill a highball glass with ice, add a shot of gin (London Dry works best), half a shot of lime juice, and top it up with soda water (with a pinch of sea salt).
Gimlets, French 75s, and Aviations all do a great job of impressing guests at dinner parties, too.