If you’re wondering why the gin shelf in your local liquor store is suddenly so well stocked with fancy new gin you’ve never heard of, it’s because gin and tonic has suddenly come back in style. To be fair, we’re not exactly sure if it was ever in style to then go out of style long enough to come back into fashion, but hey! What was once the favorite of grumpy old men is now the beverage du jour in fancy bars… and we’re not complaining.

We’re here to make sure that you know your gin. What to order, how to drink it and what to buy for your own liquor cabinet! It is no longer okay to just grab the nearest bottle of Bombay Sapphire and be done with it. For the purpose of this article (and any subsequent gin-related articles), I will be drinking gin while writing, so if things stop making sense it’s probably because I clicked ‘publish’ before sobering up. Now, onwards!

First things first

What’s the difference between regular Gin and Dry Gin? Well, just the distillation process. To be clear there are 4 different, more traditional distillation processes, with a 5th new process labeled New American Gin – a term coined in the early 2000s for gins distilled with mixology in mind. These new gins are yummy and you’re allowed to prepare them in new and creative ways and we’re going to be focusing mostly on these types.

Order up

For the purpose of this article, we’re going to cover two popular gins you can probably get at most bars. They’re not necessarily the best out there, but they’re good and on a night out with the lads it’ll be enough to get you where you need to go. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Sure you can buy budget gin, but I don’t drink budget gin, and we’re not going to talk about them. Let’s move over to the premium side of things. There is nothing worse that an overpriced, badly prepared G&T made with crap gin!

Hendrick’s

You can’t go wrong with Hendrick’s – it makes gin and tonic sexy again, especially if you’ve never been a gin person. Sweet and velvety with a hint of rose petal and cucumber, have your Hendrick’s with Fever Tree Tonic and cucumbers to help bring out its qualities. Most bars should stock this yummy Scottish brand or buy your own bottle and have it outdoors on your patio on a bright, summer’s day!

Tanqueray No.10

I’ve never been a huge fan of Tanqueray (England), but the No.10 is in a class of it’s own. Flavored with whole-fruit aromatics such as grapefruit, orange, lime, juniper, and chamomile… whaaat? Go on, just smell it! A wonderful, sweet gin to start off your gin journey – especially if you’re new to the block. What a great way to get an introduction. Splash in some Fever Tree Tonic (it comes alive with some tonic) and add in a twist of lime (but don’t go overboard, just as garnishing is good enough) and enjoy!

This is it for now lads, get acquainted! I shall come back with more yummy gin soon! Now to get me some more tonic…