What is the best gin for cocktails?

A London Dry. It is juniper-forward and dry, which is what the classics were written around, and it will not fight the other ingredients. Save the floral and citrus-led bottles for drinks where the gin is meant to be the flavour rather than the backbone.

Can I use gin instead of vodka?

Often, but it is not a neutral swap — gin brings juniper and citrus peel with it, so the drink stops being a blank canvas. In something like a Moscow Mule that is an improvement; in a drink built to let another ingredient speak, it is a distraction.

Does gin go off once opened?

No. At 40% and above it is stable for years. Keep it out of direct sunlight and it will outlast your interest in it. Vermouth is the bottle on your shelf you need to worry about.

One bottle, a whole menu

Gin cocktails

The most useful bottle on any home shelf. Gin is the base of more classics than anything else, and unlike most spirits it brings its own botanical seasoning to the glass.

Recipes here

Guides to go with them

What gin actually is

Gin is a neutral spirit redistilled with botanicals, and juniper has to lead — that is the legal definition and the whole point of the category. Everything else on the botanical bill is the distiller arguing about what should sit behind it: citrus peel, coriander, angelica, orris, cassia, whatever they think you want.

That matters when you mix. A gin is not a blank base the way vodka is. It arrives with structure — the juniper gives a drink a spine to hang sourness and sweetness off, which is why a Gimlet works with two ingredients and a vodka version of the same thing needs help.

Choosing one

If you own one bottle, make it a London Dry. Every classic in this list was written for it, and the recipes below assume it unless they say otherwise. It is the reference point, not a compromise.

The modern floral and citrus-forward gins are lovely to drink and can be awkward to mix, because a distiller who dialled the juniper back has also dialled back the thing your drink was leaning on. Nothing wrong with them — just taste the drink before you trust the recipe.

Pour one

11 to make with gin

All recipes →

Modern Classic · 1984

Make the other half yourself

The syrups these drinks keep asking for

Demerara Syrup →Grenadine →Simple Syrup →

Asked and answered

Questions, answered

What is the best gin for cocktails?: A London Dry. It is juniper-forward and dry, which is what the classics were written around, and it will not fight the other ingredients. Save the floral and citrus-led bottles for drinks where the gin is meant to be the flavour rather than the backbone.
Can I use gin instead of vodka?: Often, but it is not a neutral swap — gin brings juniper and citrus peel with it, so the drink stops being a blank canvas. In something like a Moscow Mule that is an improvement; in a drink built to let another ingredient speak, it is a distraction.
Does gin go off once opened?: No. At 40% and above it is stable for years. Keep it out of direct sunlight and it will outlast your interest in it. Vermouth is the bottle on your shelf you need to worry about.

The bartender’s note

One drink, one story, one bottle worth buying.

Thursday evening, so you have time to shop. No more than that.

Gin cocktails

What gin actually is

Choosing one

11 to make with gin

Bramble

Clover Club

Gimlet

Juliet and Romeo

Martinez

Martini

Pegu Club

Pendennis Club Cocktail

Singapore Sling

Suffering Bastard

The Last Word

The syrups these drinks keep asking for

Questions, answered

One drink, one story, one bottle worth buying.