Gin
Gin is a spirit flavoured with juniper berries. Under the retained Regulation (EC) 110/2008, juniper must lead the taste, the floor is 37.5% ABV, and the route the flavour takes sets the grade: plain gin, distilled gin or London gin. Our recipes count it at 40%, and it carries the Martini, the Negroni and the Gin and Tonic.
Quick Facts
Store sealed at room temperature away from direct sunlight. It needs no fridge, and in our experience it is stable once opened.
None of the 14 listed allergens. Often distilled from grain, but distillation removes gluten, so it is not labelled as a gluten allergen.
About Gin
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Dry and aromatic with dominant juniper notes, supported by citrus peel, herbal botanicals, and subtle spice. Texture and intensity vary by style and producer.
The law grades gin by how its flavour gets in
Every gin starts as neutral spirit of agricultural origin, has to taste mainly of juniper and must reach 37.5% ABV. The spirit drink rules then set three grades. Plain gin may be flavoured by adding flavourings to the spirit, without distilling it again. Distilled gin is redistilled with juniper and other natural botanicals, though flavourings may be added afterwards. London gin is the strictest: every flavour comes through the still, and nothing but dilution and a trace of sugar may follow.
Dry has a legal meaning; Old Tom and navy strength do not
The word dry on a gin label means no more than 0.1g of added sugar a litre. Old Tom, navy strength and the rest are conventions; the table lists what each tells you, alongside two juniper drinks sold under names of their own.
Gin styles and their legal standing in Great Britain, from the retained Regulation (EC) 110/2008, Annex II (grades, floors and sugar limits), the GB register on GOV.UK (genever’s protected name), the Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails, a secondary source (Old Tom’s sweetening and oude genever’s sugar), Difford’s Guide, a secondary source (the Plymouth bottling) and The Spirits Business (Plymouth’s protected name).
London Dry
- Sold as
- London gin, a legal grade
- Minimum strength
- 37.5%
- Sugar
- No more than 0.1 g/L
- What sets it apart
- All flavour from the still
Distilled gin
- Sold as
- Distilled gin, a legal grade
- Minimum strength
- 37.5%
- Sugar
- Dry only at 0.1 g/L or less
- What sets it apart
- Redistilled; flavourings may follow
Old Tom
- Sold as
- Gin; no definition of its own
- Minimum strength
- 37.5%
- Sugar
- Sweetened
- What sets it apart
- A sweetened English gin of the nineteenth century
Navy strength
- Sold as
- Gin; no definition of its own
- Minimum strength
- 37.5%; bottled at about 57%
- Sugar
- As for the grade it is made to
- What sets it apart
- Less water in the bottle
Plymouth
- Sold as
- Gin; Pernod Ricard withdrew support for its protected name in 2014
- Minimum strength
- 37.5%; bottled at 41.2%
- Sugar
- As for any gin
- What sets it apart
- One distillery in Plymouth
Genever
- Sold as
- A protected juniper-flavoured spirit drink
- Minimum strength
- 30%
- Sugar
- Up to 20 g/L for oude
- What sets it apart
- Malt wine in the base
Sloe gin
- Sold as
- A liqueur
- Minimum strength
- 25%
- Sugar
- At least 100 g/L, as a liqueur
- What sets it apart
- Sloes steeped in gin
| Style | Sold as | Minimum strength | Sugar | What sets it apart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Dry | London gin, a legal grade | 37.5% | No more than 0.1 g/L | All flavour from the still |
| Distilled gin | Distilled gin, a legal grade | 37.5% | Dry only at 0.1 g/L or less | Redistilled; flavourings may follow |
| Old Tom | Gin; no definition of its own | 37.5% | Sweetened | A sweetened English gin of the nineteenth century |
| Navy strength | Gin; no definition of its own | 37.5%; bottled at about 57% | As for the grade it is made to | Less water in the bottle |
| Plymouth | Gin; Pernod Ricard withdrew support for its protected name in 2014 | 37.5%; bottled at 41.2% | As for any gin | One distillery in Plymouth |
| Genever | A protected juniper-flavoured spirit drink | 30% | Up to 20 g/L for oude | Malt wine in the base |
| Sloe gin | A liqueur | 25% | At least 100 g/L, as a liqueur | Sloes steeped in gin |
Our recipes are built on juniper-forward London Dry
Nearly every gin line in our recipes asks for a London Dry at about 40% with clear juniper, from 15ml in the Long Island Iced Tea to 60ml in the Martini. Where gin carries the drink, as in the Negroni, a soft, floral bottle is lost under Campari and vermouth. In a Gin and Tonic tonic magnifies the gin's strengths and its gaps alike.
When a recipe wants another style, the line names it and links to its own page: London Dry, Old Tom, Plymouth, navy strength, genever and sloe gin.
Using Gin
Usage
Our recipes pour between 15 and 60ml. A 15ml share in the Long Island Iced Tea gives a dry edge; 30ml in the Negroni splits the glass three ways; at 60ml in the Martini or the Gin Rickey the gin is nearly the whole drink, and its style decides the result.
Pro Tip
When a gin drink tastes flat, change the gin before the citrus. A soft, floral bottle disappears under vermouth, Campari or juice, and the same recipe made with a more juniper-heavy bottle gets its shape back.
Top Tips
- Keep one 40% London Dry with a strong juniper character as your house gin. Nearly all our gin recipes assume one, and the recipe line says so when a drink wants another style.
- Read "dry" on a label as a legal promise under Regulation (EC) 110/2008: no more than 0.1g of added sugar a litre. A gin without the word may be sweetened.
- Treat flavoured and pink gins as separate ingredients. Their fruit and sugar move a sour off balance, and some are sold as liqueurs at well under 37.5%.
- Store it upright, sealed and out of the sun. Gin cannot spoil, though in our experience the citrus in an open bottle dulls over the years.
Possible Substitutions
- Vodka: Removes the botanical character
Production Method
Under Regulation (EC) 110/2008, neutral spirit of agricultural origin flavoured with juniper and other botanicals, either by redistilling it with them (distilled gin) or by adding natural or other permitted flavourings (gin), then cut with water to bottling strength.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is gin made from?
How strong does gin have to be?
What is the difference between gin and London Dry gin?
Does gin have to taste of juniper?
Is sloe gin a type of gin?
Does gin go off once opened?
Is gin gluten free?
Sources.
Checked between 16 October and 19 October 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex II (as retained in UK law)”.
- legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II (as retained in UK law)”.
- GOV.UK, “Protected geographical food and drink names: search "genever"”.
- Difford’s Guide, “Plymouth Gin Original Strength” (secondary source: 41.2% alc./vol., made in a 7,000 litre copper pot still).
- The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (Philip Duff), “genever” (secondary source: oude genever at least 15% moutwijn, at least 35% ABV, no more than 20g of sugar a litre).
- The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (David Wondrich), “Old Tom gin” (secondary source: a sweetened English gin of the nineteenth century; first in print in 1810).
- The Spirits Business (Becky Paskin, 17 November 2014), “Plymouth Gin to ditch its geographical indication” (trade title: Pernod Ricard withdrew its support for the Plymouth Gin geographical indication; the EU deadline was February 2015).
From the Guides
Made with Gin
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Updated 19 October 2026