Spirits

Navy Strength Gin

Navy strength gin is gin bottled at about 57% ABV instead of the usual 40%. Regulation (EC) 110/2008 gives the term no definition, and the bottle is sold simply as gin; 57% follows the old British proof standard, on which, by Difford’s Guide’s account, a secondary source, 100 proof is 57.14% ABV, though the Royal Navy’s own strength was 54.5%. None of our recipes is written for it, and at the same measure it puts about 40% more alcohol in the glass than a standard gin.

Quick Facts

ABV57% ABVNo definition in Regulation (EC) 110/2008; 57% is the usual figure by convention.

Legal categorySpiritSold as gin; navy strength is not a term in Regulation (EC) 110/2008

OriginA label convention; Regulation (EC) 110/2008 does not define it

Flavour Strengthbold

Our keeping timeIndefinitely unopened. Once opened, years if kept sealed and upright out of the light, though the aroma fades slowly.

Storage

As gin; the strength preserves itself indefinitely.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens. Often distilled from grain, but distillation removes gluten, so it is not labelled as a gluten allergen.

The ingredient

About Navy Strength Gin

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

JuniperCitrus oilsHeatSpice

Tasting Notes

The same botanicals at higher strength: more aroma, more heat and a longer finish.

A strength, not a style

A navy strength gin is the maker's usual gin with less water added before bottling. The botanicals, the distillation and the legal grade can be exactly those of the 40% version; only the dilution changes. More alcohol carries more of the aromatic oils, so the gin smells bigger and lasts longer in a mixed drink. Plymouth bottles one at 57% beside its 41.2% original.

57% comes from proof, not from a rule

Before Britain moved to percentage by volume, spirit strength was measured in proof, and 100 proof was 57.14% ABV once Sikes’s hydrometer was adopted into law in 1818. The usual story is the gunpowder test: spirit strong enough to let doused powder still burn was proved. Gin makers took that figure for their strongest bottlings, although the Royal Navy itself bought its spirits at 54.5% ABV. The law takes no view: GB spirit drink rules set a 37.5% floor for gin and no ceiling, and do not mention navy strength.

Pouring it into recipes written for 40%

Our recipes assume a 40% London Dry. The table shows what the same measures hold at 57%, and how much navy strength gives the same alcohol.

Gin measures at 40% and 57% ABV, in UK units

25ml

At 40%: 1.0
At 57%: 1.4
Navy strength for the same alcohol: 17.5ml

35ml

At 40%: 1.4
At 57%: 2.0
Navy strength for the same alcohol: 24.5ml

50ml

At 40%: 2.0
At 57%: 2.9
Navy strength for the same alcohol: 35ml

60ml

At 40%: 2.4
At 57%: 3.4
Navy strength for the same alcohol: 42ml

Measure	At 40%	At 57%	Navy strength for the same alcohol
25ml	1.0	1.4	17.5ml
35ml	1.4	2.0	24.5ml
50ml	2.0	2.9	35ml
60ml	2.4	3.4	42ml

Cutting the measure keeps the drink at the strength its recipe intends, though the drink comes out slightly smaller. Shake or stir for the usual time, then taste: if it runs hot, a few more seconds on the ice will fix it.

Using it

Using Navy Strength Gin

Usage

None of our recipes is written for it. In a recipe built around 40% gin, cut the measure by about 30% to keep the alcohol the same: 35ml for 50ml, 42ml for 60ml. Pour the full measure only if you want a stronger, more aromatic drink, and count the extra units.

Pro Tip

Navy strength is most useful in small measures. Where a recipe uses 15 to 25ml of gin among strong flavours, the same measure at 57% keeps the juniper audible without making the drink much stronger overall.

Top Tips

Measure it. A free pour that would be fine at 40% is much stronger at 57%.
Reach for it when the gin must carry past cream, liqueur or a lot of juice. The extra strength carries the botanicals further.
Taste before adding water to fix a hot drink. Stirring longer over good ice dilutes it evenly; a splash from the tap does not.
The extra strength changes nothing about keeping: cap on, upright, away from the sun.

Possible Substitutions

London Dry Gin: At full measure: the flavour, not the persistence

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is navy strength gin?

Gin bottled at about 57% ABV, well over the 40% of a standard bottle. It is not a different recipe or a separate category under Regulation (EC) 110/2008: makers bottle their gin with less water. Difford’s Guide, a secondary source, lists Plymouth Navy Strength at 57%.

Why is navy strength gin 57%?

Because of proof. On the old British standard, 100 proof was 57.14% ABV, by Difford’s Guide, a secondary source, the strength at which, as the usual story goes, doused gunpowder would still burn. Gin makers borrowed the figure. The Royal Navy’s own strength was lower: 54.5% ABV, by the Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails.

Is navy strength a legal term?

No. The spirit drink rules define three grades of gin, all from 37.5% ABV, and none mentions navy strength. The phrase is a convention on the label; a bottle carrying it is sold as gin of whichever grade it was made to.

Did the Royal Navy really drink gin at 57%?

Difford’s Guide, a secondary source, says Plymouth’s makers supplied the Royal Navy with navy strength gin by 1850, but that the Navy’s own strength was 54.5% and 57% is English proof. We have found no primary record of the strength of any gin issued at sea. Treat the naval story as background to the name, not as a specification.

How do I use navy strength gin in a cocktail?

Either cut the measure by about 30% to match a recipe written for 40% gin, or pour the full measure and accept a stronger drink. In a Martini-style drink the extra strength reads as heat; in a sour or a punch it carries the juniper through the fruit.

How many units are in a navy strength gin and tonic?

About 2.9 UK units in a 50ml measure at 57%, against 2.0 for the same measure at 40%. A 25ml single at 57% holds about 1.4 units. The tonic changes the taste, not the alcohol.

Sources.

Checked between 16 October and 19 October 2026.

legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex II (as retained in UK law)”.
Difford’s Guide, “Plymouth Gin Navy Strength” (secondary source: alc./vol 57%; British Navy Strength actually 54.5%; the higher 57% is English proof; Coates & Co supplying navy strength gin to the Royal Navy by 1850).
The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (David Wondrich), “Proof” (secondary source: some rums and gins bottled at 57% ABV, the old British proof; the Royal Navy bought its spirits at 5.5 degrees under proof, 54.5% ABV).
Difford’s Guide, “Overproof & Navy Strength” (secondary source: Sikes’s hydrometer invented 1816, adopted into law 1818; 100 proof is four sevenths alcohol by volume (57.142857%); the true navy strength 54.5%; 57% labels confuse English proof with navy strength).
Fareham Wine Cellar, “Plymouth Gin Original Strength 41.2%” (UK retail listing: Plymouth Gin Original Strength 41.2%).

From the Guides

Navy strength beside the gin styles What navy strength means

Make something

Made with Navy Strength Gin

Often Used With

Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 19 October 2026

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