Old Tom Gin
Old Tom is gin with a little sugar added, counted at 40% ABV in our recipes, and rounder and softer than London Dry. The retained Regulation (EC) 110/2008 gives the name no definition: it is sold as gin, and because it is sweetened it cannot be labelled dry. Four of our recipes ask for it, the Tuxedo, the Turf Club, the Casino and the Ford Cocktail, where its sugar balances vermouth or lemon.
Quick Facts
As any gin: sealed, upright, out of light.
None of the 14 listed allergens. Often distilled from grain, but distillation removes gluten, so it is not labelled as a gluten allergen.
About Old Tom Gin
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Juniper first, softened by a light sweetness; fuller in the mouth than London Dry, with a rounder finish.
A sweetened gin, defined by habit rather than law
GB spirit drink law defines three grades of gin and says when one may call itself dry. It has nothing to say about Old Tom. The name is a convention for a gin with some sugar in it (the Oxford Companion dates the style to the nineteenth century, with the name first in print in 1810), which the dry rule then keeps off the label: a gin sweetened past 0.1g a litre cannot be called dry.
Because nothing fixes the recipe, makers differ. Some bottles are barely sweet, others clearly so, and strengths vary, so read the label as well. Taste a new bottle before you rely on it in a recipe.
Its sugar changes how a drink balances
The table compares Old Tom with the gins a reader might swap for it, and what to change when you do.
Old Tom against the gins it is swapped with; grades and sugar limits from the retained Regulation (EC) 110/2008, Annex II, and oude genever’s sugar from the Oxford Companion, a secondary source.
Old Tom
- Sold as
- Gin
- Added sugar
- Some; not fixed by law
- In a drink
- Round, fuller body
- When swapping it in
- The style the recipe names
London Dry
- Sold as
- London gin
- Added sugar
- No more than 0.1 g/L
- In a drink
- Sharper, more juniper
- When swapping it in
- Add a barspoon of syrup to a sour
Plymouth
- Sold as
- Gin
- Added sugar
- As for any gin
- In a drink
- Softer, earthier
- When swapping it in
- A dry swap with less edge
Genever
- Sold as
- Protected juniper spirit drink
- Added sugar
- Up to 20 g/L (oude)
- In a drink
- Malty, heavier
- When swapping it in
- A different drink; taste first
| Gin | Sold as | Added sugar | In a drink | When swapping it in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Tom | Gin | Some; not fixed by law | Round, fuller body | The style the recipe names |
| London Dry | London gin | No more than 0.1 g/L | Sharper, more juniper | Add a barspoon of syrup to a sour |
| Plymouth | Gin | As for any gin | Softer, earthier | A dry swap with less edge |
| Genever | Protected juniper spirit drink | Up to 20 g/L (oude) | Malty, heavier | A different drink; taste first |
Four drinks in our library ask for it
The Ford Cocktail and the Turf Club pair 45ml with as much dry vermouth, and the Tuxedo does the same at 30ml; the gin's sweetness is what keeps that much vermouth in balance. The Casino is shaken with maraschino and lemon, and the gin's sugar stands in for syrup. None of the four needs syrup added when it is made with Old Tom.
Using Old Tom Gin
Usage
Four of our recipes call for it, at 30 to 45ml: 30ml in the Tuxedo, 40ml in the Casino, 45ml in the Turf Club and the Ford Cocktail. In each its sugar is part of the balance, and a dry gin instead leaves the drink leaner and more acidic.
Pro Tip
In the stirred Old Tom drinks the difference is mostly texture. Make a Ford Cocktail with each gin side by side: the Old Tom version holds its middle against the dry vermouth, where the London Dry version reads leaner and sharper.
Top Tips
- Taste a new bottle before you build with it. Regulation (EC) 110/2008 does not fix how sweet an Old Tom must be, so the sugar varies between makers.
- Swapping in London Dry? Add a barspoon of simple syrup to the Casino, or accept a drier Tuxedo, and taste before you serve.
- Store it as you would any gin. At 40% its sugar does nothing to shorten its life.
- Do not confuse it with a sweet fruit gin at 20%. Old Tom is still gin, at 37.5% or more; a fruit "gin" at that strength is a liqueur.
Possible Substitutions
- London Dry Gin: With a small nudge of syrup: an approximation
- Genever: Something older still
Production Method
A gin, distilled or compounded like any other, then lightly sweetened. No rule sets how much sugar it carries.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is Old Tom gin?
Is Old Tom gin sweet?
What is the difference between Old Tom and London Dry gin?
Can I use London Dry instead of Old Tom?
Is Old Tom the same as genever?
How strong is Old Tom gin?
Does Old Tom gin need to be refrigerated?
Sources.
Checked between 16 October and 19 October 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex II (as retained in UK law)”.
- GOV.UK, “Genièvre / Jenever / Genever: protected spirit drink name”.
- 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; Hodges and Thomas Chamberlain the favoured origin story).
- The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (Philip Duff), “genever” (secondary source: oude genever at least 15% moutwijn, no more than 20g of sugar a litre).
From the Guides
Made with Old Tom Gin
Featured In These Cocktails
Often Used With
Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 19 October 2026