Gin 101
There’s no better time to enjoy gin than during the warming days of Ontario summer. While classic gin is always in style, globally inspired flavours and new ways to enjoy it are also on this season’s horizon.
SUMMER IN ITALY SIPPER: Italian-inspired gin + lemon-basil garnish
Drumshanbo Gunpowder Sardinian Citrus Irish Gin features the juicy citrus
fruit pompia, found only on Sardinia, to balance its “gunpowder” tea dryness.
THAI TRIPPING: Southeast Asian–spiced gin + lime-cilantro garnish
Tarsier Southeast Asian Dry Gin has calamansi, galangal, Thai basil and kampot pepper notes that amplify the fresh herbs of the region’s cuisine.
BY THE SEASHORE: Maritime-accented gin + grapefruit-thyme
Vancouver Island–made Sheringham Seaside Gin ends with gentle oceanside kelp notes.
Pink Negroni
Already renowned for its colour-changing indigo gin, Empress 1908 has a colourful new hit: Elderflower Rose Gin with a gorgeous garnet hue and delicate floral notes. Negroni-ize it with bianco vermouth and Lillet Blanc for a lovely pink drink.
Blue Negroni
Dixon’s Wicked Blueberry Gin plus bianco vermouth and Lillet Blanc creates a Negroni with water-and-sky vibes.
Orange Negroni
Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla plus bianco vermouth and orange liqueur (preferably Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao) creates a Negroni with a juicy citrus hue and flavour.
Yellow Negroni
Ungava Gin with bianco vermouth creates a golden, summery Negroni.
London Dry
The best-known gin style can be made all over the world. “Dry” means nothing can be added after distillation: no sweetener, flavours or colouring. These gins typically have punchy juniper and citrus, plus traditional botanicals such as coriander seed and palate- cleansing roots like angelica and orris. Tanqueray London Dry Gin is the quintessential example, with just five iconic botanicals.
Vintage Styles
Plymouth English Gin made in England since 1793, is a venerable bottling with a rich, earthy one-of-a-kind style. Gins labelled Old Tom, resurrect a style from old cocktail books, often kissed with lemon and a hint of sweetness. Genever, a Dutch malted-barley spirit infused with juniper, is considered to be gin’s grandparent. Watch for occasional LCBO drops of the latter two old-style spirits.
Contemporary/Modern
The craft distilling boom has inspired a contemporary wave of new gins (a style sometimes also called New Western, American or wet gins) that balance softer evergreen notes with other botanicals, sometimes locally foraged and harvested. Some artisan distillers even barrel-aged gin. Reid’s Citrus Gin from Toronto boosts citrus notes with wild Canadian sumac.
Global and Flavoured Gin
Distillers might add innovative fruit and botanical notes, colours and even sweetness to new-wave gins (such as the rainbow of Whitley Neill flavours). With everyone going all in on gin, some countries have become known for unique styles reflecting their regional ingredients. For instance, Japanese gins like Roku Gin feature cherry blossoms and yuzu.
Lighter Gin and Juice
1 oz gin over ice, topped with fruit-flavoured sparkling water and seasonal fruit garnish.
Gin-elada
½ oz gin with 8 oz Mexican-style beer and a lime squeeze.
Tee Time
Up to 1½ oz gin in an iced tea–lemonade mix for a spiked Arnold Palmer.
Among London Dry-style bottlings, Beefeater London Dry Gin is beloved for its bold juniper and juicy citrus profile.
For a more delicate, vapour-infused take on the classic formula,
choose Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin.
For fans of contemporary gin styles with a gentler juniper flavour, Aviation Gin adds botanicals like sarsa parilla, orange and lavender for a rounder, softer profile.
Hendrick’s Gin is infused post-distillation with delicate summery notes of cucumber and rose.
