It’s a great time to get into gin. There are thousands of terrific bottles from around the world to try, and each has its own defining properties. Some tout the bold juniper and pine notes of a classic London Dry style. Others utilize local or regional botanicals to deliver a sense of terroir. Techniques like barrel aging further push the category into unexpected areas of complexity.
The abundance gives the gin enthusiast several paths to wander and make new discoveries. Yet even as they find and fall in love with new brands, there’s usually one bottle that they can’t help but go back to time and again. Whether it’s because of flavor, nostalgia, or simply because it works damn well in a Gin Martini, these bottles will always be within reach.
For bartenders, a familiar brand can be the comforting constant that holds their bar’s gin selection together, whether that bar is at their work or in their home. While new gins come and go and may capture attention, some go-to bottles never fade from interest. Here, we asked 18 bartenders to pick their ride-or-die gins and share why they’re so essential.
The best go-to gins, according to bartenders Nikka Coffey Japanese Gin Plymouth Gin J. Rieger & Co. Midwestern Dry Gin Fords Gin Condessa Gin Xoconostle y Azahar Gin Freimeister Kollektiv Haselnuss (Wacholder) Gin Cathead Distillery Bristow Gin Hayman’s Gin Isolation Proof Original Gin Beefeater London Dry Gin No. 3 London Dry Gin Roku Gin Silks Irish Dry
