How to tell your Old Toms from your Navy Strengths – and when to use them.
If you’ve ever stood in front of the gin section at your local bottle-o and been overwhelmed by the options, you’re in good company. Not only has there been a recent explosion of gin brands and releases, but there’s also a whole lot of gin categories to navigate. What if you just want to make a simple G&T? Does it even matter which gin you use? It’s enough to make you always grab the bottle you know best, but that would mean missing out on some incredibly good gins – and even better drinks.
We know there are only so many deep dives you have time for in your life, so we’ve run through seven of the key gin styles for you below. Each style shines in certain types of drinks, so we’ve spelt out what to use them for, too. So, next time you need a bottle for a batch of Negronis or feel like some different flavours in your G&T, consider this your cheat’s guide to knowing your way around those heaving gin shelves.
With no legal definition around its production, Old Tom gin styles vary – a lot. Ultimately, though, Old Toms tend to be sweeter and a touch lighter than London dry, reflecting early English styles from the 1800s. The sweetness doesn’t necessarily come from sugar; many distilleries use botanicals like licorice, as one example, which brings a lick of sweetness, rather than overt aniseed flavours. Debate has raged in the past about its name’s origins, but, for your future enjoyment, we’ll spare you the theory about a cat falling into a vat of gin.
Best used for:
Ideal for people who don’t dig big juniper flavours, the sweetness of Old Tom gin brings a different taste and texture to gin-based cocktails. Try it in a G&T to pick the differences, or let it shine in the Ramos Gin Fizz.
Brands to try:
Not so common here in Australia, Genever is an age-old juniper-flavoured spirit that’s different to traditional gin. Genever – AKA jenever, jeneva and geneva – blends malt wine with a botanical-infused neutral spirit and was originally made in the Netherlands and Belgium. With a lot of its flavour coming from the malt wine – almost like an unaged whiskey – genever can be quite malty in flavour and less juniper-dominant, also often without any citrus notes. It’s made in either a young or old style, and generally neutral or woody in flavour respectively.
Best used for:
Genever is generally sipped neat, but it can switch up your usual G&T or other cocktails, too. The young styles easily sub for gin, while the old releases can sub into great whiskey-based cocktails and boilermakers.
Brands to try:
Bols Genever, Filliers Genever
You can’t miss sloe gin for its vivid red colour that comes from the sloe, or blackthorn, which is a fruit that’s related to the plum. The sloe is soaked in gin, often together with sugar, which flavours and colours the base spirit. The style is therefore completely different to your traditional clear gin, complete with a berry kick on the palate. While there is some sweetness, as expected, it’s also a tart style with cranberry-like flavours, but those textbook juniper notes also shine through.
Best used for:
Sloe gin is almost like a liqueur, so it offers an interesting alternative to traditional gin in all sorts of mixed drinks, showcasing those berry flavours in the process. Sloe gin is also perfect in cocktails like the Charlie Chaplin and Sloe Gin Fizz.
Brands to try:
Navy Strength gins have higher alcohol levels than regular gin, generally hitting around 57% ABV versus the usual 40%. The same goes for Navy Strength rum. These spirits date back to the British Navy of olde – higher alcohol levels stabilised them during voyages and supposedly kept nearby stowed gunpowder in working order if they came into contact (something that commonly happened at sea). We’re guessing the sailors didn’t mind the odd swig, either. It’s safe to say Navy Strength gins are a lot more refined today.
Best used for:
We’re talking about gins with punch, so, in turn, they need punchy flavours. Use Navy Strength gin in your G&T, but team it with bold accompaniments and garnishes – think ginger, lime leaves, spices and strong herbs like rosemary and basil.
Brands to try:
Four Pillars Navy Strength Gin, Archie Rose Distiller’s Strength Gin.
Plymouth gin is an anomaly in the spirits world as it’s a style of gin as well as its own brand. And while it was briefly ruled that only gin made in Plymouth in the southwest of England could be labelled as such – much like Champagne – that’s no longer the case. Still, there’s just the one gin that fits the bill – Plymouth Gin. Still following? All you really need to know is Plymouth Gin is known for its earthy and piney flavours and soft, oily texture.
Best used for:
Many Martini fans go for Plymouth Gin, especially when making Dirty Martinis, but it can sub in for your go-to gin in almost every other gin-based drink, bringing its own subtle twist.
Brand to try:
Plymouth Gin
A raft of new gins just keeps on coming from everywhere – Australia included. A little over 10 years ago, our gin shelves weren’t heaving with bottles like today; the boom of distilleries was only just beginning. Locally, brands like Melbourne Gin Company and Four Pillars have paved the way – to name just two – and now you can enjoy everything from a NZ gin made with sweet potato, a Vietnamese gin produced from foraged native botanicals, an Indigenous-owned Australian gin distilled with green ants, and others from so many unexpected countries.
Best used for:
Whatever you like! These gins are all wildly different due to their core ingredients, so it’s worth first sipping them neat to understand the flavours so you can combine them with the most complementary mixers and use them in the best gin-based cocktails.
Brands to try:
Scapegrace Black Gin, Song Cai Vietnam Dry Gin, Melbourne Gin Company Dry Gin, Seven Seasons Green Ant Gin.
