Part of the reason gin does so well as an infusion is because of its complexity. A wildly aromatic drink made from all kinds of botanicals, the spirit welcomes a number of flavor additions.
But gin’s complexity can also lead to backfires in the flavored category. You blend in the wrong fruit or herb and suddenly it’s a palate-wrecking dumpster fire that’s hard to put out. Do it wisely, and you’ve got a tasty gin cocktail that’s pretty much already prepared itself. Or, you’ve got a ready-made base to make a refreshing spritz or creative gin and tonic.
Citrus almost always fares well when hitched with gin, from lemon and lime to blood orange, even quince. Stone fruit too tend to be up for the union, such as plums, peaches, and cherries. On that note, here are the best flavored gins, categorized for personalized pleasure.
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Best Lower-Alcohol: Tamworth Damson Gin
Based in New Hampshire, Tamworth distills a bunch of intriguing spirits including Applejack. Their infusions are even more compelling and include things like Thai Chili Gin and Corpse Flower Durien Brandy. The Damson Gin is a winner, made with the namesake plums for a tart and refreshingly low-proof infused spirit.
Best for a Spritz: Malfy Arancia Gin
Made with Sicilian blood oranges, this Italian flavored gin comes in a fetching bottle, pours a deep hue, and offers a nice bittersweet flavor. It’s great with a spritz, as the juniper notes still shine through. Try it with some Prosecco and San Pellegrino Limonata for a thirst-quenching deck sipper.
Best Straight: Spiritworks Sloe Gin
Sloe gin is its own category, or at least it is in its birthplace of Britain. It’s made with a red fruit called sloes, which aren’t as common stateside and therefor distillers often infuse with other things, like cherries or blueberries. Spiritworks uses the real thing, which offers a bright gin with pleasant berry notes. Go with tradition and sip it neat after a meal.
Best with Tonic: Sipsmith Lemon Drizzle Gin
This flavored gin just wants to dive right into a glass full of tonic. The citrus is punchy and delicious and enlivens whatever you’re mixing with. You can add more lemon for garnish but this gin is certainly not lacking in that department.
Best Color: Glendalough Rose Gin
An homage to the head distiller’s mother, named Rose, this pink gin is made from vapor-distilled rose flowers for an incredible color in the glass. It’s beautiful to look at and also offers nice floral elements on the nose and palate.
Best to Gift: Whitley Neill Quince Gin
Treated like citrus but a member of the same fruit family as apples and pears, quince are delicious and offer a luminous green-yellow hue. This gin is packed full of ’em and offers notes of tart melon, lemon peel, even a little spice and sweetgrass.
Best Budget: Seagram’s Peach Twisted
Seagram’s has an entire line of infused gins but the peach really stands out. For your buck, the flavors really burst and complement the dry and fairly crisp backbone of the underlying gin. Buy it in bulk and let it remind you of summer, whether you’re sipping it with some seltzer or throwing it in a Collins cocktail.
