How to Drink Gin: 4 Ways to Sample Its Richness and Flavor

Learning how to drink gin gives you the ability to enjoy its full flavour and versatility. While there are no real rules that limit how you can drink gin, there are a few tips for drinking gin that will improve your experience and help you love this spirit even more than you already do. When tasted and sampled in various ways, you’ll find gin is a refined drink, with ample variety for any type of evening out. Whether you enjoy neat gin or mix, this piece shows you the full range of ways you can enjoy this alcoholic beverage.

Drinking Gin Neat

Learning how to drink gin doesn’t have to be complex. However, here’s the real challenge. Instead of drinking gin mixed with other spirits or notes, consider drinking gin on its own. Called neat gin, it’s possible to enjoy a fantastic quality of flavour from this spirit. Gin doesn’t need to be mixed with other items to offer a fantastic taste. However, there are a few things to know.

First, if you’re going to drink neat gin, you’ll need the very best quality. Most average gins will taste like basic vodka if you do not add tonic or other elements to it. That’s not exactly a big deal. On the other hand, better quality products have a rich flavour that’s quite unique on its own.

If you plan to drink straight gin, learn about the brand and manufacturer. Reach for the higher shelf products as these are going to offer more flavour. The only way to really understand the quality of the gin itself and to enjoy the nuances it brings is to compare several brands to each other. Go ahead, roll up your sleeves, and taste away.

Gin on the Rocks

It’s also somewhat common for people to seek out chilled gin. It’s nice to have a cool, crisp drink like this in your hand on a hot night. However, it’s not always the most recommended way to drink gin. In fact, gin with ice is often a no-no when it comes to traditional drinks. That’s because the cold can somewhat mask the complex flavours of the gin itself, making it harder for you to enjoy the true flavour and mouthfeel of it. Even if you love drinking chilled gin, enjoying it without ice offers a new experience.

Pair It with Gin Mixers

Gin mixers are often thought of as the must-have method for drinking gin. In short, if you don’t like the flavour of gin or you aren’t used to higher quality gin that you can drink easily on its own, the best gin mixers can add more flavour to the party.

Common Mixers for Gin

There’s a wide range of ways to really enjoy gin. Mixers for gin include any of the following.

Gin and Tonic

The gin and tonic is by far the most common option. It’s made with just gin and tonic water that’s poured over ice. It’s a bit bitter, and the taste of the gin comes through strong – which is why a higher quality gin is essential.

Gin and Ginger Beer

Gin and ginger beer is a wonderful, warming flavour. It’s one of the fastest-growing ways to drink gin. It’s fantastic for a cold night or when you want to dress up gin with more flavour. You can also mix gin and ginger ale – if you want something a bit sweeter.

Gin and Soda

Mixing gin and soda water together adds just a bit of buzz to the drink. If you are hoping to reduce the sugars in your drink – perhaps to cut a few calories to avoid breaking your diet, then a gin and soda water combination may be ideal.

Gin and Martini

Gin and martini, which is a combination of gin and vermouth, is an excellent choice for those who want a tried and true option. It’s dry and has a nice bite to it.

Gin and Pink Lemonade

Pink lemonade isn’t just a fantastic colour – it’s also a wonderful addition to gin. A gin and pink lemonade combination – with added strawberries or raspberries to it – has a bright, but tart flavour. It gets rid of the bitter taste of a tonic.

Gin and Bitter Lemon

The bite of lemon works very well with gin. A gin and bitter lemon combination will give you a bit of a sour taste, but it is an excellent option if you don’t like the traditional gin and tonic.

Gin and Coke

Mixing gin and Coke is rather common. It’s sweet and refreshing, but you’ll want to get the mixture just right. Sometimes, the bright flavour of Coke can overtake the gin too much so.

Make Gin Cocktails

Gin based cocktails really have no limit. In short, you’re missing gin with one or more other spirits or mixers to create a unique blend of flavour. Gin cocktails offer a fantastic amount of variety, giving you something for just about any day or mood.

Are you ready to explore your options in gin cocktails? Check out the options in our Gin Cocktails section. You’ll find detailed instructions for drinks, photos, videos, and some of the best recipes available.