What is the Best Gin for Gin & Tonics and Negronis?
CONTENT
- What Makes a Great Gin
- What is the best gin for a gin and tonic?
- What is the best gin for cocktails?
- What is the best gin for a negroni?
- What is the best gin for a martini?
- What are the best gin cocktails?
- What are the best gin mixers?
- What is the best tonic for a gin and tonic?
- What is the best gin in Australia?
What Makes a Great Gin, According to Threefold Distilling
Aidan, Luke, and I came together back in early 2019 with the mission to make delicious and approachable gin. We believe the best gins should feature easily identifiable flavours that elevate mixed drinks, whether it be a simple gin and tonic or a cocktail such as a negroni, or a martini.
We wanted our gins to stand out when mixed in cocktails or a gin and tonic. It may seem obvious but we do this by simply using more botanicals when we distil each batch of gin. More botanicals results in more oils being extracted which means more flavour. And, flavoursome gins make flavourful drinks. But, of course, it’s not that simple. The balance of botanicals also plays a crucial role in making the best gins.
Threefold gins start with three core ingredients that shape the liquid in the bottle. For example, our citrus-y Aromatic Gin heroes grapefruit, rosemary, and lavender whilst our savoury Mediterranean Gin, heroes olive, lemon, and thyme. There are another 9-10 botanicals in each of these gins that complement the hero botanicals and create balance. The best gins typically feature a balance of juniper, citrus, spice and floral notes.
Every gin we create is inspired by a drink or an experience. This helps to shape each gin recipe by guiding us towards specific ingredients. We’ve outlined what the best gin is for each drink below, but of course taste is subjective so these are simply our recommendations.
What is the best gin for a gin and tonic?
The majority of people mix gin with tonic so naturally we used the humble gin and tonic as inspiration for our very first gin release, Threefold Aromatic Gin.
Citrus is such an important component of a classic gin and tonic so we felt it had to be at the forefront of the gin. We then chose a classic flavour pairing of grapefruit and rosemary to guide us when creating our gin recipe. After 12 months of tinkering, tasting hundreds of gin and tonics, and comparing side by side with some of our favourite Australian gin brands, we were proud to present our flagship gin.
We believe our Aromatic Gin is the best gin for a gin and tonic. Featuring plenty of citrus up front, rich juniper, subtle savoury notes, and a gentle touch of spice.
Our recommended tonic waters: Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic or Fever-Tree Indian tonic.
What is the best gin for cocktails?
Tom Yummy Gin is often reached for when bartenders are looking to experiment. The unique flavour profile of lemongrass, ginger, and kaffir lime leaf was inspired by South East Asia. These flavours work extraordinarily well with citrus (especially lime), fresh herbs, and spice.
Why not try a Tom Yummy Southside cocktail?
If you are looking for a great all-rounder gin for classic cocktails, check out our newly released dry gin which features juniper, coriander seed, lemon, angelica root, grains of paradise, and green cardamom (to name a few).
Here are a few great gin cocktails you should try:
What is the best gin for a negroni?
The Negroni is a classic bittersweet Italian drink made of only 3 ingredients; gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari. Campari features notes of bitter orange, clove, cinnamon, and complex aromatic herbs whilst sweet vermouth flavours will vary depending on the brand but typically you’ll find herbal, cocoa, vanilla, and citrus notes.
Campari and sweet vermouth both have prominent citrus notes, and the Negroni is served with a slice or wedge of orange so it makes complete sense to use your favourite citrus-forward gin.
The best gin for a Negroni is our Blood Orange Gin because of the up front orange notes but also for its savoury backbone that pairs well with the herbal characters of the vermouth.
See also:
What is the best gin for a martini?
The secret to making a perfect martini comes down to 3 main factors; chilling, dilution, and your choice of gin. The modern martini calls for minimal vermouth which means that it consists primarily of gin and water, from dilution. Because the gin is such a large component it’s essential to choose the right one.
We love using herbal / savoury gins in a martini because it complements the vermouth and olive garnish. We believe the best gin for a martini is our Mediterranean Gin, which heroes olive, lemon, and thyme supported by basil, bay leaf, rosemary, and capers.
Check out our favourite martini recipe.
What are the best gin cocktails?
The number of gin cocktails are endless, but here are the top 10 classic cocktails you should try:
- 20th Century
- Bees Knees
- Clover Club
- Corpse Reviver No. 2
- French 75
- Gimlet
- Last Word
- Martinez
- Negroni
- Southside
Alternatively, if you’re feeling a little more adventurous, here are 10 modern classic cocktails featured in my book, Steve the Bartender’s Cocktail Guide.
- Basil Smash
- Bramble
- Cosmonaut
- Earl Grey MarTEAni
- Eastside
- Enzoni
- Gin Gin Mule
- King’s Breakfast
- Saturn
- Water Lily
What are the best gin mixers?
Are you looking for a change from your usual gin and tonic? Here are 5 of the best gin mixers to pair with your favourite gin:
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Ginger beer / ale
Ginger works surprisingly well with gin, especially when pairing with a shiraz gin. Opt for a ginger beer over a ginger ale if you prefer more spice.
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Fresh juice
Make a great gin and juice with any combination of fruit such as grapefruit, orange, apple, cranberry, etc. Garnish with herbs such as fresh mint, rosemary, etc.
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Soda water
Let the gin’s botanicals stand out clearly without introducing other flavours. Best served with a slice of citrus.
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Bitter lemon / lemon tonic
Citrus, and particularly lemon, is a very common botanical used in gin production so naturally a citrus flavoured tonic is a fantastic mixer.
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Tonic water
There are now an abundance of tonic water options on the market. Fever-Tree being the biggest and most reliable brand available. If we had to choose only one tonic water to pair with every gin it would be Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic. The Fever-Tree Indian tonic would be a close second.
What is the best tonic for a gin and tonic?
- Fever-Tree (Mediterranean or Indian tonic water) (made in UK, Europe & the US)
- CAPI tonic water (made in Australia)
- Strange Love (made in Australia)
- East Imperial tonic water (made in NZ)
- Fentimans tonic water (made in the UK)
- Schweppes Indian tonic water (made worldwide)
- Cascade tonic water (made in Australia)
What is the best gin in Australia?
In 2014 Australia was home to only 14 distilleries. Since then the industry has rapidly grown to over 600, the majority of which produce gin. The gins being produced in Australia are extremely diverse and are being recognised on the world stage. Australia is home to many great gin producers.
Trying to determine the “best gin in Australia” is a fruitless endeavour. Is it the top selling gin the best gin? If so, this would be Gordon’s (an inexpensive international London dry gin). Or is it the highest rated gin amongst consumers? If so, it most likely would not be Gordon’s. It moves in high volumes due to it being the cheapest, or one of the cheapest, gins in bottle shops.
But, if you asked us what our personal favourite gin was all three of us would would unanimously agree on our Mediterranean Gin. The salty, savoury, and herbaceous flavour profile pairs perfectly with Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic and an antipasto plate.
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