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I saw something recently that said if you’re one of those people that thinks they don’t like gin, it’s probably because you’ve had a bad G&T with a substandard tonic. And it’s so true. For years I was firmly on the vodka and coke train, the idea of gin knocked me sick.
Then at some point (to be precise a slightly questionable student garden party in Cambridge), I had gin & lemonade and realised I could actually drink the stuff, and from there my education began.
It’s safe to say I’ve now joined the rest of my household in being a big gin fan – in light of it being World Gin Day, here’s a couple of my current favourite gins for the summer weather, and how best to garnish them.
You can get most of these gins & tonics in your local supermarket, or online on Amazon* and other online shops.
Before we start, is gin gluten free?
A lot of you seem to be coming here because you’re asking the question “Is gin gluten free?” – well, according to Coeliac UK, the answer is “Yes!”. The advice from the organisation states that “Even when a cereal that contains gluten is used as an ingredient, all spirits are distilled during the manufacturing process and this process removes any trace of gluten. Therefore, all spirit drinks (including malt whisky which is made from barley) are safe for people with coeliac disease.”
That’s good enough for me, and never having suffered any gluten related side effects, G&T continues to be my tipple of choice.
Just The Tonic
Before I kick off with the spirits themselves, let me emphasise how important the tonic is. Along with the garnish, it really can make or break it. I don’t really consider myself a massive brand snob with most food and drinks, and I’m perfectly happy with Aldi’s own fizzy pop most of the time. But you’ve just got to do some things properly.
We’ve always got some nice basic cans of Schweppes in the fridge, the others I’d recommend are Fever-Tree (especially the Mediterranean and Elderflower) and Fentimans. I’ve also recently been introduced to Lamb & Watt – all these brands do a range of flavours, some go better with some gins and garnishes than others. Play around, find what you like and go from there.
10 Brilliant Gluten Free Gins!
Larios Rose
I’m kicking the list off with a bit of a Spanish flavour, purely because my parents have just got back from Madrid bringing a fresh bottle of Larios Rose back with them! It’s nice and fruity – serve it with a nice tonic and some frozen raspberries and strawberries to make you feel fancy!
Buy Larios Rose: £20.99 on Amazon* // £23.99 on Ultimate Drinks*
Whitley Neill
I was originally introduced to Whitley Neill at a gin festival, where I came across an amazing Rhubarb & Ginger Gin that is incredible mixed with Ginger Ale. These two flavours are perfect if you have a sweet tooth- the official website recommends you serve the Raspberry Gin with lemon and raspberries, and the Blood Orange Gin with a slice of orange (crazy, I know!).
These Whitley Neill gins are gluten free and vegan – in fact all but one of the Whitley Neill range is vegan (apart from the Rhubarb and Ginger gin mentioned in my birthday gins blog)
Buy Whitley Neill Raspberry Gin: £20.00 on Amazon* // £24.44 on Spirits Kiosk* // £24.78 on TheDrinkShop* // £24.49 on Ultimate Drinks*
Buy Whitley Neill Blood Orange Gin: £20.00 on Amazon* // £24.44 on Spirits Kiosk* // £24.78 on TheDrinkShop* // £24.49 on Ultimate Drinks*
Hendricks
You can never go wrong with a Hendricks – when I first started drinking G&T’s I was at a bar in Manchester and mentioned to the barman that I didn’t really know the difference between gins – what followed was a several hours long education that if I’m honest, I don’t remember much of #drinkresponsiblykids.
Hendricks is infused “unusually” with rose and cucumber, and made with a combination of two different types of still. For the perfect serve go for a slice of cucumber – then eat it after. (I reckon that practically makes this one a salad!)
Hendrick’s gin is gluten free and vegan friendly.
Buy Hendrick’s Gin: £25.00 on Amazon* // £30.94 on Spirits Kiosk* // £33.70 on TheDrinksShop*
Manchester Gin
This one’s a Northern beauty – the 12 botanicals in it include Dandelion & Burdock Root. Plus I’m a bit of a packaging nerd so I love the foiled design with the iconic Manchester Bee. Manchester Gin have four spirits to choose from but I’ve only had the original so far – try it with a slice of orange and a bit of fresh rosemary for the best serve!
Manchester gin is another vegan friendly gin!
Shop Manchester Gin: £35.99 on Amazon* // £33.44 on Spirits Kiosk* // £34.18 on TheDrinksShop* //
Liverpool Gin
I don’t have a pretty garden picture for this one because we’d ran out when I originally wrote this article, so thanks to Liverpool Gin for sending this picture over! Then when I updated this article…I’d run out again. Basically, if you’re ever struggling to get me a birthday present, this is a good one that I seem to get through quickly!
They’ve got an Original one which they recommend you serve with Watermelon, but I reckon it’s nice with a slice of orange. They’ve also got a heavenly Valencian Orange gin – now that one they do recommend you serve with oranges!
I’ve also heard whisperings of a Rose Petal gin that I’m going to have to track down.
Shop Liverpool Gin: £27.03 on Amazon* // £38.44 on Spirits Kiosk* // £42.90 on TheDrinksShop* //
Tanqueray Rangpur
You might have tried the original Tanqueray, or the Tanqueray Sevilla gin which I spoke about in another of my gin roundup posts, but this is another beauty you need to try!
This gin is infused with the rare Rangpur lime, which gives the flavour a mixture of zesty lime and sweet mandarin orange – the fruit is named after the city Rangpur in Bangladesh. Tanqueray recommends you serve this one with a premium tonic and a slice of lime.
According to Barnivore.com this gin is vegan friendly, with Tanqueray advising that no animal-derived ingredients are used in the gin.
Shop Tanqueray Rangpur: £20.00 on Amazon* // £31.44 on Spirits Kiosk* // £28.30 on TheDrinksShop* //
The Infusionist Passionfruit Gin Liqueur
The Infusionist is a line of small batch gin liqueurs from Aldi, and this one is mine and my dad’s favourite! It’s a really rich and fruity concoction and super summery – I drink it with lemonade but Aldi also recommends it as part of a cocktail or poured over crushed ice.
The Infusionist Passionfruit liqueur is vegan as well as gluten free.
Gluten Free Non-Alcoholic Spirits
Seedlip Grove 42
Sometimes you’ve just got to play designated driver for the night, or perhaps you’re planning on doing dry January? In that case, you need to have a bottle of Seedlip in your cupboard! Seedlip is a distilled non-alcoholic spirit, which also happens to be zero calories, sugar free and sweetner free. Plus of course Seedlip is gluten free, vegan, kosher and suitable for those that are lactose intolerant and diabetic.
I love the Seedlip Grove 42, which has citrus notes thanks to the Orange, Blood Orange, Mandarin and lemon botanicals, along with a kick of ginger and lemongrass – serve with your favourite tonic and a wedge of orange.
Shop Seedlip: £20.76 on Amazon* // £24.95 on Spirits Kiosk* // £20.49 on TheDrinksShop* //
Ceder’s Wild Alt-Gin
I’d never come across the term “alt-gin” before, but that’s what Ceder’s claims to be – a distilled non-alcoholic spirit made with classic gin, blended with Swedish water and flavoured with South African botanicals. There’s a lot of geography in this bottle!
This “Wild” version is flavoured with juniper and ginger, combined with clove and rooibos – the perfect serve for this is with a slice of grapefruit & a sprig of basil. They also recommend using it in a “Ceder’s on the Beach” – mix this into a cocktail along with cranberry juice, melon syrup and lemon juice.
Ceder’s Alt Gin is gluten free, vegan and suitable for diabetics. It is also 100% FIC allergen free and suitable for those with a lactose intolerance.
Shop Ceder’s: £15.78 on Amazon* // £15.25 on Spirits Kiosk* // £20.09 on TheDrinksShop* //
Where to stock up
You can get most of these in your local supermarkets, but I’ve put together some lists on Amazon for you to shop from, plus there’s some fun little bits on there that make great presents, or if you just fancy treating yourself.
You neglect to mention what grains are used in your gin. Just because you are told gluten is removed in distilling doesn’t make it so
Non reactions are common and yet damage can be done. Many gin made with wheat and barley still have levels of gluten. Please specify what grains you use thank you
Of course some ‘gluten free’ items can cause reactions to some drinkers and I totally understand why, like gluten free beers, some may choose to avoid spirits made from grains. For full information I’d recommend checking out the distillers themselves.