Sweet

Sweet gin keeps juniper but rounds it with real sugar or naturally sweet botanicals. Think orange and lemon peel oils that read like candied citrus, vanilla, licorice root, cassia, rose, elderflower, and ripe berry. Old Tom is the classic sweetened style at full strength. Fruit gins and berry macerations push sweetness further and many sit below 37.5 percent, so they are classed as gin based spirit or liqueur rather than gin. Expect a softer nose, richer mid palate, and a mellow finish with less bite than London Dry.

Use sweet gin when you want body and lift without hard edges. Go Tom Collins with less syrup, a Martinez in place of a Dry Martini, a Bramble that needs little or no added sugar, or a G and T with a very dry tonic and a lemon twist. For fruit led bottles, long pours with soda or prosecco work well.