Gin is the most mixable clear spirit on the shelf because it already tastes of something. Juniper, citrus peel, and spice give it a dry, piney backbone that stands up to bitter tonic, sharp lemon, and Campari, where vodka would disappear. That's why so many classic cocktails are gin drinks, and why a bottle of London Dry and a few mixers cover everything from a two-minute highball to a proper Martini. This list sticks to the twelve drinks most worth making at home; the full gin cocktails collection has the rest.
Gin Drinks at a Glance
Strength and calories are per serving, from the recipe data behind each drink's recipe card.
| Drink | What goes in with the gin | ABV | Calories | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gin and Tonic | Tonic water, lime | 10.5% | 190 kcal | Easy |
| Salty Dog | Grapefruit juice, salt | 8.5% | 210 kcal | Easy |
| Tom Collins | Lemon, sugar, soda water | 11% | 180 kcal | Easy |
| Gin Fizz | Lemon, simple syrup, soda water | 11.5% | 143 kcal | Easy |
| Gimlet | Lime, simple syrup | 22% | 200 kcal | Easy |
| Bee's Knees | Honey syrup, lemon, orange juice | 15% | 175 kcal | Easy |
| French 75 | Lemon, simple syrup, Champagne | 14% | 160 kcal | Easy |
| Negroni | Campari, sweet vermouth | 21.5% | 200 kcal | Easy |
| Dry Martini | Dry vermouth, lemon twist or olive | 31% | 140 kcal | Easy |
| White Lady | Triple sec, lemon | 24% | 188 kcal | Easy |
| Bramble | Lemon, simple syrup, crème de mûre | 18% | 177 kcal | Medium |
| The Last Word | Green Chartreuse, maraschino, lime | 25% | 185 kcal | Easy |
What to Mix with Gin (No Recipe Needed)
The simplest gin drink is one part gin to two or three parts mixer over plenty of ice, with a wedge of citrus. For a standard highball that's 50 ml (1.7 oz) of gin topped with 100 to 150 ml (3.4 to 5 oz) of mixer. The mixers that work best:
- Tonic water is the classic. Its quinine bitterness matches gin's juniper; add lime or lemon and you have a gin and tonic.
- Soda water makes the driest, lightest drink. Add lemon, and a few mint leaves if you have them.
- Bitter lemon is tonic with lemon already in it: sweeter and more citrusy.
- Grapefruit juice or grapefruit soda (Squirt, Ting) gives a sharp, tart long drink. With juice and a pinch of salt it's a Salty Dog.
- Ginger ale softens gin and adds a little spice. It suits floral or citrus-forward gins.
- Lemonade or lemon-lime soda (Sprite, 7 Up) makes a sweet, easy cooler for people who find tonic too bitter.
Ice matters more with gin than with most spirits. Fill the glass to the top: more ice melts more slowly, so the drink stays cold and fizzy instead of turning watery.
The 12 Best Cocktails with Gin
1. Gin and Tonic
The easiest gin drink and the one most people mean when they say "a gin". The Gin and Tonic is 2 oz of gin and 5 oz of tonic water, poured into a highball glass almost filled with ice, stirred once, and finished with a lime wedge. That's a ratio of about 1 to 2.5, a little stronger than a typical bar pour, at 10.5% ABV. Use a fresh bottle of tonic: flat tonic is the most common reason a G&T tastes dull.
2. Salty Dog
Gin, grapefruit juice, and a pinch of salt, stirred over ice in a highball glass. The Salty Dog is the lightest drink on the list at 8.5% ABV, with 1.5 oz of gin to 5 oz of juice. The salt is the trick: a quarter teaspoon takes the edge off grapefruit's bitterness and makes the fruit taste sweeter. It started as a gin drink, though many bars now make it with vodka.
3. Tom Collins
Gin, lemon juice, and sugar shaken with ice, poured tall, and topped with soda water. The Tom Collins is a homemade lemonade with gin in it, and one of the best summer drinks you can make with pantry ingredients. Use superfine sugar or simple syrup so it dissolves in the shaker, and add the soda last so it keeps its fizz.
4. Gin Fizz
A close relative of the Tom Collins, but shorter, sharper, and lower in calories at 143 kcal. The Gin Fizz shakes 45 ml (1.5 oz) of gin with 30 ml (1 oz) of lemon juice and 10 ml (0.3 oz) of simple syrup, then adds a splash of soda. Shake hard: the extra air gives the drink a lighter texture. The famous Ramos Gin Fizz adds cream, egg white, and orange flower water to the same base.
5. Gimlet
Gin and lime, sweetened with a little sugar syrup and shaken cold. The Gimlet uses a big 2.5 oz pour of gin with half an ounce each of lime juice and simple syrup, so it is tart, dry, and strong at 22% ABV. It comes from the Royal Navy, where gin and lime were mixed to make sailors' citrus rations go down easier. Serve it straight up or over fresh ice.
6. Bee's Knees
Gin shaken with honey syrup, lemon, and orange juice. The Bee's Knees is a Prohibition-era drink, when honey and citrus were used to hide the taste of rough bathtub gin. Today it's a softer, rounder sour than the Gimlet. Make honey syrup by mixing equal parts honey and warm water, since straight honey seizes up on contact with ice.
Gin on the shelf, but not sure what else you need?
Pocket Bartender shows every drink you can make with the bottles you already have.
7. French 75
Gin, lemon, and sugar shaken, strained into a flute, and topped with Champagne. The French 75 is named after a French field gun from the First World War, a nod to how hard it hits. It uses only 30 ml (1 oz) of gin to 60 ml (2 oz) of Champagne, so it's lighter than it sounds at 14% ABV. Any dry sparkling wine works if you don't want to open Champagne.
8. Negroni
Equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth, stirred over ice and garnished with orange. The Negroni is the easiest stirred cocktail to get right because there is nothing to measure beyond three equal pours. It's bitter, bittersweet, and 21.5% ABV. Our Negroni guide covers which gin to pick and the variations worth trying.
9. Dry Martini
Gin and a small amount of dry vermouth, stirred ice-cold and strained into a chilled glass. The Dry Martini uses 2 oz of gin to a third of an ounce of vermouth, a 6 to 1 ratio, which makes it the strongest drink here at 31% ABV and the lowest in calories at 140 kcal. Finish it with a lemon twist for a brighter drink or an olive for a savoury one. The Martini guide explains the ratios from wet to bone-dry.
10. White Lady
Gin, triple sec, and lemon juice, shaken and served straight up. The White Lady is a classic of 1920s and 1930s London hotel bars, and the gin version of a Sidecar. The recipe is 40 ml gin, 30 ml triple sec, and 20 ml lemon juice, so the orange liqueur plays a big part: Cointreau gives a cleaner result than cheaper triple sec. Many bartenders add an egg white for a silky foam.
11. Bramble
A gin sour over crushed ice with blackberry liqueur poured over the top. The Bramble was created by Dick Bradsell in 1980s London and is now a modern classic. Shake 50 ml (1.7 oz) of gin with lemon juice and simple syrup, strain it over crushed ice, then drizzle 15 ml of crème de mûre over the top so it bleeds down through the ice. It's the only drink here rated medium, mostly because of the crushed ice.
12. The Last Word
Equal parts gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur, and lime juice, shaken and strained. The Last Word is a Prohibition-era drink from the Detroit Athletic Club that bartenders brought back in the 2000s. It's herbal, sweet-sour, and strong at 25% ABV. It needs two bottles most home bars don't have, which is why it comes last, but the method is as simple as the Negroni's.
Which Gin Drink Should You Start With?
If you have only a bottle of gin and a fridge, make a Gin and Tonic, or a Salty Dog if there's grapefruit juice instead of tonic. If you have lemons and sugar, make a Tom Collins or a Gin Fizz. If you want a stirred drink, start with the Negroni before the Martini: the equal-parts recipe is hard to get wrong. For a celebration, the French 75 turns one bottle of fizz into several drinks.
For more ideas, browse the full gin cocktails collection.