There was a time when gin was the spirit of choice in the U.S. That time was 1979, the original peak Martini era, when gin sales hit a high of 19 million cases. It fell out of fashion, and there’s been little movement in the market since the Millennium, despite occasional talk of a gin renaissance. Last year, 8.3 million cases sold, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), down from 10 million in 2014.
But, while gin might not be the spirit of choice for the masses, that doesn’t concern bartenders and committed cocktail drinkers, for whom its influence is indisputable—and perhaps that’s why the super-premium category has seen the most growth since 2019, surging by 187 percent.
“I love gin for its lawlessness,” says Maddie Finnegan, the lead bartender of Green Lady Cocktail Room in Honolulu, Hawaii. “Historically, the world of gin has always had minimal regulations, thus opening doors for immense creativity and diversity.”
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Perhaps it’s this creativity and diversity that has drawn Gen Z drinkers, with 42 percent of gin consumers in the U.S. under 34 years old. The gins gaining traction play with new-fangled or foraged botanicals—like Freeland Spirits’ Forest Gin, which features chanterelle mushrooms—or the microtrend for sea kelp. Irish distillers Glendalough even employs a full-time forager for its gin range. SevenFifty Daily turned to bartenders across the U.S. to find out which bottles they’re most excited to stock right now. (All gins are listed with suggested retail price per bottle.)
Hayman’s Vibrant Citrus Gin, London, U.K.; $30
Selected by Marshall Minaya, beverage director, Valerie, New York City
Valerie in New York City’s Midtown offers a gin-centric cocktail program with more than 100 gins on offer. But beverage director Marshall Minaya is calling out a gin that isn’t actually featured on the menu yet: Hayman’s Vibrant Citrus Gin. “[I’m] surprising even myself by choosing a citrus gin,” he says. “Its key botanicals include kumquat, mandarin, Persian lime, and pomelo.”
Hayman Distillers, operated by the longest serving gin distilling family in England, first included citrus as a key botanical 160 years ago, and for the Vibrant Citrus Gin they distill the sun-dried fruit peels over a two-day process. “What makes this one stand out is its profile: all bright, beautiful, and aromatic citrus botanicals that really set it apart from other citrus-forward gins,” says Minaya. “At 44.4% ABV, it holds up beautifully in Martinis and citrus-based cocktails. A Martini with this gin, Spanish blanc vermouth, and a grapefruit peel? Yes, please.”
New Riff Wild Kentucky Gin, Newport, Kentucky; $30
Selected by Maddie Finnegan, lead bartender, Green Lady Cocktail Room, Honolulu, Hawaii
Green Lady Cocktail Room in Honolulu, Hawaii, a speakeasy-style bar hidden in the White Sands Hotel, has a back bar determined to provide a wider-than-usual range of herbal spirits, anisettes, amari, and gins. Lead bartender Maddie Finnegan has been “geeking out on barrel-aged gins ” recently, which is how she discovered New Riff Wild Kentucky Gin.
New Riff Distilling is a family-owned and independently operated distillery in Newport, Kentucky. “They start by thoughtfully foraging local Kentucky botanicals, including wild juniper and Kentucky’s state flower, Goldenrod, blended with a handful of classic European botanicals, and then pot distilled with a bit of their rye whiskey spirit,” she says. Upon completion the gin rests in fresh New Riff bourbon barrels for five to seven months. The result? “Spiced oak and soft vanilla notes balanced perfectly with citrus and just enough dryness from the Angelica root. Beautifully balanced and warm, like a much-needed hug.” A reasonable price makes it all the more attractive to bartenders, Finnegan notes. She recommends trying it in a 21st Century, Bees Knees, or an Old Fashioned.
Sweet Gwendoline Gin, Brive-la-Gaillarde, France; $35
Selected by Brendan Bartley, formulator and distiller, Hello Hello, New York City
Brendan Bartley knows a thing or two about gin; he was the head bartender and beverage director at Bathtub Gin and had his hand in creating Revivalist Garden Gin. Now the cofounder, formulator, and distiller of newly opened Hello Hello in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood, he’s excited about Sweet Gwendoline gin, which launched in the U.S. in 2022, and is produced in the south of France.
“Firstly, the design on the bottle with Dita Von Tease is really cool and eye grabbing,” he says. It’s not just the design which is striking; the gin is infused with figue de solliès—a local variety of black fig—and finished with French white wine. “It’s a great gin to step away from the usual dry gins and adds a great mouthfeel. It’s a beautiful bouquet on the nose with herbs and citrus, and is a great gin even on the rocks. Just an amazing gin to have on your back bar or at home to add something unique to your next cocktail.”
Freeland Spirits Forest Gin, Portland, Oregon; $40
Selected by Nick Flowers, owner, Too Soon, Portland, Oregon
For Nick Flowers, the owner of Too Soon in Portland, Oregon, Freeland Spirits’ Forest Gin is a local standout. “It tastes like the Pacific Northwest—green, resinous, grounding—but it’s also nuanced and soft, with savory and floral layers that keep evolving,” he says. “It’s a gin that knows exactly where it comes from. The fact that it’s made by a woman-founded, woman-led team right here in Oregon makes it even more meaningful. The Freeland crew isn’t just making really interesting spirits, they’re building community, advocating for equity, and raising the bar for what craft distilling can look like.”
Flowers recommends trying it in cocktails like an Archangel, which brings gin together with Aperol and cucumber, or a Chin Up with Cynar, vermouth, and cucumber, both allowing the cucumber to lean into Forest Gin’s savory edge. “It’s also gorgeous in an Alpine Negroni, where the fir and forest floor notes paired with Braulio deepen the whole drink,” he says. “That kind of range is rare.”
Condesa Clásica Gin, Mexico City, Mexico; $40
Selected by Bridget Ramsey, bar manager, Judy & Harry’s, Asbury Park, New Jersey
Bridget Ramsey, the newly appointed bar manager at Judy & Harry’s in Asbury Park, New Jersey, has a preference for herbaceous rather than citrus-forward gins, which is what first drew her to Condesa Gin’s Clásica. This micro-batch gin, distilled in Mexico City and named after the leafy La Condesa neighborhood, uses botanicals that celebrate Mexico’s biodiversity.
“The Condesa Clásica Gin stands out for me because Mexican flora as well as the ceremonial aspects of Mexican culture are centric to the flavor and production of the spirit,” says Ramsey. “The result is a very nuanced and expressive spirit … providing restrained citrus and floral notes. This gin is also incredibly versatile. It shines in a dry Martini and is equally as delicious in a gin and tonic or gin sour.”
Gin Mare, Barcelona, Spain; $40
Selected by Danny Shapiro, head bartender and partner, The Scofflaw, Chicago
When The Scofflaw opened in Chicago in 2012, it set out to be “a welcoming, gin-focused cocktail bar,” says head bartender and partner Danny Shapiro, and it remains true to that founding mission, boasting a selection of nearly 100 bottles from Ireland to South Africa. “We’re big fans of [gin] and we think it makes the best cocktails due to its range and versatility,” says Shapiro.
A staff favorite is Gin Mare, a Mediterranean gin, which played a significant role in Spain’s gin renaissance. “It’s a unique, savory take on gin,” says Shapiro. “There are nine botanicals, but the olives, basil, rosemary, and thyme are the non-traditional standouts. If you dig cocktails with savory applications—Dirty Martinis, Red Snappers—this is your gin.”
St. George Valley Gin, Alameda, California; $35
Selected by Kevin King, project director, Neighborhood Dining Group, Charleston, South Carolina
When founder Jörg Rupf distilled his first bottle of eau de vie in 1982, founding St. George Spirits, he kickstarted the American craft spirits movement at the same time. Today their lineup includes five gins, with the newest expression being St. George Valley Gin, which Kevin King, the head of project development at Neighborhood Dining Group in Charleston, South Carolina, discovered at Charleston Wine & Food Festival—and has been a fan ever since.
“The gin showcases beautiful floral orange blossom alongside finely tuned botanicals,” says King. “It’s a welcome addition to [St. George’s] already impressive lineup of unique gins. It works beautifully in Martinis, spritzes, and gin and tonics, and it’s especially great for first-timers thanks to its approachable and lighter character. It also shines in warm climates, places where citrus thrives, making it a perfect fit for Charleston.”
Seventy One Gin, London, U.K.; $175
Selected by Jonathan Adler, beverage director, Shinji’s, New York City
While Shinji’s in New York City is better known for its Japanese whiskeys, beverage director Jonathan Adler is very particular about the gins they use in cocktails and on the back bar, and the Shinji’s Gin Fizz is amongst their signature drinks. Adler calls out Seventy One Gin, created by fashion photographer Mert Alas and distiller and former president of Diageo Reserve Steve Wilson. “We sell quite a bit of it at Shinji’s,” he says. The cask-aged ultra-premium gin, launched in 2021, takes inspiration from the world of perfumers, distilling the botanicals separately. Even the bottle is reminiscent of famous fragrances.
“While it is at a higher price point, it is extremely unique in that it is a London dry gin that has been aged in barrels for 71 days,” he says. “It also uses a specific flower called queen of the night which is harvested from cacti in the middle of the night and only blooms for 3 days out of the year.
Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru Murcian Lemon, Hampshire, U.K.; $61
Selected by Ricardo Acevedo, head bartender, ViceVersa, Miami
Ricardo Acevedo, the head bartender at ViceVersa, an Italian aperitivo bar with a Miami inflection that opened in Downtown Miami last year, is tired of the trend for unusual botanicals in gins (and cocktails). He spotlights Bombay Sapphire’s Premier Cru Murcian Lemon as particularly forward-thinking. “The focus of this gin is to do something that we are already quite comfortable talking about in wine and even agave; and that is talking about terroir and regional specificity,” he says. “This gin is not bringing in some random rare botanical … rather it is highlighting the sourcing of the botanicals and celebrating one variety of lemon from one specific region (Murcia, Spain) from one year’s harvest.”
While the lemons are harvested in Spain, the gin is then distilled at Bombay Sapphire’s historic distillery in Hampshire, England. “It is full of lemon flavor but also meant to showcase the changes in that botanical year on year, as it is a single year’s harvest of that product, not blended … like is done typically for gin. The conversation of terroir and regional flavors and celebrating those things, I truly hope will be the future of gin to come.”
Dispatch
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Tyler Wetherall is a journalist and author, and the former senior editor for SevenFifty Daily. Her drinks journalism has appeared in Punch, The Guardian, Condé Nast Traveler, Thrillist, and The Spirits Business, which awarded her the Alan Lodge Young International Drinks Writer of the Year. Tyler is also the author of No Way Home: A Memoir of Life on the Run, and the novel Amphibian. Follow her on Instagram at @tylerwrites.
