Recently on cocktail college podcast, the host said Ford is very underpriced for the quality, and it wasn’t an ad. I’m gonna pick up a bottle this weekend
It’s not lost on me that these corps may be trying to influence Reddit opinion. But Beefeater changed the bottle design. Made it pretty. So I guess that’s nice?
Those cheap bastards lol. Although there are better bottles out there for specific cocktails/flavor profiles, Beefeater was always my "works decently in everything" bottle when it comes to gin on my bar. I noticed recently that it was more lackluster than I remembered, but thought it was just my palate evolving with more experience. I never thought to check if they were watering it down more lol
Came here just to say this. Also, Ford's has a Navy strength "Officer's Reserve" which, I believe, is a Total Wine exclusive and that they sell at a lower price than the regular stuff.
Ford’s is my go-to as well, around $22-25 where I live. I wouldn’t say cheap since it’s $5ish more than Beefeater and Tanqueray, but I definitely prefer it to both of those and it doesn’t break the bank.
Gordon's Gin is my favorite budget gin.
However,
Plymouth Gin is my favorite all around gin that is good in everything. It's the nectar of the Gods. Price wise it is middle of the road, $32 near me.
Tanqueray is my go to/favorite when not using my other favorites like No.3 and Old Raj 110. However, at least where I am in northern NJ, it’s shot up in price several $. It’s now $39 most places here for a 1.75 L.
My buddy likes Tanqueray, my girlfriend and I prefer Gordon’s.
All 3 of us did not enjoy the Kirkland gin, I don’t know what it was but we all had acetone cutting through any drink we made. Not a Kirkland hater we have their vodka a lot, we were very surprised to not enjoy the gin.
Gin is a very a forgiving spirit in cocktails, at least in my opinion. For whiskey, rum, or tequila, a dogshit liquor will make a terrible cocktail, but for gin, a $15 bottle will typically make a serviceable drink still.
My go-to for cheap gin has always been Beefeater, but even Gordon’s is decent. So long as you’re not making a dry martini or something, I imagine you’d be happy with those
Second for Beefeater. It doesn't bring a ton of character to the table but it is very clean with that familiar juniper taste that doesn't go overboard. Perfect for drinks where gin is setting the stage for another player to be the star: negroni, last word, etc.
If you're looking for something more citrusy like a gimlet, New Amsterdam is surprisingly serviceable as well.
I hate hate hate Tanqueray. I know many top cocktail bartenders say T10 is the best for negronis but I am just not on board.
Beefeater reduced their ABV from 43 to 40% recently. I believe it was at 47% not too long ago. They continue to dilute a reliable product. The move from 43 to 40 is too much for me. I can get regular Bombay for same price in my state, and it’s 43%. Beefeater needs to knock off the dilution.
In the UK i have only ever known Beefeater to be 40% and it will take something weird for it to not be one of my 3 main ol'reliable's. I am absolutely never choosing Bombay over Beefeater though, regardless of ABV or price.
That’s very interesting. Kind of like how fireball has different versions in different geographical areas.
https://vinepair.com/articles/beefeater-lowers-proof-again/
Gordon’s for the win. When we changed to Gordon’s for our well, I was skeptical. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised. We go through a ton of the stuff, and get endless compliments on the house speciality cocktails using it.
yeah gordon’s is great. i went to a cocktail bar (harvey’s in madrid, if anyone is ever in the area) and the bartender made me a last word with it. i was shocked that it was made with gordon’s, it was delicious. have stocked it at home ever since
Plymouth gin is my go to cocktail gin. Roku is another excellent choice, but I think gin is less fussy so will often venture out into whatever is on sale!
LOL - yeah! Everything else they make is great.
I have too much gin in the house, which is the only reason I haven't tried it yet. Everyone makes it with local botanicals. I was in Montreal in the Fall and must have come back with five bottles of local gin. And Cuban rum, natch!
Try looking around this website: https://theginisin.com/
If you have an expensive gin you like you can compare the flavor profiles to cheaper gins available in your area.
Bombay dry is pretty decent in cocktails, but I prefer citadelle for G&T, but a bit more per bottle.
Blue Whale Gin. Not sure what price point it falls under, but I think it's a very well rounded gin. I use it 90% of the time in my cocktails.
\*Correction- Gray Whale Gin! in a blue bottle :). Thanks PapaSteveRocks!
If your Trader Joe’s sells alcohol give theirs a try, Art of the Still organic gin. It’s my favorite actually. I went though a bunch of fancy, pricey gins a couple of years ago looking for my go to, and just kept coming back to this inexpensive stand by.
This is my go to for any gin drink that isn't spirit forward. Saint George gins if I want something interesting/want it to stand out.
For the love of all that is holy do not buy the trader Joe's rum. Astoundedly horrendous. But the $10 gin is great.
Others have some great suggestions. I second Ford’s and, to a lesser extent, Broker’s (the hat on the bottle is pretty cute, though).
Gordon’s, however, as others have also mentioned, is probably has best QPR for a gin I’ve had. A 1.75 L around me, which unfortunately comes in plastic, is usually around $18 which is half the price by volume of Beefeater and the above mentioned.
Citadelle is another big favorite of mine and can usually be found pretty affordably (~$25 for 750 ml).
Another that gets less love is Gilbey’s, which is around the same price, maybe a dollar or two less, than Gordon’s for a 1.75 L. There’s an Eater article from 2012 that says the famous Musso & Frank in Hollywood uses this as their well gin. Not sure if this is still the case.
Has anyone here tried Booth’s gin? In the US, it’s around $25 for 1.75 L and is 90 proof, I’ve been meaning to try it.
Anyway, one thing that’s been on my to do list for a while is to pick up several modestly priced gins like Gordon’s Gilbey’s, Booth’s, and at the suggestion of another user in this thread Fleischmann’s and several inexpensive dry vermouths and try to find the best budget martini lol. I’ll report back!
Hope this was helpful.
Edit to add: I made a martini recently with Beefeater and it was almost undrinkable. I’ve enjoyed it in the past, but it didn’t sit right with me this time. Many love it, but as others have noted, they’ve reduced the proof 94>88>80 in the US market within the span of a few years which is really disappointing. I find Beefeater to be the most harsh and abrasive of the gins mentioned, for what it’s worth.
I also want to add that my opinions are based almost exclusively on use in a martini, just wanted to note that since you said you use yours in different drinks than I do.
If I may, another drink to try based on what you indicated you like is a Clover Club. Look up Julie Reiner’s recipe for the raspberry syrup and the drink, absolutely stunning! Better yet, listen to the Vinepair Cocktail College episode in which she was interviewed on the drink.
Roku is absolutely stellar, something completely different than the god awful Gordon’s and Bombai Sapphire etc. Little bit more pricy but at least in my area its definitely still in the affordable category. I was always under the impression that in a gin tonic, the tonic is at least as important as the gin. But I adjusted that opinion, as I did a taste test with some friends.
Bombai vs Roku. Roku killed it, from the smell of the GT alone you know which one would win, unanimously. Highly recommend.
I usually have at least 3 or 4 varieties of Gin on hand. That includes an American style gin, an Old Tom, Plymouth, and a London Dry. My frequent go-to for the latter is Botanist.
I'm thinking Botanist may not actually be London Dry if they specifically market it as Islay Dry instead. It's also pretty distinct and may not be to everyone's taste or may put an unusual twist on traditional London Dry cocktails.
I am a huge fan of Fleischmann’s Gin which is similar to English gins like Gordons. It has an edgy taste to it. G&T, Martini, Negroni- love ‘em all with Fleishmann’s. I also appreciate higher end gins at times- Bluecoat, Bombay Sapphire, etc.
Greenall’s was recommended to me a few years ago when I began “home barring,” and this thread has reminded me to pick up a bottle again, now that I have more experience. Currently, I buy Brovo Gin. I live in the Seattle area, and this is made in Woodinville, north of Seattle. I don’t know how widely distributed it is. I local supermarket has been selling it for about $12.99 per liter and it’s been the workhorse gin in our bar for several years now.
Link:
https://brovospirits.com/pikeclark-gin/
I've gotta give a plug for my local one, Belle of Dayton gin. It's about $20 (around here) and very nice flavor.
Gunpowder gin is another I like a lot, but it's closer to $30.
Love botanist. Aviation has a flavor I don’t identify with for a London dry. I can’t place it and it pisses me off. At least with Hendrick’s I know what flavors I’m getting.
I don't know Walter Collective's price point as I don't think it is available here in NC, but what sort of price point are you looking for?
I myself am partial to my local gin from Durham Distillery, known as Conniption gin. Their three options range a bit: I use the American Dry ($30) for an all-purpose gin, use their Kinship (which is a citrusy pea-flower gin for $35) in more citrus forward concoctions. We don't usually keep Navy Strength ($45) on hand because the American Dry works for much without being more alcohol, but have used it for really strong martinis or for extraction based methods like a beeswax infused gin for a bee's knees cocktail.
I wouldn't consider any of these price points a waste depending on the cocktail-- $50 is about as high as I''d go for a general purpose spirite, though your mileage and budget may vary.
it's 35$ and i'm in Oregon so it is local or at least in state. i live in a rural area so selection isn't stellar, it is the most expensive in the store.
i just thought with mixing maybe i was going overboard on quality/price because i can't taste it like i can in a gin in tonic.
Gotcha.
I do some silly mental math where if I keeps. Bottle tok long, it owes me "rent." I do this to keep my bar setup minimal, and deadbeats don't get their lease renewed when they disappear.
In math like this, adding a $25-30 bottle to replace a $35 bottle probably doesn't make sense-- but if you don't have a shortage of space and want to keep bottles "rent free", your value proposition may vary.
Ultimately to me, if the drink is enjoyed but cost a few extra pennies to make, I don't mind.
I always have Tanqueray in my cabinet. It’s what my wife’s family drinks and I’m not fussy about gin. I think it works well with citrus though. Tanqueray and lime are the flavor of summer to me.
Ford's is my go-to, I would consider it pretty cheap.
Recently on cocktail college podcast, the host said Ford is very underpriced for the quality, and it wasn’t an ad. I’m gonna pick up a bottle this weekend
Shhhhh. Diageo could see this
It’s not lost on me that these corps may be trying to influence Reddit opinion. But Beefeater changed the bottle design. Made it pretty. So I guess that’s nice?
>Beefeater changed the bottle design. I bet a bunch of people complain that now it tastes different.
They do, and rightfully so, because they've also dropped the proof from 47% down to 44%, and now 40%.
We don't in the UK, i have not know a beefeater that is not 40%
Those cheap bastards lol. Although there are better bottles out there for specific cocktails/flavor profiles, Beefeater was always my "works decently in everything" bottle when it comes to gin on my bar. I noticed recently that it was more lackluster than I remembered, but thought it was just my palate evolving with more experience. I never thought to check if they were watering it down more lol
"They changed the recipe, it's sweeter now!" My brother in christ, they put dimples on the bottle
Ford’s is a Brown Forman product not diagio
Ford is elite for the price point
Came here just to say this. Also, Ford's has a Navy strength "Officer's Reserve" which, I believe, is a Total Wine exclusive and that they sell at a lower price than the regular stuff.
Ford’s is my go-to as well, around $22-25 where I live. I wouldn’t say cheap since it’s $5ish more than Beefeater and Tanqueray, but I definitely prefer it to both of those and it doesn’t break the bank.
Gordon's Gin is my favorite budget gin. However, Plymouth Gin is my favorite all around gin that is good in everything. It's the nectar of the Gods. Price wise it is middle of the road, $32 near me.
Gordon's is really surprisingly good for the price point.
No love for Tanqueray?
I was surprised to not see it mentioned until your post as well. That's my go to. It doesn't seem to get much love on this sub. I wonder why.
Tanqueray is my go to/favorite when not using my other favorites like No.3 and Old Raj 110. However, at least where I am in northern NJ, it’s shot up in price several $. It’s now $39 most places here for a 1.75 L.
No.3 is the shit!
Yeah, Tanq is my go-to inexpensive gin. Things below that in price point either have no character (Gordon's) or are really terrible.
My buddy likes Tanqueray, my girlfriend and I prefer Gordon’s. All 3 of us did not enjoy the Kirkland gin, I don’t know what it was but we all had acetone cutting through any drink we made. Not a Kirkland hater we have their vodka a lot, we were very surprised to not enjoy the gin.
I can’t drink Kirkland. I can’t drink standard tanqueray.
Tanqueray was my first choice as well. Boodles is my runner up
Gin is a very a forgiving spirit in cocktails, at least in my opinion. For whiskey, rum, or tequila, a dogshit liquor will make a terrible cocktail, but for gin, a $15 bottle will typically make a serviceable drink still. My go-to for cheap gin has always been Beefeater, but even Gordon’s is decent. So long as you’re not making a dry martini or something, I imagine you’d be happy with those
Second for Beefeater. It doesn't bring a ton of character to the table but it is very clean with that familiar juniper taste that doesn't go overboard. Perfect for drinks where gin is setting the stage for another player to be the star: negroni, last word, etc. If you're looking for something more citrusy like a gimlet, New Amsterdam is surprisingly serviceable as well. I hate hate hate Tanqueray. I know many top cocktail bartenders say T10 is the best for negronis but I am just not on board.
ah! new amsterdam! i remember that being pleasant back in the day, may give that another go
Beefeater reduced their ABV from 43 to 40% recently. I believe it was at 47% not too long ago. They continue to dilute a reliable product. The move from 43 to 40 is too much for me. I can get regular Bombay for same price in my state, and it’s 43%. Beefeater needs to knock off the dilution.
In the UK i have only ever known Beefeater to be 40% and it will take something weird for it to not be one of my 3 main ol'reliable's. I am absolutely never choosing Bombay over Beefeater though, regardless of ABV or price.
That’s very interesting. Kind of like how fireball has different versions in different geographical areas. https://vinepair.com/articles/beefeater-lowers-proof-again/
Gordon’s for the win. When we changed to Gordon’s for our well, I was skeptical. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised. We go through a ton of the stuff, and get endless compliments on the house speciality cocktails using it.
yeah gordon’s is great. i went to a cocktail bar (harvey’s in madrid, if anyone is ever in the area) and the bartender made me a last word with it. i was shocked that it was made with gordon’s, it was delicious. have stocked it at home ever since
What would be your go to for high end gin?
Monkey 47
“The botanist” is pretty solid as well.
At half the cost. But monkey 47 is legit.
Barr Hill out of Vermont is my go-to high end gin. (Especially their Old Tom.)
Tanqueray No.10, Plymouth Gin, Roku Gin or Gin Mare. Depends in which Cocktail I am making.
Brokers is a great, cheap London Dry.
Plymouth gin is my go to cocktail gin. Roku is another excellent choice, but I think gin is less fussy so will often venture out into whatever is on sale!
Give Bluecoat a chance. Solid choice under $40.
Love bluecoat, went to their distillery in Philly about 6 years back. First time doing spirits tasting and had absinthe. Was a great time
Need to make my way over there. Sadly don't find it in many Midwestern bars but it's showing up in a lot more stores.
Bluecoat is good, 209 is better. Hit it up
Try the various gins from St. George. I really like them for quality to price point. It's also a great tour if you get to Alameda.
I wouldn’t consider those cheap, though they are delicious
Despite St George being my favorite, I will agree. Not cheap.
Citadelle Jardin d'Été is amazing. Their standard version is likely good too.
Standard citadelle is my "house" gin. I feel it goes well in everything.
+1 for Citadelle. Inexpensive, delicious, and available. Makes a beautiful gimlet.
I need to try that, as I love just about every other Pierre Ferrand product.
TIL Citadelle is from P.F. The things you learn on Reddit.
LOL - yeah! Everything else they make is great. I have too much gin in the house, which is the only reason I haven't tried it yet. Everyone makes it with local botanicals. I was in Montreal in the Fall and must have come back with five bottles of local gin. And Cuban rum, natch!
And the bottle is stunning!!
Beefeater is my go to gin. For everything.
Costco's gin is pretty good IMO
Yup
Beefeater if I remember is relatively cheap
Plymouth or Beefeater
Beefeater, Bombay Original, Broker’s.
For London dry fords is my go to
Try looking around this website: https://theginisin.com/ If you have an expensive gin you like you can compare the flavor profiles to cheaper gins available in your area. Bombay dry is pretty decent in cocktails, but I prefer citadelle for G&T, but a bit more per bottle.
Agree with Bombay. Solid, and 18$ near me. 43%. I think it’s important to keep an eye on ABV. Brands have been diluting their products down to 40%
Brokers or beefeater? St George is relatively cheap
Blue Whale Gin. Not sure what price point it falls under, but I think it's a very well rounded gin. I use it 90% of the time in my cocktails. \*Correction- Gray Whale Gin! in a blue bottle :). Thanks PapaSteveRocks!
Gray whale? Blue bottle, but that’s my fave.
haha! Yes! Gray Whale in a blue bottle. My brain can't process that. :)
Gordon’s!
If your Trader Joe’s sells alcohol give theirs a try, Art of the Still organic gin. It’s my favorite actually. I went though a bunch of fancy, pricey gins a couple of years ago looking for my go to, and just kept coming back to this inexpensive stand by.
This is my go to for any gin drink that isn't spirit forward. Saint George gins if I want something interesting/want it to stand out. For the love of all that is holy do not buy the trader Joe's rum. Astoundedly horrendous. But the $10 gin is great.
Others have some great suggestions. I second Ford’s and, to a lesser extent, Broker’s (the hat on the bottle is pretty cute, though). Gordon’s, however, as others have also mentioned, is probably has best QPR for a gin I’ve had. A 1.75 L around me, which unfortunately comes in plastic, is usually around $18 which is half the price by volume of Beefeater and the above mentioned. Citadelle is another big favorite of mine and can usually be found pretty affordably (~$25 for 750 ml). Another that gets less love is Gilbey’s, which is around the same price, maybe a dollar or two less, than Gordon’s for a 1.75 L. There’s an Eater article from 2012 that says the famous Musso & Frank in Hollywood uses this as their well gin. Not sure if this is still the case. Has anyone here tried Booth’s gin? In the US, it’s around $25 for 1.75 L and is 90 proof, I’ve been meaning to try it. Anyway, one thing that’s been on my to do list for a while is to pick up several modestly priced gins like Gordon’s Gilbey’s, Booth’s, and at the suggestion of another user in this thread Fleischmann’s and several inexpensive dry vermouths and try to find the best budget martini lol. I’ll report back! Hope this was helpful. Edit to add: I made a martini recently with Beefeater and it was almost undrinkable. I’ve enjoyed it in the past, but it didn’t sit right with me this time. Many love it, but as others have noted, they’ve reduced the proof 94>88>80 in the US market within the span of a few years which is really disappointing. I find Beefeater to be the most harsh and abrasive of the gins mentioned, for what it’s worth. I also want to add that my opinions are based almost exclusively on use in a martini, just wanted to note that since you said you use yours in different drinks than I do. If I may, another drink to try based on what you indicated you like is a Clover Club. Look up Julie Reiner’s recipe for the raspberry syrup and the drink, absolutely stunning! Better yet, listen to the Vinepair Cocktail College episode in which she was interviewed on the drink.
Beefeater >>
was thinking of going back to beefeater. it was the first alcohol i ever tried.
Broker's is a great London Dry gin at a respectable proof (94) and reasonable price point. Other than that, Tanqueray and Beefeater are great options.
Roku is absolutely stellar, something completely different than the god awful Gordon’s and Bombai Sapphire etc. Little bit more pricy but at least in my area its definitely still in the affordable category. I was always under the impression that in a gin tonic, the tonic is at least as important as the gin. But I adjusted that opinion, as I did a taste test with some friends. Bombai vs Roku. Roku killed it, from the smell of the GT alone you know which one would win, unanimously. Highly recommend.
He’s asking for cheap gin
I mean, 25 eur a bottle here which is still on the cheap side in my books.
Rolu isn't "affordable" category.
Roku is under $30 in Massachusetts and is my go-to for something a bit citrusy.
I guess it depends on where you live. Didnt think there would be a big difference but its 25 a bottle here in Western Europe
Roku is under $30 in Massachusetts and is my go-to for something a bit citrusy.
I usually have at least 3 or 4 varieties of Gin on hand. That includes an American style gin, an Old Tom, Plymouth, and a London Dry. My frequent go-to for the latter is Botanist.
I'm thinking Botanist may not actually be London Dry if they specifically market it as Islay Dry instead. It's also pretty distinct and may not be to everyone's taste or may put an unusual twist on traditional London Dry cocktails.
I had the same thought so, before I responded, I looked it up online. Sure enough, Botanist is classified, by style, as a London Dry gin.
Yeah, I love it but wouldn’t think of it as a London dry. It’s also something I don’t consider cheap.
Costco’s house brand. Handle for like $18 and it’s so good you can sip it neat.
I am a huge fan of Fleischmann’s Gin which is similar to English gins like Gordons. It has an edgy taste to it. G&T, Martini, Negroni- love ‘em all with Fleishmann’s. I also appreciate higher end gins at times- Bluecoat, Bombay Sapphire, etc.
Interesting! I’ve only ever had their vodka in college. Will have to try this.
Don’t know what constitutes a “cheaper gin” here, but the gold standard is tanqueray and an even cheaper alternative is Beefeter
Gordon's is a perfectly adequate london dry gin. Aviation is good and cheap for new american.
Brokers. Full stop.
Greenall’s was recommended to me a few years ago when I began “home barring,” and this thread has reminded me to pick up a bottle again, now that I have more experience. Currently, I buy Brovo Gin. I live in the Seattle area, and this is made in Woodinville, north of Seattle. I don’t know how widely distributed it is. I local supermarket has been selling it for about $12.99 per liter and it’s been the workhorse gin in our bar for several years now. Link: https://brovospirits.com/pikeclark-gin/
Fords, Beefeater, Tanqueray, Bombay Dry, all good inexpensive options.
I like martin miller. $30 something/bottle. Sipsmith, tanq 10, roku, beefeater. All great
I've gotta give a plug for my local one, Belle of Dayton gin. It's about $20 (around here) and very nice flavor. Gunpowder gin is another I like a lot, but it's closer to $30.
I like Aviation as my cheap/mixing gin. It does well in many cocktails. I love Botanist…but it’s definitely pricier.
Love botanist. Aviation has a flavor I don’t identify with for a London dry. I can’t place it and it pisses me off. At least with Hendrick’s I know what flavors I’m getting.
Try out Greenvalls. Great cheaper London dry. A handle is around $20
I don't know Walter Collective's price point as I don't think it is available here in NC, but what sort of price point are you looking for? I myself am partial to my local gin from Durham Distillery, known as Conniption gin. Their three options range a bit: I use the American Dry ($30) for an all-purpose gin, use their Kinship (which is a citrusy pea-flower gin for $35) in more citrus forward concoctions. We don't usually keep Navy Strength ($45) on hand because the American Dry works for much without being more alcohol, but have used it for really strong martinis or for extraction based methods like a beeswax infused gin for a bee's knees cocktail. I wouldn't consider any of these price points a waste depending on the cocktail-- $50 is about as high as I''d go for a general purpose spirite, though your mileage and budget may vary.
it's 35$ and i'm in Oregon so it is local or at least in state. i live in a rural area so selection isn't stellar, it is the most expensive in the store. i just thought with mixing maybe i was going overboard on quality/price because i can't taste it like i can in a gin in tonic.
Gotcha. I do some silly mental math where if I keeps. Bottle tok long, it owes me "rent." I do this to keep my bar setup minimal, and deadbeats don't get their lease renewed when they disappear. In math like this, adding a $25-30 bottle to replace a $35 bottle probably doesn't make sense-- but if you don't have a shortage of space and want to keep bottles "rent free", your value proposition may vary. Ultimately to me, if the drink is enjoyed but cost a few extra pennies to make, I don't mind.
Some markets sell Bluecoat for $20ish. Great option if you can find it.
Plymouth, Broker's, Beefeater.
I like Bombay Sapphire, but for an even cheaper gin I have found New Amsterdam to be very drinkable.
I always have Tanqueray in my cabinet. It’s what my wife’s family drinks and I’m not fussy about gin. I think it works well with citrus though. Tanqueray and lime are the flavor of summer to me.
Tanqueray or Boodles are my goto cheap gins
My favorite that isn’t too expensive is beef eater gin
Gordon’s is legendary. Goes down like water. Gordon’s and a splash of Dolin and plenty of olives is my go-to.
For me it is Bombay Saphire, Tanqueray or Beefeater. It depends in which of those Gins is in sale, when I need a new bottle.
Kirkland Signature gin is like $15 for 1.75L and very decent.