Celebrate World Gin Day 2024 With These World-Class Gins

A s I’ve previously written on these pages, gin is perhaps the most polarizing spirit on the planet, perhaps even more than mezcal and peated whisky. That said, gin has its fair number of fans and for World Gin Day , we’ve got some brands below that should be the center of your celebrations.

Unlike most of these holidays for adult beverages, I was able to nail down the origin of World Gin Day (June 8). Here’s more from the World Gin Day website:

Who is behind World Gin Day?
Hi, that’s me! Emma Stokes aka Gin Monkey!

World Gin Day itself was actually founded by Neil Houston in 2009, a very bright idea to bring his friends together to drink gin in Birmingham! Emma and Neil were already firm gin-friends, and so it made sense to bring the celebrations to London in 2010, involving some of Emma’s friends too, in a lovely little gin bar called Graphic in Soho. Since then the day has grown year on year, reaching an ever bigger audience.

In 2013 Emma formally took charge of the day, due to Neil’s work commitments, and the day has since evolved into a truly global celebration with events running in over 30 countries around the world, reaching over 200 million people on social channels. No really, just check out the stats for past years using the links in the site menu…not too shabby I’m sure you’ll agree.

I’m not shy about my affinity for gin and I feel confident saying that it is indeed my favorite spirit. The issue with gin is that plenty of people are turned off by its botanical flavors and aromas, particularly the London dry style and the juniper that jumps out ahead. Like most vodkas, the majority of quality gins on the market are also unadulterated by coloring and forgo sweeteners and the like.

There are also several flavored gins, barrel-aged gins, Old Tom gins, and more. The possibilities of gin are vast, although I’ll admit to enjoying the London Dry expressions more than most. I’ve even arrived at a space where now I can sip gin neat or on a large rock. The typical flavors most get from gin are either floral, herbal, or a touch of both.

It’s also a refreshing choice for cocktails for classic drinks such as the Gin and Tonic, French 75, Gimlet, and more. You can even get bold sippable cocktails with gin such as the Negroni, Bijou, Corpse Reviver No. 2, and more.

No matter how you enjoy your gin, join me for a pour, and happy World Gin Day to all.

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Photo: Getty