The 8 Best Gins for a Martini

Some people like a dash of orange bitters in their martini, while others would cringe at the notion. What makes a perfect martini is truly based on preference, since even history can’t seem to agree on who first made one or which gin-to-dry-vermouth ratio is correct.

What can be agreed on today as common practice is that a martini’s ingredients should be stirred (not shaken!) and as cold as possible — including the martini glass. Whether you garnish with olives or a citrus twist depends on the flavor profile of the gin… and how snacky you’re feeling.

We won’t try to tell you exactly how to drink your martini, but we will recommend these eight gins!

Gin Mare

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Gin Mare is all about showcasing Mediterranean-sourced botanicals. From olive, basil, rosemary and thyme to orange, lemon and cardamom, this gin is an herb garden of flavors. Gin Mare is bottled at 42.7% ABV and can be found for about $45.

At its core, Gin Mare comes across as quite savory. This gin would make a great dry martini garnished with, of course, olives.

Fords Gin

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Fords Gin is classically flavored with a botanical mix you’d anticipate in a London dry: juniper, coriander, cassia bark, angelica root and citrus peels. This makes it an excellent martini gin for people who don’t need any frills with their cocktail. Choose a garnish that brings you joy.

According to the brand’s website, Fords Gin is “the cocktail gin.” This is great news for us as we are, in fact, making a cocktail with it. “The cocktail gin” is bottled at 45% ABV and can be bought for $31.

Sipsmith V.J.O.P. Gin

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Sipsmith’s flagship London dry is good, but have you tried the brand’s “Very Junipery Over Proofed” expression? It’s the “ginniest gin,” according to Sipsmith. So if you’re looking for a juniper jamboree, consider this gin in your next martini. Make it a dirty one, too, you won’t regret it (we hope).

Sipsmith V.J.O.P. is bottled at a navy strength ABV of 57.7%, which justifies the $62 price tag. You can have one strong martini and be set for the evening. We recommend a citrus twist.

Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin

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Four Pillars is highlighting martini’s best friend in this gin. As listed on the brand’s website, Four Pillars uses “three types of cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil and olive leaf tea from the world-class groves of Victoria’s Cobram Estate.” If Sipsmith V.J.O.P. is a juniper jamboree, Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin is an olive orchestra.

This savory gin is bottled at 43.9% ABV and can be found for about $36. For the olive fiends out there, go nuts and garnish your dry martini with even more olives. Better yet, have a martini party and serve tapenade.

Nikka Coffey Gin

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Nikka Coffey is made with four Japanese citrus fruits: shequasar, yuzu, kabosu and amanatsu. These tart and tangy fruits come together with juniper, coriander, sansho pepper and citrus peels. You can never have too much citrus, it seems. We think you can safely guess what would be a great martini garnish for this gin.

Nikka Coffey Gin is bottled at 47% ABV and can be found for around $53, which is quite a reasonable price for a gin shipped from Japan.

Broker’s London Dry Gin

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Broker’s is the “world’s best gin” according to a score of 97 the gin was awarded at the 2010 Ultimate Spirits Challenge. Also, hello, the cute little bowler hat on top? We’d give Broker’s Gin bonus points for the charming accessory.

Broker’s is a London dry bottled at 47% ABV and found for around $30. Botanicals that stand out are cinnamon, nutmeg and licorice root.

For the dry martini garnish, olives and citrus twists are both compatible, so pick your favorite and sip away.

Gray Whale Gin

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Gray Whale Gin is loved for its unique herbal, briney tasting profile. All botanicals used in Gray Whale are either sustainably sourced or wild harvested, per the brand. Gray Whale’s botanical mix includes mint, fir needles, plenty of citrus and sea kelp.

Enjoy a Gray Whale martini garnished with a bunch of olives for ultimate umami.

Priced at around $40 and bottled at 43% ABV, Gray Whale Gin can be found just about anywhere good gin is sold.

Oxley Gin

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Oxley is a martini-worthy gin classically flavored with plenty of juniper and citrus. What makes Oxley unique is its cold distillation process which helps preserve each botanical’s freshness. The resulting gin is crisp and sippable.

Oxley Gin is begging to be put in a freezing dry martini garnished with a citrus twist of choice — we recommend grapefruit. Oxley is bottled at 47% ABV and can be found for around $38.

Read next:

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