The Best Way To Dress Up A Mediocre Gin, According To A Cocktail Pro

When it comes to picking out a bottle of liquor for a cocktail, gin can be a tricky one. While the juniper-based spirit has always been popular, it hasn't had the same hype cycles that modern favorites like bourbon, vodka, and tequila have had, so the reputations of the most popular gin brands aren't as readily known to the average consumer. And while gin is certainly something you can sip by itself, its powerful botanical and piney flavor is also not something as many people like drinking straight, making it harder to know what you're getting into when you mix it into something. 

Sometimes, you are going to buy a bottle of gin, make that first gin and tonic, and realize it just isn't that good. But you still don't want your mid-level gin to go to waste. So, we reached out to an expert for some ideas. Tiffanie Barriere, a cocktail educator, consultant, and founder of The Drinking Coach, gave us some tips for dressing up a mediocre gin. Barriere told us, "While I don't believe in a BAD gin, citrus is usually your best friend with a bottle full of botanicals." As for which citrus flavors you should be looking at, she says, "A strong lemon or grapefruit presence can help neutralize off-putting juniper notes." And wouldn't you know it, but there are plenty of great gin cocktails, classics included, that feature these exact citrus flavors.

There is one classic cocktail that is as simple as they come and delivers exactly what Tiffanie Barriere is looking for, and that's the two-ingredient greyhound, which mixes grapefruit juice with either gin or vodka. All you need to do is mix one shot of gin (1.5 ounces) with 4 to 5 ounces of fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice in a glass with ice and stir. There is also the Meyer lemon Tom Collins cocktail, which uses fresh Meyer lemon juice and adds sugar, which is another great way to help dull the edges of a harsh gin. But you don't need to stick to just citrus for mediocre gin, and if you want to get a little more adventurous, Barriere says, "Honey, ginger, or tea also do a great job of rounding out the flavors." 

Another long-time favorite dating back to Prohibition is the Bee's Knees, an easy three-ingredient cocktail that combines 2 ounces of gin with ½ of an ounce of honey syrup and ¾ of an ounce of lemon juice in a shaker with ice. For tea, you can try a more recent creation, the Royal-Tea cocktail, which mixes 2 ounces of chilled Earl Grey tea with a shot of gin, a splash of lemon, and sugar. And finally, for ginger, there isn't a better option than a gin mule, a gin swap for a Moscow mule that is also sometimes called a foghorn. All three of these cocktails double up on Barriere's suggestion by mixing citrus with either honey, tea, or ginger. With these tips in mind, you certainly won't be wanting for options when it comes to clearing out that bottle of so-so gin.