As students, we think we’re pretty qualified for giving an opinion on gins. The Taragraph and LibbySparksOnline have come together to create a bumper blog post of the gins they believe suit any sort of mood or scenario you may find yourself in. Bottoms up!
Night in (just for the taste)
Tara: Parma Violet
Mixer: lemonade
No matter whether you love or hate Parma Violets sweets, there’s something about them being in gin that makes them taste great. You can buy this flavour from nearly any gin company, from Aldi to Whitley Neil. It’s easily available and it’s perfect to drink after a long day.
Libby: Hendricks
Mixer: tonic
Hendricks’ is a real classic, and one of my favourite garnishes for a gin is cucumber and with the cucumber notes in a Hendricks this leads to a lovely cosy night in drink with a great taste. It’s got to be served with tonic of course, making the perfect drink to sip on, without it being a uni night and feeling like I’ve got to finish one every 10 seconds.
Boujee (our payday gins)
Tara: Winchester Gin
Mixer: tonic
This gin is pretty local to me and has a slight sweet-citrusy flavour. At nearly £40 a bottle it’s definitely one to treat yourself to rather than drinking it every night at pres.
Libby: Monkey 47
Mixer: tonic
I can’t express my love for this gin enough. The 47 stands for the 47 botanicals that go onto making this gin and boy can you taste it. It’s definitely my favourite but coming in at a whopping £40 usually it doesn’t come into the student budget often. Definitely one for a treat.
Best Cheap Gin (on a student budget)
Tara: Gordon’s
Mixer: tonic, lemonade, whatever
In uni towns Gordon’s is always on offer in the supermarkets, you can easily get a 70cl bottle for around about a tenner. You can always boujee up a Gordon’s and tonic (or whatever mixer you’ve got in the fridge) with a bit of squash if you want something a bit more exciting.
Libby: Lidl (lol)
Mixer: lemonade
Is this just a convenience choice? Maybe, but you can’t beat Lidl for its prices, and with one in almost every student town it’s a go to for me on a night out. Saying that, it’s got to be lemonade to mix it with, the sugar is needed to mask the price, but it is a gin that does the job.
Pub Gin (something to sip)
Tara: Tanqueray
Mixer: tonic
Usually a house gin — sometimes the pub might have a deal where it’s house and tonic is a little bit cheaper than it should be.
Libby: Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla Orange Gin
Mixer: tonic
If I’m at the pub I love going for a flavour I wouldn’t usually get at home. This is why I pick an orange gin like this because I’d get too sick of the flavour if I had it all the time at home, but once in a while if I’m out for some casual drinks is just the right amount to still enjoy this gin.
Best Fruity Gin
Tara: Tarquin’s Blackberry
Mixer: tonic
I discovered this refreshingly fruity gin during lockdown and I’m in love with it. Tarquin’s Blackberry gin is dark purple in colour and so easy to drink. Pop it in a balloon glass with some strawberry slices, a wedge of lemon, a bit of cucumber and it looks as gorgeous as it tastes.
Libby: Whitley Neills Rhubarb and Ginger
Mixer: lemonade
This is easy, and to be honest I don’t know what I did before it. Perfect amount of fruitiness without it coating your teeth in sugar like a certain Gordon’s Pink Gin (more to come on that one). And if I’m going all out with this fruity gin, it’s got to be lemonade with it top off that sugar rush.
Our Go-tos
Tara: Sipsmith
Mixer: tonic
My absolute favourite regular gin and a lot of pubs sell it. It’s not cheap but it’s not expensive either. If you just want a plain gin, this is so much nicer to drink than just settling for Gordons or Beefeater.
Libby: Gordon’s – gonna be on special, can’t go wrong
Mixer: tonic
It just is going to be on special isn’t it. It’s easy and cheap, what more can I say. I like to mix it with some elderflower cordial and tonic to spice it up, and most good cordials are only an extra £3 or so, which I think is justifiable given the constant reduced sticker next to the Gordon’s itself.
Plain Old Gin
Tara: Martin Millers Dry Gin
Mixer: tonic
This gin comes in a fancy bottle, making it a good one to show off on your shelf. Martin Millers stands out from any other standard gin because it’s a little bit more lemony than any others. Martin Millers won’t break the bank when you want something a bit different as it’s around £23 a bottle.
Libby: Bombay
Mixer: tonic
I don’t find that I need to add anything extra to a Bombay whereas a Gordon’s I do. Therefore if I’m looking for a G&T that tastes like a good old bog standard G&T, Bombay Sapphire it is. Like Martin Millers the bottle is lovely and the taste itself means I do find it can be served plain with minimal garnishes and just a tonic.
One You Can’t Stand
Tara: Gordon’s Pink (or any cheap pink gin)
Like Libby I absolutely cannot stand Gordon’s Pink Gin or anything similar. I recently tried Greenall’s Wild Berry gin and like Gordon’s it has a sickly redcurrant undertone that tastes like a G&T the second time round.
Libby: Gordon’s Pink Gin
I’m sorry I just can’t bear it, freshers really put a bad taste in my mouth with this one after drinking it for two weeks straight only to vom it back up hours later, I can’t take a sip again.
Now you know our favourite gins — and not so favourite gins — what’s yours? Comment down below!
The Taragraph 