The Best Gins For Your G&T Under £30

You don’t need an excuse, but if you’re looking for a reason to pour yourself a crisp G&T today then we’ve assembled a fantastic collection of gins below for you to enjoy, and all for under £30 too!

The humble G&T goes back hundreds of years when it was originally used to ward off malaria and its official day of celebration, International G&T Day celebrated on 19th October, is a recent invention. On this day in 2010, 95-year-old gin lover Mary Edith Keyburn had her family sneak in one final gin and tonic to her hospital bed before passing away, so what began as a private family moment has become a global celebration of Mary’s favourite beverage! What a woman!

So without further ado, here are our gin recommendations for a delicious and affordable G&T…

Brecon Botanicals Gin

As you might guess from the illustrations on the bottle, this special edition from the wonderful Welsh Penderyn Distillery uses botanicals from the four corners of the world. There is a hint of citrus and deep bergamot that gives way to oriental spice, with a luxuriously clean and crisp finish as it’s made with pure water from the Brecon Beacons National Park. After all, there’s a reason it picked up a Gold at the 2021 Gin Masters! Serve it simply with lots of ice, premium tonic and some fresh lemon slices to really elevate the citrus notes. 

Size: 700ml
ABV: 43%
Find here: £22.99

Broker’s Gin

Andy and Martin Dawson set out on a mission in 1998 to create the best London Dry Gin, and in 2010 they became the first ever gin to be awarded a score of 98 at the prestigious Ultimate Spirits Challenge, so you could say that’s mission complete. This fantastic gin is produced in a 200-year-old distillery using traditional copper pot stills and 10 botanicals including orange and lemon peel, angelica root, cinnamon, liquorice, and cassia bark. As the Broker’s themselves say, there are, ‘no frills and no peculiar ingredients’ and that’s true, it’s just a superbly balanced combination that creates a gorgeous, very subtly herbal, and slightly creamy profile. Hats off! Serve it over ice, with tonic and a lime for garnish. It would also make for a top drawer Negroni, but it’s a weighty 47% so careful with the ratios ;)

Size: 700ml
ABV: 47%
Find here: £23.75

Boodles British Gin

This is another London Dry Gin, and one that has gone from strength to strength since a big 2013 overhaul. Inspired by a recipe dating back to 1845 when Boodle’s Gentlemen’s Club was in full swing, Boodles oodles with flavour. The botanical list includes sage, rosemary, and nutmeg but there is a very unusual omission; there’s no citrus. As a result, Boodles has a mellow, aromatic, and gorgeously herbaceous quality to it. Serve with plenty of ice, premium tonic, and a peppermint leaf for a glass of refreshing coolness.

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: UK £23.93 // US $24.99

Edinburgh Gin

Made in the heart of Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh Gin have been making a name for themselves for over a decade now. This is a gin that isn’t afraid to lead with its smooth juniper, but underneath that is citrus sweetness, earthy pine, and a really complimentary creaminess from the inclusion of milk thistle. All of this is topped off with a gentle touch of warming spice to finish, what’s not to love?! Try it over ice with your favourite tonic and an orange slice for garnish.

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 43%
Find here: UK £25.94 // US $34.99

Malfy Gin Rosa

Malfy Gin Rosa is easily a gin you can get lost in and after a few sips you’ll wish you were enjoying it on the Amalfi Coast, but it’s still pretty good at home we have to say. Underneath that stunning pale rose colouring is a beautiful aroma of rhubarb and fresh citrus, followed by vibrant fresh Sicilian grapefruit and a long juniper finish. This would be fantastic with a Mediterranean tonic and of course some pink grapefruit to top it all off! On the other hand, or perhaps even in your other hand, if you’re in the mood for cocktails then it’s begging to be at the centre of a Clover Club, or perhaps a Gin Fizz too! Stunning.

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 41%
Find here: UK £26.49 // US $27.99

Love Delhi Gin

Have you ever thought about accompanying Indian food with gin? Well now’s the time. Love Delhi was created by one of the largest Indian caterers in the UK to compliment gourmet Indian food, paying homage to the fact that G&T originated in India! At the heart of this vibrant gin is the national fruit, Mango. Alongside pomegranate and juniper, they offset the spicy undertone superbly to create a wonderfully unique tropical gin. Plenty of ice (maybe more if you’re having a particularly spicy curry with it) and premium tonic is great to allow the gin’s strong flavours to come to the fore, and there’s only one garnish here – a sweet slice of mango! Nom!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 37.5%
Find here: £27.99

Crafter's London Dry Gin 

This gin is distilled in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia as it has been for over a century. Their oldest pot has even got its own name, which is Mamma Ilse named after the legendary master who worked there, Ilse Maar. Production secrets have been passed down through the years, including the skill involved in distilling 6 different botanicals separately. The unique bouquet of Nordic plants is spearheaded by veronica and fennel seed, creating herbaceous and flowery notes. It’s a beautifully aromatic dry gin that tends to win people around on a first try – see for yourself! Premium tonic, ice and a sprig of rosemary provide the perfect set up for this herby gin and tonic.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 43%
Find here: £27.99

Boxer Gin

Named in honour of the first Heavy Champion of the World, Tom King, who knocked back gins before each fight, Boxer Gin packs a mighty punch. The juniper berries are harvested from the slopes of Mount Everest and the botanical elixir is completed with fresh Italian bergamot, lemon, and orange, all meticulously blended in Victorian copper pot stills. These lively flavours are painted on a canvas of woody spice and subtle floral notes to create an incredibly complex and rewarding dry gin. This will make for a great G&T with a classic or elderflower tonic, and cucumber garnish to sit perfectly with the fresh and mellow palate. Truly a gin for champions!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £27.99

That’s your gin covered, but a great gin must be paired with a premium tonic to match right? Have a look here or here for some of our favourites!

By Calum Ecroyd

The Best Ready-Made Garnishes for G&Ts

Say goodbye to the same-old lemon slivers, twists of orange, slices of cucumber – G&T garnishes just entered the 21st century. You heard us: a whole new world of unique, flavourful and (thank the heavens!) ready-made garnishes are out there to help up your G&T game with almost zero effort. They don’t only make drinks taste great, they let you customise them, making that Gin & Tonic one-of-a-kind… 

Rock Rose Gin Liquid Garnishes

Forgot to stock up on lemons? No problem: pop a few drops of Rock Rose’s ‘liquid garnish’ – a 41.5% ABV concoction akin to a cocktail bitter – into your G&T, and you’ve instantly got the bright, aromatic hit you’re craving. The four flavours are designed to go with Rock Rose’s own Highland-made gins, but in truth they enhance just about any G&T. Our go-to for summer? The slightly medicinal Lemon Thyme (a hint of gentian, popularly used in vermouth, gives it a gorgeous bitter edge). And, Coriander and Lime – one squeeze is as good as a wedge of fresh-cut citrus.

Size: 100ml
ABV: 41.5%
Fine here: £12

Hepple Douglas Fir Sherbet

Cocktail rims are just for margaritas: said no one ever. Bring the party to your G&Ts with this moreish Douglas Fir Sherbet powder from Hepple Gin, made with real fir tree needles. Sampled straight, it tastes a bit like a sugar-dusted Christmas tree. Applied sparingly to a glass, and paired with gin and tonic, it mellows, becomes tangier and boosts your drink’s resinous, piney juniper notes. It’s a no-brainer with Hepple Gin – it stars Douglar Fir as a botanical – but this should go with any rich, juniper-forward bottling. Note: we found it hard to resist snacking straight from the tin… you have been warned.

Find here: £12.50

Fruits for Drinks – Mixed Fruit Selection

When it comes to flavour concentration, freeze-dried fruits can often knock fresh ones out of the park. And – pop the celebration corks, folks – they don’t really go off, which means less waste. Plump for this set of six types of dried fruit (lime, orange, lemon, raspberry, blueberry and strawberry) and no matter which gin you’re serving, you’ll have a garnish to match the flavour profile. With an average of 120 portions in each set, it’s better value than fresh fruit too and should keep you going on the G&T front for months.

Find here: £39.50

Maddocks Farm Organics Budding Floral Cocktail Box

Not that you need a reason to treat yourself to a bouquet of blooms, but edible flower garnishes look fabulous in a G&T – floating delicately on the surface, or frozen into giant ice cubes. Of course, you can’t use just anything in that drink (some flowers are toxic, others don’t taste great). That’s where edible flower specialist Maddocks Farm comes in. They sell cocktail-perfect, 100% edible seasonal blooms in boxes of around 60, and they also throw in scrumptious edible foliage such as lemon verbena stalks or fennel fronds. That G&T has never looked more fabulous.

Find here: £20

DrinkStuff Juniper Berries

Gin plus juniper berries – a match made in heaven, right? If in doubt, a sprinkling of dried juniper berries not only adds flavour, it makes your G&Ts feel like they’ve been whipped up in a trendy bar. As you’d probably guess, the berries – which look similar to black peppercorns – give an extra lift to the resinous, piney flavour that this spirit is known for. In other words: it’s best left to those who really like classic gin profiles. Just be sure to sip with care; the aim is to leave the berries behind in the glass, not guzzle ‘em down with your G&T.

Find here: £2.80

Wondering which gin to pair with your garnishes? Then, take a look at The Best Flavoured Gins for your Money or these Stunning Scottish Gins.