Both of our testers are gin lovers who were both planning on doing Dry January until this taste test assignment came along, which they couldn't resist. But. Not all gins are equal. Some are definitely better than others in a G&T. And the point of this is to compare the most commonly available ones and rank ‘em. Mainly because it’s fun and an excuse to drink gin in the interest of science. So, drinking more than seven double measures of gin in a week would put you above the UK low risk drinking guidelines.

The UK Chief Medical Officers' (CMO) low risk drinking guidelines recommend that, to keep health risks from alcohol low, it´s safest not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week, for both men and women. Firstly, we found that the gins resolve themselves into three groups fairly neatly, irrespective of the tonic with which they’re served. Just like in other alcoholic drinks, these are ‘empty calories’ with no nutritional value, so don’t benefit your body in any way. Amy and I tasted 10 branded gins in the low to medium price range — mostly ones you’d find in normal supermarkets & offies. We tasted them blind (meaning we didn’t know which was which) and in two separate rounds: first with Fever Tree’s Naturally Light Tonic Water and second with their Regular Tonic.Nose Both testers found Gordon's Alcohol Free 0.0% had a much stronger smell than Gordon's Special Dry London Gin, with sweet herby scents coming through with particular dominance. Two superb contenders here, but I’m giving the rusty Old Parn Ceremonial Corkscrew of Victory to Bombay Sapphire for a marvellously multifaceted G&T, with Gordon’s in the runner-up slot. Best with Fever Tree Regular Tonic How could this be anything other than Gordons? Sensational with Fever Tree Light and more than creditable with Regular Tonic too. Most Interesting Gin and Tonic Here are the special category awards… Gin and Tonic Awards Ceremony Best with Fever Tree Light Tonic It’s a myth that drinks featuring clear spirits are low in calories. Alcohol contains around seven calories a gram - almost as many as pure fat. 2 So, because gin has a high alcohol content, it’s high in calories too.

A 50ml measure of Gordon's Alcohol Free 0.0% contains six calories, which is roughly the same as half a crisp. The world's bestselling London Dry Gin perfectly mixed with diet tonic, ready to drink in a 250ml can.

METHOD

Gin is often a drink of choice for those of us watching our waistlines thanks to its slightly lower number of calories per serving when compared with other alcoholic drinks. The second group is the punchy gin and tonics. Like the above group, these also taste very much as expected of a G&T, but rather than being citric and slightly wet, they are juniper-led, drier and considerably more assertive. They don’t bring outlandish or unexpected flavours, in general; instead, they bring what is scientifically known as hoof. Spoiler: I like these ones. So. Yes. I know. I said before that posts like ‘the best gin for gin and tonic’ are terrible Google-baiting things. I stand by my words: there’s no ‘best’ in a world of huge variety. I am not claiming that the winner of our taste-tests below is objectively the absolute best gin in the world, because that would be ridiculous. What’s more, the calories people consume through alcohol tend to be additional to the calories they consume in the rest of their diet, rather than a replacement. That means you could be having lots of extra calories ‘passively’, or without thinking about it, which can lead to weight gain. 5 To put that into context - an entire 70cl bottle of Gordon's 0.0% contains less than 0.1 units of alcohol. Calories in gin: how does alcohol-free compare?

Those looking to cut down on their alcohol intake will be pleased to discover that they can also significantly cut their calorie intake when drinking Gordon's Alcohol Free 0.0%. For a drink to be sold as ‘gin’ in the UK, it has to be at least 37.5% Alcohol By Volume (ABV). 1 That means 37.5% of the drink is pure alcohol. And the final group consists of the unusual gin and tonics. These are gins which (to varying degrees of success) mainline in flavours that sit outside the standard G&T spectrum. They therefore exhibit a broad range of personalities. They may also be light, and they may also have hoof, but they are to my mind principally characterised by other more unusual flavours and qualities that set them apart from the mainstream. A Note on PriceDrinking above the UK low risk drinking guidelines increases your risk of developing long-term health problems. It can damage your heart and liver, increase your risk of seven different types of cancer, and affect your appearance, fertility and mental health. How much alcohol is in gin? A 50ml measure of Gordon's Special Dry London Gin contains 104 calories, which is roughly the same as two ginger nut biscuits.

In fact, you might be surprised to hear that a double gin and tonic made with a 50ml measure of gin contains around 153 calories. 3 Even switching to a diet mixer will still mean a high calorie drink – a double gin and diet tonic is estimated to have 112 calories. 4 A typical-strength single (25ml) measure of gin will have 1 unit of alcohol in it. If your drink has a double measure, that means double the amount of alcohol (and calories).All alcohol – including the alcohol in gin - is made from natural starch and sugar. That means a single measure (25ml) by itself typically contains about 52 calories - almost as much as a chocolate chip cookie (57 calories). Tanqueray was the winner of our 2012 taste test and again holds the top spot in 2019 (though this time sharing the honours). While Bombay Sapphire excels with light tonic, Tanqueray wins out with regular — which makes sense, given its more punchy, domineering character. It’s serious, strong, crammed with juniper. A G&T with proper weight to it. With light tonic, it’s still a fine drink: solid and powerful. However, unexpectedly, there was a slight (very slight) over-sweetness to this G&T which caused us to mark it down a little. Again, this could go one of two ways, but I settled on Tanqueray for its punch, its spunk. Sipsmith is bloody good too, though. Best Value Gin for Gin and Tonic It's also important to know that Gordon's Alcohol Free 0.0% isn't entirely devoid of alcohol. Gordon's says that it contains no more than 0.015% ABV, so there is in fact a trace of alcohol in each bottle. But the alcoholic strength of gin can vary a lot – the vast majority of widely bought gin brands are 40% ABV or above, and some – such as ‘small-batch’ or ‘boutique’ gins can be a lot higher.