London Dry Gin

London Dry is the archetypal modern gin. Despite the name, it does not have to be made in London — the term is a legal style, not a geographic protection.

By EU and UK law, London Dry gin must:

• Use a highly rectified base spirit distilled to at least 96% ABV.
• Redistill that base with only natural botanicals, added before or during the redistillation — no flavor additions afterwards.
• Come off the still at at least 70% ABV.
• Contain no added sugar (max 0.1 g/L).
• Contain no coloring.
• Have juniper as the dominant flavor.

Only water may be added after distillation to reach bottling strength.

The result is a dry, clean, juniper-forward gin with clear supporting notes of citrus and coriander. Beefeater, Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire, and Sipsmith are classic examples.

Because of its clean profile, London Dry is the go-to gin for a Gin & Tonic, a Dry Martini, or a Negroni. It plays well with quinine, vermouth, and Campari because it has no residual sweetness of its own.

Distilled Gin looks similar on the shelf but is a looser category: you may add flavors *after* distillation, and small amounts of sugar are allowed. If a producer wants creative freedom, they choose Distilled Gin; if they want the classic guarantee, they choose London Dry.