The 5 Best Gin Cocktails We’ve Had This Year

Cocktail books from before 1970 emphasize concoctions made with gin, and lots of it. Some of the most well-known classics are gin drinks that never go out of style, such as the martini, Negroni, French 75, Tom Collins, and rickey. But between the era of those drinks and the more recent craft cocktail revival, vodka had come into the spotlight, fueling a proliferation of cosmopolitans and Sea Breezes, while gin somehow gained a reputation as stuffy. Gin, however, has let down its hair and is making a comeback around the world as distilleries capitalize on using native botanicals in compelling combinations in countries as diverse as England, Japan, and Australia, whetting our appetites for equally alluring mixed drinks. Here, four of the world’s top bartenders offer their interpretations for hosts to shake and stir for guests this season.