Cheers! World Gin Day is June 8—What Are We Drinking?

It’s not like we enjoy gin just on the one international day of celebrating our favourite spirit. We love it year-round. Here are five gins to inspire us to raise a glass this Saturday, whether we shake, stir, sip straight up or in cocktails. —Catherine Dunwoody

Dillon’s Dry Gin 7 from Canadian small-batch distillery Dillon’s, is made from 100 per cent Canadian rye and the result of consultations with some of Canada’s top bartenders to get the flavour profile just right. Vapour distilled through seven botanicals, distilled in oak, and nothing short of perfect in your Negroni. Or Bond-Martini.

Victoria, B.C. has become the country’s gin-capital, with award-winning distillers producing exceptional gins indeed. In 2016, inspired by  “Canada’s Castle on the Coast” The Fairmont Empress, Empress 1908 from Victoria Distillers (one of Canada’s oldest artisan distilleries) was born. Their newest gin, Empress 1908 Cucumber Lemon Gin has serious notes of lemon zest and crisp cucumber that dance around with juniper, cardamom and jasmine.

Empress 1908 Cucumber Lemon Gin Basil Gimlet

• 2 oz Empress 1908 Cucumber Lemon Gin 
• 0.75 oz Fresh Lime Juice 
• 0.75 oz Simple Syrup 
• 5 Basil leaves
• Cucumber Ribbon, for garnish 

Add liquid ingredients and basil into a cocktail shaker and gently muddle to release aromatics. Shaker over ice to chill and fine strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with cucumber ribbon on a cocktail pick and enjoy!

Also from Victoria, Sheringham Distillery offers some beautiful gins made with quality ingredients. The latest from this brand is Raincoast Gin inspired by BC’s fresh rainfall in its temperate rainforest. Think coastal botanicals, juniper, nettle, oakmoss and citrus. Lovely in cocktails but deserving as the hero in a dry martini.

Bombay Sapphire is a classic, London dry gin with the distinctive blue bottle often on our bar carts at home, and certainly at many a cocktail bar. Seems gin drinkers love their gin with citrus, especially lemon, and this summer the brand has a new recipe to share, right here.

Bombay Sapphire Sparkling Lemon

• 1.5 oz Bombay Sapphire
• .05 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
• .05 oz sugar syrup
• 2 oz Soda Water

Combine all ingredients (except club soda) in a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a glass with fresh ice and top with club soda. Garnish with a lemon wedge and a blackberry.

Narrative Gin made by the Okanagan Crush Pad is triple distilled using wine from their vineyards as its base. Twelve botanicals were chosen to offer great complexity, including coriander, citrus peel, cubeb berries, chamomile and lemongrass. The result is a refreshing gin, proudly made in Canada.