Ideas for home bar: Best Indian gins you must have in your home bar collection

If you’re planning to raise a toast with a cocktail or a G&T in India, there’s a good chance your drink features an Indian gin.

In May 2023, Broken Bat was voted the Best Gin in Asia at the Gin Guide Awards 2023. It was also the winner in the aged gin category globally. It’s a significant win for a couple of reasons. The gin makers ditched traditional oak barrels opting for a process that used Kashmir willow (used for cricket bats) to celebrate their love for cricket. It’s also a big shot in the arm for the Indian gin industry. This is a gin from Nao Spirits who created Great Than that has become a globally acclaimed gin.

Also read: 10 gins to add to your home bar

It’s part of a bigger Indian gin story that has made massive strides in just half a decade, winning the approval of gin drinkers and mixologists alike. If you’re planning to raise a toast with a cocktail or a G&T in India, there’s a good chance your drink features an Indian gin.

The Gin and Tonic might have originated in India but that was a by-product of the British colonial era. India’s modern gin revolution is driven largely by homegrown gin manufacturers who are riding on Indian botanicals. India’s well-heeled, Instagram-first global travellers are experimenting with cocktails like never before; Indian gins now occupy pride of place in their home bars.

We round up some of the finest gins that have made waves across the world and deserve to be in your collection:

Also read: A ‘Goan’ gin and a rice whisky: New additions for your home bar

Greater Than

This is the Indian gin that started it all. The Greater Than story began at a cocktail bar in Delhi when founders Anand Virmani and Vaibhav Singh’s quest for a good gin led them to create their own. Their distillery was set up in Goa that has now become the hub for India’s gin story. It’s almost a best of both worlds with juniper and citrus from Spain and Macedonia and Indian elements like coriander, fennel seeds and ginger.

Price: Rs 1,750

Jaisalmer

From the same makers – Radico Khaitan, who produce Rampur, one of India’s finest whiskies, Jaisalmer seeks inspiration from the royal legends of one of India’s most colourful cities. This triple-distilled neutral grain spirit, re-distilled in a traditional copper pot still is crafted in their distillery at the foothills of the Himalayas. It’s a taste of India – 7 of the 11 botanicals in the gin are sourced from four different corners of India.

Price: Rs 3,700

Stranger and Sons

Quite a few Indian mixologists love to add a twist of Gondhoraj lemons in their gin cocktails. Gondhoraj lemons sourced from Kolkata are one of the hero ingredients in this proudly Indian gin distilled in Goa. Indian botanicals come to the fore in this gin that is infused with three types of citrus peels and also features undertones of homegrown pepper and coriander.

Price: Rs 2,575

Terai

A modern gin rooted in London Dry Gin traditions but with an intrinsically Indian flavour profile. The bottle is a showstopper, inspired by the pillars of ancient Indian architecture yet contemporary. The playful stopper is hand-crafted by artisans from Channapatna, Karnataka - the 'toy town' of India. This gin features eleven botanicals mainly sourced from Khari Baoli, Asia’s largest spice market.

Price: Rs 1,900

Hapusa

It translates to juniper in Sanskrit and is from Nao Spirits who created Greater Than. It’s the world’s first dry gin crafted with Himalayan juniper and it won a gold medal at the International Wines & Spirits competition in 2021. Indian botanicals like cardamom, coriander seeds, turmeric and ginger are at the very heart of this gin.

Price: Rs 3,200

Pumori

It takes its name from Mt. Pumori, the ‘Daughter of the Everest’ that’s close to Mount Everest. The name makes a connection with the juniper sourced from this region. This hand-crafted, small batch gin – each batch of Pumori measures only 200 litres is distilled in Goa and combines Himalayan juniper with Indian botanicals like lemon peel, almond, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Price: Rs 3,150

GinGin

Hemp in a gin? You heard it right. GinGin is positioned as India’s only single-shot distilled hemp gin. GinGin is crafted with nine botanicals - hemp, Himalayan juniper, coriander lavender, rosemary, caraway seeds, cinnamon, lemongrass and butterfly pea flower. It took almost 40 versions to perfect this single shot vapour-infused spirit that debuted in Goa.

Price: Rs 999