Courtesy of Big Gin

5 Under the Radar Gins Every Gin Lover Needs to Try

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Itโ€™s a great time to be a gin drinker. There are more gins out there than ever, and exceptional new bottlings are appearing all the time. The boom has opened the door for gin-focused bars like Scofflaw in Chicago, which stocks its shelves with a curated selection of more than a hundred different gins. While every true juniper enthusiast should make a pilgrimage to Scofflaw and start working their way down the list, the more casual gin lover can get by with a few recommendations for under-the-radar gins from Scofflaw bar manager Luke DeYoung.

Citadelle ($24)

Made in Cognac, France, by Cognac producers on Cognac stills, this pioneering gin paved the way for other Cognac producers who wanted to venture into paler pastures. Though itโ€™s been around for years now, Citadelle is still relatively unknown. โ€œItโ€™s never been intensely marketed,โ€ DeYoung says. โ€œWhen it came out, it was more radical in its flavor profile, but now not so much. It has fun floral notes; it takes you on a journey. At first sip, you get juniper but then it finishes super spicy, like baking spices. Itโ€™s super softโ€”they use French wheat.โ€ DeYoung likes to use Citadelle in easy-drinking Martinis (โ€œbeginner Martinisโ€) as well as any sour cocktail like a French 75 or Gimlet.

Cotswolds Dry Gin ($35)

Made in the Cotswolds region in England, this unfiltered gin is made with locally grown lavender as well as botanicals like juniper, bay leaf and citrus. โ€œItโ€™s one of my hands down favorite gins,โ€ DeYoung says. โ€œItโ€™s a great example of taking the essence of a London Dry and adding things, while keeping things well balanced.โ€ He likes the ginโ€™s oily texture and how its flavor changes as it dilutes. โ€œThe first time I tasted it, I was like, dang, this is what Iโ€™ve been waiting for,โ€ he says. Itโ€™s especially good with tonic water or in any shaken gin cocktail, but you can also drink it on its own.

Riegerโ€™s Midwestern Dry Gin ($28)

Weโ€™ve already waxed poetic about J. Riegerโ€™s Caffรฉ Amaro, but the gin holds its own as well. โ€œItโ€™s one of my new favorites for sure,โ€ DeYoung says. โ€œI think itโ€™s one of the best examples of an American London Dry style gin. And thereโ€™s a fairly obvious reason why: The ex-master distiller of Tanqueray consulted and created this recipe for them.โ€ The recipe includes just five botanicals: juniper, angelica, orange peel, licorice and coriander. โ€œYou canโ€™t just rattle off the ingredients of most gins,โ€ he says. โ€œI respect that a lot.โ€ This is his go-to for Martinis.

Big Gin London Dry ($31)

โ€œThey only produce gin,โ€ DeYoung says. โ€œThey came on the market with that one product in mind, and you can tell they really care about it. The name says it all; itโ€™s everything youโ€™d expect out of a semi-classic London Dry gin times 1.5. Itโ€™s all of those classic flavors amplified.โ€ He recommends it to anyone who usually drinks Beefeater and is looking for a change, and he encourages folks to try it neat. โ€œItโ€™s not often people come in and ask to sip on a London Dry gin, but for those who do, this is a fun one,โ€ he says. โ€œItโ€™s also good in a Gin Old Fashioned. The flavors can fight through bitters and sugar.โ€

Letherbee ($31)

This tiny Chicago company produces some amazing, powerful gins. โ€œIโ€™m jealous of everything they do,โ€ DeYoung says. โ€œI kinda have a crush on them all.โ€ While Letherbeeโ€™s seasonal bottlings are consistently exciting, DeYoung always comes back to their flagship offering. โ€œFlavorwise, itโ€™s juniper up front, but it has a strong pepperiness to it that goes hand in hand with some cinnamon notes,โ€ he says. โ€œWe use it any time we do shaken drinks with Angostura. It plays well with additional spice.โ€ In the wintertime, DeYoung also likes to use it in a Gin Hot Toddy. โ€œIt invokes Christmas for me,โ€ he says.

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