It’s easy to think, looking at London’s bar menus, that tequila has taken over the world.
The spirit is everywhere as the UK rides the Mexican wave and realises the good stuff should be sipped, not shot.
But that doesn’t leave gin high and dry. The spirit once known as Mother’s Ruin continues to be one of the best-loved tipples in the UK. In The Grocer’s annual ranking of the UK’s 100 biggest alcohol brands, gin brand Gordon's ranked fourth with sales of £364m, beaten only by Stella Artois, Smirnoff and Budweiser.
Data from Statista confirms that the UK is the world's biggest market for gin. And no wonder; we're lucky enough to be swimming in the stuff, from long-established brands to newcomers and craft distilleries. Whatever flavour of gin you're into - a classic London dry, fruity pink, refreshing citrus - there's a bottle for that.
The choice may be there, but the portability isn't. Gin bottles aren't exactly the lightest things to cart around whether you're headed to a summer picnic or a friend's BBQ, and unless you've got a thing for gin martinis, most need a mixer sidekick.
Enter the humble tinnie. These ready-to-drink (RTD) cans come with the perfect measure of gin and a mixer, ready to drink on the move or pack for a weekend trip. While companies expand their offering every year (usually in line with the start of the UK’s festival season) adding different spirits to the mix, gin remains a staunch favourite.
Whether mixed with a soft drink or as part of an RTD gin cocktail, the spirit reigns supreme as the serve to get the party started. They’re a great option when you’re hosting at home too, with everything contained in the can negating the need to buy mixers or spend the whole time with a cocktail shaker in your hand.
If you’re looking for new gin-mixed drinks to shake up your mobile bar menu, we’ve rounded up the best options below.
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Engine Gin & Tonic
Delight your pals by handing out these dinky RTD versions of Italian Engine gin. The can may look small at just 237ml but it contains 7.5 per cent ABV. Inside the serve is mixed the classic way - that is to say, with tonic - allowing the sage, bergamot and lemon botanicals take centre stage.
Buy now £3.25, The Whisky Exchange
MOTH Aperitivo Spritz
Best imbibed on sunny days, MOTH's Aperitivo Spritz is a bold and bright concoction with Tarquin’s Cornish gin as the star ingredient.
Muddled with fizz and soda, the 10 per cent ABV can is best enjoyed in the biggest glass you can find, sloshed over ice and finished with a juicy slice of orange.
So dreamy you'll want to get a bundle in - luckily Amazon serves them in boxes of six, 12 and 24 with delivery to your door.
Buy now £20.00, Amazon
Whitebox Pocket Negroni, Case of 6
With flavour as punchy as its price tag (at nearly a fiver for 10cl, it's certainly not cheap), this dinky can is a pocket rocket in cocktail terms.
You won't need many to feel a buzz; each serve contains 21.8 per cent ABV per 100ml. Save it as a special treat after you've polished off the park picnic or you're winding down a late summer BBQ.
The brand also offers a Freezer Martini, made with Porter’s gin, dry vermouth and lemon zest and the Disco Baby Vodka Sour which tastes of watermelon and lemon thyme in a slightly larger 25cl can. New to the Whitebox Cocktails family are the Daiquiri, Vieux Carré and our favourite, a Spicy Margarita.
Buy now £32.00, Amazon
M&S Marksologist Rose Spritz Negroni 150ml
The high street hero has raised its food and drink game this summer with some tasty RTDs (housed in equally attractive packaging) ready to quench your post-6pm thirst.
Gin lovers will find a new favourite in the Rose Negroni Spritz, which is a softer take on a traditional Negroni. It uses rose vermouth, Italian amaro, gin and a touch of hibiscus in each 150ml can. Sip slowly - it may look made for Polly Pocket but it's a strong serve at 14 per cent ABV.
Buy now £3.50, Ocado
MOTH French 75
Made with sparkling white wine rather than Champagne (as the OG recipe dictates), MOTH’s version of a French 75 is nonetheless a delicious serve fitting for the season. Light and refreshing, it’s dangerously sessionable and looks beautiful in the glass filling it with an elegant blush hue.
Each 200ml can sings with notes of lemon and berries, merrily mixed in amongst a measure of Tarquin’s Cornish gin. Clear the dancefloor - after a few of these you’ll be ready to boogie.
Buy now £3.99, Waitrose
Bombay Sapphire Gin and Tonic Ready-To-Drink Cocktail, 12 x 250ml
For those who argue it’s not a G&T without a glug of Bombay, the world’s best-known gin brand now offers tinnies in packaging as iconic as its bottles. The perfect measure of London dry gin with refreshing tonic, all it’s missing is ice and a slice - but it’ll do when you’re on the move.
A light variety is also available at The Bottle Club, a case of 12 x 250ml costs £26.99.
Buy now £26.28, Amazon
Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla Gin and Tonic 12 x 250ml
Tanqueray brings the sweet, juicy flavour of Seville to its gin recipe with this sunny variant. Perfect for taking the sharp edge of its London Dry style, the brand adds a slosh of tonic water to finish the cocktail off. If you're enjoying it at home, an orange garnish is the perfect final flourish.
Buy now £28.80, Amazon
Edinburgh Gin Rhubarb & Ginger Gin Liqueur 250ml
The delicious fruit-laden notes of Edinburgh Gin's Rhubarb & Ginger Gin Liqueur feel perfect for any time of year, but especially in summer. Tonic is skipped here and replaced with a hearty slug of ginger ale. The result is a can that's as delicious on the tongue as it is easy on the eye.
Buy now £2.25, Tesco
Gordon's Premium Pink Gin & Lemonade 5% vol Ready to Drink Can
Not into tonic? Take your tastebuds down the sweeter route with this gin in a tin spin-off from Gordon's. It substitutes lemonade instead for a serve that will delight your sweet tooth.
Buy now £2.25, Morrisons
Gordon's Gin & Tonic Can 5% Vol 250ml
The last thing you want at the end of a long day is a poorly mixed G&T. Let Gordon's do the hard work for you with this tin that gets the balance of its world-famous London Dry gin and tonic just right. It's best served with ice and a slice but will satisfy your thirst even if you have neither.
For a fruitier berry flavour, pick up the pink version instead.
Buy now £2.15, Tesco
