Drinking Culture

When people drink gin in London, they're usually drinking a gin and tonic. It's simple and cold, served with plenty of ice in a large balloon glass. This lets the aromas unfold instead of warming up too fast.

The roots of this simple way of drinking run deeper than any bar. In the Victorian gin palaces of the 19th century, gaslit halls with mirrors and mahogany bars poured gin either neat or cut with water. Often, the people drinking there could otherwise afford little glamour in their lives.

Today, the drinking culture lives more in small cocktail bars than in grand halls. In bars near Fleet Street or in Chiswick, close to the Sipsmith distillery, the Martini sits on the menu just as naturally as classic sours. Gin is treated there as a base spirit, one bartenders openly experiment with.

The right glass has changed too. In the old gin palaces, the heavy cut-glass tumbler sat on the bar. Today, in many London bars, the slender copa glass is the standard for gin and tonic, because its wide rim carries citrus oils better to the nose.

Some bars near the Thames deliberately evoke the old palaces. They use brass, dark wood, and dim lighting. But what's served are modern, cleanly balanced drinks rather than the sweet mixtures of the past.

Anyone wanting to experience London gin without a bar can find it at small summer festivals in parks, where stalls pour gin and tonic into cups instead of glasses. Even there, the basic pattern holds: plenty of ice, little else added, so juniper keeps the lead role.