All about Gin

Here at The Leafy Elephant, we welcome you to an enchanted botanical garden full of the best aromas and flavours from around the world of gin.

With over 200 gins on display from over 25 different countries, our mixologists will be able to guide you through our 14 different styles of gin and make you the perfect drink.

Accompanying our gins, we have over 20 different mixers and 30 garnishes which have been beautifully paired with each gin to give you the ultimate perfect serve. ​ Alternatively, pick your favourite, build your own unique drink or simply tell us what you like and we will inspire you.

Our full Gin Book is only available in the bar but click on any of the categories below to find out more about the gins we have.

Sweet & Contemporary

To be called a gin, juniper must by law be the dominant botanical. However, the rise and surge of gins in recent years can in part be put down to distillers pushing the boundaries of this law by moving away from juniper and more towards sweeter flavours.

In these gins you will likely encounter flavours including vanilla, liquorice, red berries and sweet citrus. We have 16 gins that fit this profile for you to try. Here are just a few:

Collesi Gin
Kokoro gin
Gold 999.9 Gin
Sikkim Fraise Gin
Icelandic Eagle Gin
Eden Mill Love Gin

Floral Notes

Floral gins are often associated with summer and with botanicals including elderflower and mint. These gins are refreshing and light and can include flavour profiles of mint, rose, lavender and tea.

​ We have 23 different floral gins on our menu, representing 10 different countries, all using their own local ingredients and their own unique take on this style of gin. Here are a few that you can look forward to:

Bloom gin
Ink gin
Forest gin
Ungava gin
Kimerud gin
Gin David
Bullards gin

Aromatic

Aromatic gins are often complex and impressionable. Spicy tones often dominate the palate, with ingredients such as coriander, pepper and cardamom. The taste of aromatic gins constantly evolves through to the finish and if you are looking for an adventurous G&T, this is the section for you.

We have 24 aromatic gins behind the bar, originating from Surrey to South Africa and everywhere in between. Look out for these on your next visit:

Black Tomato Gin
Thomas Dakin Gin
KWV Cruxland Gin
Sipsmith VJOP Gin
Fifty Pounds Gin
Brecon Botanicals GinBrecon Botanicals GinBrecon Botanicals GinBrecon Botanicals Gin
NB Gin

Citrus Lead

Citrus lead gins have, unsurprisingly, an outspoken citrus flavour profile but this doesn't mean every gin here is dominated by lemon and lime. Citrus to a distiller can be anything with a peel so expect to see grapefruit, orange and apples.

We have 23 refreshing citrus lead gins from places including New York, Valencia, Torino, The Lake District and Edinburgh...

Wint and Lila Gin
Malfy Gin con Limone
Brooklyn gin
Four Pillars gin
5th Gin Earth
Rock Rose gin

Sloe Gin

Traditional and distilled Sloe gins are made by infusing sloe berries into the gin. They are sweet due to the fact that sugar is needed to fully extract the flavour from the sloe berries. When produced properly, the alcohol absorbs an almond like flavour from the berries giving this characteristic taste.

Usually associated with winter, sloe gins are commonly served neat but we can add them to a number of cocktails or even to your glass of champagne.

Monkey 47 Sloe Gin
Sipsmith Sloe Gin
Plymouth Sloe Gin
Filliers Sloe gin
Gordon's Sloe Gin

Classic Citrus

These gins are very traditional in flavour, leading in juniper with hints of different citrus flavours behind. The majority of these gins will be London Dry in classification, with a typical sharp bitter taste and a dry finish.

We have 29 Classic Citrus gins in the bar, all with their own unique take on this flavour profile. They are generally served with a neutral tonic and a garnish to bring out the citrus in the gin.

7 Dials gin
One Key gin
Spirit of Hven gin
Hepple gin
Daffy's Gin
Jinzu Gin
Campfire gin

Fruity

Gin, unlike almost any other spirit, has the flexibility to move into a flavour space unique to an individual distiller. As gins have started to appeal to a wider audience, the range of flavours has also blossomed. From rhubarb to elderflower, and strawberry to chocolate, there is a range of gins that barely resemble gin as you know it.

If you think gin isn't your thing or you want to explore a flavour you have never tried before, this is the category for you and here are some you can try with us:

Fresha Strawberry Gin
The Lakes Elderflower
Slingsby Rhubarb gin
McQueen Spiced Chocolate Orange Gin
55 Above Orange gin

Old Tom

The classification 'Old Tom' dates back to the gin craze of the 18th century where a plaque of a black cat was mounted on an outside wall. Passers by could throw a coin into the mouth of the cat and the barman would pour you a shot of gin.

Old Tom gins are sweeter than the now normal London Dry style and not many are still being produced. We have tracked down a shortlist of the best ones for you to enjoy:

Haymans Old Tom
Boatyard Old Tom Gin
Jensen's Old Tom Gin
Langley's Old Tom Gin
Persie Sweet & Nutty Old Tom

Pink

Pink gin is based on a popular 19th century cocktail where angostura bitters were added to gin. Traditionally, as a result of the bitters, the gin would take on a herby and spicy complexion but nowadays pink gins can be a result of a number of different ingredients so the category has evolved.

We have a few at all times for you to enjoy.

Pinkster gin
Edgerton Original Pink gin
Burleigh's Pink Edition gin
Whittaker's Pink Peculier gin

Classical Floral

Classic floral gins, much like their citrus compatriot, are classic gins lead with juniper. They are traditional gins but behind the juniper are more herby and floral notes rather than citrus.

31 gins in our bar fall into this broad category. The botanicals used by distillers can vary widely here so do make sure you check out our gin book when you visit.

Death's Door gin
Bathtub gin
Ish gin
Ferdinand's Saar Dry gin
Broken Heart gin
Bulldog gin
Napue gin

Sipping Gin

The majority of gins are made for the addition of a non-alcoholic mixer to dilute the spirit and bring out the flavour profiles. However, there are distillers who do the opposite. They distil their spirit to the perfect ABV to pull out the botanicals to their maximum flavour, meaning no mixer is required.

We have 10 of the best sipping gins from around the world. These gins reveal distillers showing off their skills and the flavours are varied, unique and bold.

Two birds sipping gin
Bobby's Schiedam Jenever
Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
The Lakes Gin
Berkeley Square gin

Non-Tonic

People who often claim not to like G&T's often say they don't like gin, when in fact it is tonic that they don't like.

There are a range of gins out there that are paired better with other mixers such as Ginger Ale or Rose lemonade and we have some of our favourites paired up in the bar waiting for you.

Nelson's Rhubarb & Custard Gin
Kelso Elephant Gin
Forest Earl Grey gin
The Lakes Rhubarb & Rosehip
Cuckoo Sunshine Gin
Jawbox Gin

Exotic

As distilleries further experiment with ingredients and techniques, we reach a point where some gins cannot be traditionally categorised. Some gins are exotic in the botanical profile, others in how they make their base spirit and others in the working methods such as ageing.

We have 8 exotic gins for you to try from around Europe. These are for the adventurous gin lover:

X-Gin
Sweet Potato gin
Gin Mare
Skin gin
Elephant gin

Navy Strength

The term "Navy Strength" originates from the 18th century when British Navy soldiers would test the quality of rum by adding gunpowder to it and igniting it. If it didn't catch fire, it was too diluted. This soon translated into gin when it became the drink of choice on board.

​By definition, Navy Strength gins are all 57% ABV and due to this they have bolder juniper flavours. You have been warned!

Plymouth Navy Strength Gin
Tarquin's The Seadog gin
Trevethan Chauffeur's Reserve gin
Nelson's Navy Strength gin
Whittaker's Navy Strength gin

The tonic to my gin

20 different tonics to choose from


Tonic, just like gin, started life as a medicine.
The quinine bark was dubbed as a healing tree and famously cured King Charles II on its way to becoming more valuable than gold. It was not until quinine was used as a cure for malaria that we start to get closer to the birth of tonic. Soldiers were ordered to take quinine and masked the bitter
taste by adding sugar and water. Luckily one day, someone added gin to the tonic and the rest as they say...

Tonic usually makes up around 60%-80% of a gin & tonic so it is worth getting right. The tonic should pull out and enhance the botanicals in the gin, complementing the flavour profile, and bring the drink together. We have paired each of our gins with what we believe is the best tonic possible, regardless of brand or marketing appeal. For us, it's all about the drink.

A little garnish

30 garnishes to pull out the flavour


Long gone are the days when a gin & tonic was served with a wedge of lime and perhaps a slice of lemon if you were lucky. The range of gins and list of botanicals has grown enormously and the garnish we put with it should complement and draw out the flavours that the distiller is trying to promote.

We have a fresh range of garnishes from raspberries to sage, pink grapefruit to pink peppercorns - our mixologists will pair the best combination with your chosen gin. Alternatively, experiment with different combinations or tell us your favourite garnishes and we can build you a drink to match.

Don't forget the ice

Bad ice will spoil even the best drink


The last part to the perfect gin & tonic is the ice. Now you might think that ice doesn't matter, it merely keeps the drink cold and it does the job. Well, we think about ice slightly differently.

We use purified distilled water for every drink we make. Having clear, pure ice is important so as not to distort the flavour within the drink. Additionally, small ice cubes melt quickly, dilute your drink and can quash the flavour. You are supposed to be drinking a gin & tonic, not a gin & water.

If it looks good, chances are it will taste good. Large blocks of crystal clear ice rattling around a Coppa Ballon glass just looks perfect to us.