Gordon's London Dry
London, England
The best-selling gin in the world and one of the plainest. Juniper-forward London Dry with no added sugar, bottled at 40% in the US and 37.5% across most of Europe.
- Ingredients / botanicals
- juniper, coriander, angelica, licorice, orris
- Congeners
- Low
- Histamines
- Very Low
- Polyphenols
- Low
- Sulfites
- Very Low
- Tannins
- Very Low
- Sugar
- Very Low
- Additives
- Very Low
- Calories
- 98
- Sugar
- 0g
14g ethanol at 40% ABV. No sugar, so every calorie here is alcohol.
In its favor
- ✓No added sugar under London Dry rules
- ✓Lowest common bottling strength of the mainstream gins
- ✓Simple, juniper-led botanical bill
What to watch
- !Recipe is not fully disclosed
- !Strength varies by market, so calories do too
Factor by factor
Congeners Low ▾
Byproducts of fermentation (methanol, acetaldehyde, fusel alcohols). Strongly linked to hangover severity; darker, less-distilled spirits carry more.
Histamines Very Low ▾
Produced by bacteria during fermentation/aging. Trigger flushing, headaches, congestion in sensitive drinkers. High in red wine, beer, aged spirits.
Polyphenols Low ▾
Plant compounds with antioxidant activity. Slightly protective at low doses but at high concentrations may worsen hangover via tannin/quercetin reactions.
Sulfites Very Low ▾
Preservatives (SO₂) added to wine and some beers. Common trigger of headaches, asthma, and allergic-type reactions.
Tannins Very Low ▾
Astringent polyphenols from skins, seeds, barrels. Bind proteins, slow alcohol clearance, and aggravate dehydration-style symptoms.
Sugar Very Low ▾
Residual sugar amplifies hangover via blood-sugar swings and dehydration. Liqueurs and cocktails are the main offenders.
Additives Very Low ▾
Colorants, flavorings, glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbates. Cheap spirits and ready-to-drinks often hide these in trade-secret formulas.
Gordon’s is the volume leader and, by chemistry, one of the least eventful gins on the shelf. It is a London Dry, which under EU rules means nothing can be added after distillation beyond water and a trace of sweetening capped at 0.1 grams per litre. In a 1.5oz pour that cap works out to roughly four thousandths of a gram, which is zero for any practical purpose.
The one thing worth knowing is that Gordon’s is not the same strength everywhere. The US bottling is 40% ABV; most of Europe gets 37.5%. Since ethanol is where essentially all of a dry gin’s calories come from, the European bottling is the lighter pour by about six calories per serving.