The Great American Gin Revival

London Dry

This is the most popular style of gin in America now, as it was in your grandparents' day. It dates back more than 150 years, when ginmakers abandoned the malty, pot-stilled spirits of old in favor of new, neutral-base spirits that showcased gin's traditional botanicals, namely juniper berries. Tanqueray, Beefeater, and Gordon's fit squarely in this category, which is characterized by the piney flavor of juniper complemented by perfume ingredients like lavender, orris root, and citrus peel. London dry should be your go-to choice for most gin drinks, especially those in which its bright, crisp flavors can contrast with bitter ingredients, like the tonic in a G&T, or the Campari in a Negroni — or in its citrusy cousin, the Jasmine.

Bottles to buy: Tanqueray ($25); Beefeater ($22); Gordon's ($13)

The Updated Classic:

Jasmine

• 1½ oz London dry gin
• ¾ oz lemon juice
• ¼ oz Cointreau
• ¼ oz Campari

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

The Standby:

 Fitzgerald

• 2 oz gin (any type)
• ¾ oz simple syrup
• ¾ oz lemon juice
• 2 dashes bitters

Shake over ice and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

Genever and Old Tom

In the beginning, all gin was Dutch and had a malty, scotch-like flavor because it was made with a pot-stilled grain spirit — essentially unaged whiskey. Genever never went out of style in the Netherlands, and now it's being made in the U.S. with intriguing results, notably Pittsburgh's Wigle's Ginever, which goes perfectly well with soda water for a highball or in a genever old-fashioned. The other throwback category being revived is Old Tom gin, a nebulously defined style that was sometimes aged, sometimes sweetened, but generally had a softer kick than the London drys that came later. The current crop, including an Old Tom from Brooklyn's Greenhook Ginsmiths, reflects that variety — and is, unlike most gins, not clear. Most perform well straight or on the rocks or in drinks like the Martinez (above).

Bottles to buy: Wigle's Ginever ($38); Greenhook Ginsmiths Old Tom ($46)

The Throwback:

Martinez

• 1½ oz Old Tom gin
• 1½ oz Carpano Antica Formula vermouth
• ¼ oz Cointreau
• 1 dash Angostura bitters

Stir over ice; strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

New American

Rather than try to beat England at its own game, American distillers have decided to innovate — wildly. That means going avant-garde with ingredients and throwing all kinds of spices, fruits, and herbs in the still — like the hibiscus and elderberry in New York Distilling's Dorothy Parker, which is ideal in a cucumber Collins (left). American gins have become a boozy celebration of our country's biodiversity, as distillers imbue their products with flavors that reflect the local environment, like the following four botanicals, which are being used to achieve what the wine world calls terroir. If you want gin's flavor to come through, the low-key Fitzgerald (opposite) should be your go-to recipe. Otherwise, experiment: There are too many flavors these days to follow hard-and-fast rules.

Bottles to buy: New York Distilling's Dorothy Parker ($29); Vivacity Native ($30)

Cucumber Collins

• 2 oz American gin
• 1¼ oz lemon juice
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 3 slices cucumber
• 1 mint sprig
• Splash of soda

Muddle cucumber and mint with gin, lemon juice, and syrup, then shake with ice. Carefully strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Top with soda and garnish with mint.

The New Botanicals

White Pine

Augmenting the juniper berries in Mammoth Distilling's Old Dam Gin, stripped branches of local white pine add a hint of wintergreen to balance the gin's lavender sweetness.

Oregon Grape

Caitlin Prueitt and Chris Neumann of Vivacity Fine Spirits handpick berries from the Oregon grape, a wild shrub native to the Northwest. Once dried, the tart fruit adds tannic structure to their Native Gin.

Cumin

Coriander and cinnamon are traditional gin ingredients. Mixed with cumin in Arizona Distilling's Commerce Gin, they conjure a dusky scent, like that of Southwestern cuisine.

Marionberries

Distiller Tad Seestedt must have been thinking about dessert when he added marionberries, a variety of blackberry, to his Ransom Dry Gin. The berries lend the spirit a slight, sunny sweetness.