The Best Southern-Made Gins

Cathead Distillery
Jackson, Mississippi; bristowgin.com

This Mississippi-made gin has become a standard spirit not just for our own home bars, but cocktail bars across the South. Accessible and affordable, this is the gateway gin for newcomers or those rediscovering their taste for it.

John Emerald Distilling Co.
Opelika, Alabama; johnemeralddistilling.com

Much like their Single Malt Alabama Whiskey, John Emerald Distilling’s gin has the same thoughtfully picked ingredients (literally in this case with hand-picked Alabama juniper berries) and small-batch process. While bottles are hard to find too far from Opelika, this distillery is Alabama roadtrip-worthy.

Highwire Distilling Co.
Charleston, South Carolina; highwiredistilling.com 

While this gin still has the juniper-forward taste it’s known for, added elements of licorice root, angelica root, coriander, and cardamom round out the flavor for something more earthy and bright than piney. Try it in a Moscow Mule in place of vodka.

Redmont Distilling Co.
Birmingham, Alabama; redmontdistilling.com

This new distillery adds organic, Alabama-grown cotton along with coriander, orange peel, and grains of paradise for a spirit that truly speaks to a sense of place.

Dripping Springs Distillery
Dripping Springs, Texas; drippingspringsvodka.com

With Texas-grown citrus and fine-spun floral notes, this is the kind of gin that true appreciators can drink over ice, but it also pairs perfectly with Jack Rudy Cocktail Co.’s Elderflower Tonic for a major G&T upgrade.

Azar Distilling
San Antonio, Texas; seersuckergin.com

The spritzy hint of mint in this gin makes it akin to a glass of sweet tea garnished with a sprig of Kentucky Colonel. It doesn’t hurt that the bottle is pretty enough that you’ll want to leave it out on the counter.

St. Augustine Distillery
St. Augustine, Florida; staugustinedistillery.com

Herbs and lemon peel, ground with a vintage burr hand grinder, give this gin megawatt brightness that instantly elevates a Tom Collins.

St. Petersburg Distillery
St. Petersburg, Florida; stpetersburgdistillery.com

Made with grapefruits, lemons, and oranges, this super citrusy gin shows off the fruits of Florida. This bottle works well for batched cocktails or gin-based punches.

Smooth Ambler Spirits
Greenbrier County, West Virginia; smoothambler.com

Barrel Aged Gins get their darker color and deeper, toasty flavors from aging in used whiskey and bourbon barrels where they pick up more caramel and oak notes. For an introduction to Barrel Aged Gin, this edition from Smooth Ambler has a “lemon meringue” taste.

Corsair Distillery
Bowling Green, Kentucky; corsairdistillery.com

Made in hand-hammered copper still, Corsair’s artisan gin has a slightly more spicy and peppery quality to provide contrast and balance in sweeter cocktails.