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What's Katie Doing?

Gin Travel Food

August 27, 2019

The perfect gin-in-a-tin for Summer

When I say ‘gin in a tin’ what does that mean to you? Images of drinking bad ‘ready to drink’ g&t’s on the train, or perhaps lukewarm pre-mixed cocktails in a field at a festival? If like me you’ve grown beyond the supermarket own brand pre-mix gin and tonics, then you’ll be interested in my latest research to find the perfect premix gin-in-a-tin!

A collection of gins in a tin on a picnic blanket

What is a picnic without a gin-in-a-tin?!

*Full disclosure some of the products I’m show casing here are samples given to me for free. As ever all opinions are my own and I’m under no obligation to write about these brands – I just like them and want to share!*

Boutiquey pre-mixed ready to drink cocktails in a handy cool bag

Boutiquey pre-mixed ready to drink cocktails & their handy cool bag!

 

The perfect gin-in-a-tin for Summer

 

What is a gin-in-a-tin?

If you’ve never heard of the term ‘gin-in-a-tin’ before, this refers to a ready to drink gin and tonic, usually packaged in a can or ‘tin’. Although these pre-mixed gin and tonic drinks can come in glass bottles, cans are usually easier to find, carry and recycle. They are ideal for Summer trips, picnics and BBQs, as you don’t need to worry about glasses and multiple bottles. The ready to drink gin and tonic cans are ideal for festivals where they don’t allow you to take glass in.

Gin-in-a-tin on the train

Enjoying our ready to drink gin and tonics on the train to Sheffield!

It’s also a bit of a British tradition to have a cheeky gin-in-a-tin on a train trip (note that you can’t do this on any Transport for London trains, read here for how you *CAN* legally drink on the tube!).

Franklin & Sons

Franklin & Sons don’t just make tonic water, they have a full range of stand alone drinks and mixers that are begging to be used to make epic drinks. They’ve also done some superb collaborations with different gin makers to produce ready to drink gin and tonics in a tin. The classic gin and tonic is the Portobello Road gin and Franklin & Sons natural Indian tonic. Refreshing and ginny, as you’d expect, but at 5.5% not terribly strong.

Manchester gin with Sicilian lemon tonic from Franklin & Sons

A twist on a classic g&t from Franklin & Sons using their lemon tonic

This one is a bit different using raspberry infused gin and the Sicilian lemon tonic. This creates more of a cocktail flavour, as a twist on the straight up gin and tonic. I liked it and the others at the picnic also liked it. Perfect for a hot summer’s day when you want a fruity berry-citrus flavour. Also at 5.5%.

Caorunn gin with Franklin and Sons natural tonic water on a train

Caorunn gin with Franklin and Sons natural tonic water

Another ‘classic’ gin and tonic pre-mix combination – except Caorunn is a subtler gin. In this can it still tastes like a gin and tonic, however I don’t get as much juniper up front as some of the other gin-in-a-tins despite being 6%. So one for the lover of a more subtle G&T. You can buy the Franklin & Sons pre-mixed gin drinks online. I’ve not yet seen them in a physical store, so I’m not sure where else they are stocked.

 

Sipsmiths

Sipsmiths have entered the ready to drink arena the only way they know how: with class. Having worked with a tonic maker to produce a pre-mixed gin and tonic that lets their Sipsmith London Dry gin shine through, they really created a winner!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

❓what’s your favourite drink at a picnic❓ . [ad as gifted] . Mine is definitely the new @sipsmith ‘gin in a tin’ . I tried the cans out at a recent picnic (see my stories!) and was pleasantly surprised! . The London Dry gin and tonic was junipery from the opening of the can – a brilliant pop of juniper balanced with the tonic . The gin and light tonic wasn’t as good – something just doesn’t work as well with the low sugar version. . Having sampled these against other brands – I think @sipsmith have come up with a real winner! At 7.3% it’s a proper g&t – perfect for picnics or train rides in true British fashion! . #whatskatiedoingblog #traveltipple #gininatin #sipsmith #sipsmithgin #traingin #london?? #londongin #gininacan #picnicdrinks #ginspiration #❤️gin #ginlush #gintasting #gintime #ginstagram #ginforthewin #ginformation #ginoclock #gintastic #whynotgin #imbibegram #imbibe

A post shared by Gin?| Travel✈️| Food? (@whatskatiedoing) on Jun 29, 2019 at 12:12pm PDT

I love that they have a slightly stronger ABV at 7.3%. The juniper you can smell as soon as the can is opened, which for me is the best bit here. The balance with the tonic has been done so that this is a tasty sip straight from the can, without ice and a slice. All very cleverly done.

Sipsmith gin and tonic at the picnic

Definitely not slumming it with this premium gin-in-a-tin

Whilst I prefer their regular Indian tonic water version, there is also a lighter tonic version. Unfortunately this loses something in the flavours when the sugar is replaced by artificial sweeteners.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

[ad as gifted] In the park drinking my @sipsmith tinnies before they get warm/I get too sticky ? . ❓how are you coping with the heat today❓?☀️? . #drinksinthepark #parklife #whatskatiedoing #sipsmithgin #gininatin #picnicdrinks #premixginandtonic #ginspiration #❤️gin #ginlush #gintasting #gintime #ginstagram #ginforthewin #ginformation #ginoclock #gintastic #whynotgin

A post shared by Gin?| Travel✈️| Food? (@whatskatiedoing) on Jul 25, 2019 at 11:03am PDT

You can buy both the regular and light tonic versions of the Sipsmith ready to drink gin and tonic in various stores online and in person at Tesco’s and other retailers.

 

Brentingby ‘Pink gin’

A pretty pink can and pretty pink insides, but this is no sugar laden sweet gin!

Brentingby Pink gin and the pre-mix gin and tonic in a tin

The pink gin that makes this ready to drink gin and tonic in a tin

Brentingby Pink is a proper juniper led gin, with the colouring coming from an infusion of hibiscus, one of the botanicals in their London Dry gin. In this gin-in-a-tin Bruce from Brentingby combines the pink gin with Cardamom tonic from Peter Spanton. At 8% this is more like double measure strength and this shows in the flavour.

The pink can with Brentingby design for the Brentingby gin-in-a-tin

A great sip for the train!

The Peter Spanton tonic really balances with the Brentingby gin and adds an overall dry mouthfeel from the cardamom. One for cardamom lovers (if you don’t like cardamom then give this one a miss!). You will be able to buy these pre-mixed cans from the Brentingby website later this year.

 

That Boutiquey Gin Company

Whilst Boutiquey focus has been on gins up to now, they stormed the market with their pre-mixed drinks at Imbibe this year:

Boutiquey pre-mix drinks in cans in front of a cool bag

The Boutiquey pre-mixed drink range & handy cool bag!

Obviously I had to sample the gin ones at the very least…

Moonshot gin and tonic in a can

Moonshot gin and citrus tonic

The Moonshot gin was at respectable 7.2% abv, however with the citrus tonic I felt that was all you tasted. I certainly couldn’t say that I could pick out Moonshot gin in this mix. I mainly tasted the citrus tonic, which was pleasant on a hot day in the park this bank holiday!

Katie looking very red with red hair, red top and red Boutiquey can

Yes I match the little Boutiquey branded stubby holder!

Obviously it wouldn’t be Boutiquey without some off the wall varieties. One that went down well was the Yuzu gin collins. Marrying their Yuzu squeezed gin with a jasmine lemonade, this was really interesting. At 5% abv it wasn’t super boozey like the Moonshot gin and tonic. But instead delightfully refreshing and citrussy!

Can of Boutiquey gin Yuzu gin collins

Yuzu gin collins – taking it to another level with Boutiquey!

This one I could get on board with, unlike the next one……

Strawberry gin fizz

Somebody had to do it… but that doesn’t mean I like it!

The Strawberry gin fizz is a combination of their unique strawberry and balsamico gin, with vanilla and orange blossom cream soda. Not liking cream soda, this wasn’t for me. (To be fair the strawberry balsamico is best drizzled over ice cream, but I don’t want to drink it!). Another fairly low abv and mainly for those loving the super sweet side of things. I haven’t tried the cherry gin and cola yet either – as I’m not really a cola drinker. As soon as I find a victim volunteer to try this I’ll let you know!

I also have to shout out the Pineapple gin mule from Boutiquey gin:

Pineapple gin mule can from Boutiquey gin

Pineapple gin mule

This is quite a fun combination of their spit-roasted pineapple gin, with lime juice and ginger beer – mule style. Whilst I had the opportunity to enjoy this ‘freshly made’ on World Pineapple Day, the ready made gin-in-a-tin versions is great too. Nothing like a gin and tonic at all, this is one for the non-gin drinkers!

The Boutiquey cans are also larger than the regular pre-mix gin and tonic, which could be good for that extra long train journey or not having to get up at the picnic/BBQ! You can buy these cans at Master of Malt and other online retailers.

 

Marks & Spencer

I couldn’t really do this post without a mention of that British High Street classic: M&S. With a food and drink presence at most major railway stations Marks & Spencer are likely to be your go to place to stock up on train tinnies. As they’ve recently added to their gin-in-a-tin range, my sister and I checked them out on a recent train from Bath.

M&S craft gin tins

A posher option – M&S craft pre-mix gin and tonic

The new options in the small batch ready to drink gin & tonics are Spice and Zest. At 8% these are double strength and promise to highlight different botanicals in each using the gins previously developed for M&S by Charles Maxwell.

Spice gin in a tin

First up – #1 spice gin-in-a-tin

The spices include coriander – a hard working backbone to many a gin – and ginger, along with liquorice, Angelica and rosemary. I’m not sure I could tell all of that in this pre-mix gin and tonic – but it was a nicely balanced drink.

Gin & tonic 2 - Zest

Secondly this zesty little number

Now the Zest one was definitely more citrusy, with lemon being the citrus main flavour, coming from the lemon balm herbs used to make the gin. There’s also floral jasmine and more savoury fennel included in the botanicals – but again these aren’t discernible in the end gin and tonic.

I think I’d prefer the Zest over the Spice any day – but I wouldn’t say no to either! Available at most M&S food stores.

 

#cheatingongin?

Maybe you don’t like gin that much *shock-horror*, well then check out this pre-mix sherry and tonic from Pedrino! Whilst I drank this with extra gin, it’s a delightful spritz to have by itself. Although I do prefer it in a glass with lots of ice, rather than straight out of the bottle, it can be done.

 

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Afternoon g&tea at the Soho Hotel @firmdale_hotels – keep swiping ⬅️ to see it all: . We enjoyed our @tanqueraygin 10 gin and tonics with @pedrinospritz tonic . I definitely covet the gin trolley they have there! ?? . The spread for afternoon tea included savoury sandwiches, sweet treats and my favourite scones with clotted cream and jams ??? . I also had some special tea to make this a proper British afternoon tea . Our bartender photobombed some of the pics – he is my favourite kind of gin enabler ??? . @lolcbrown tasting the tonic and giving it her approval ? . #thesohohotel #whatskatiedoingblog #afternoontea #ginandtea #tanqueray10 #pedrinotonic #ginspiration #reGinned #ginmagazine #mysecretlondon #londonlife #londonview #lovelondon #instalondon #mylondon #londonbylondoners #londonblogger #igerslondon #london2do #london4all #thisislondon #london??

A post shared by Gin?| Travel✈️| Food? (@whatskatiedoing) on Sep 30, 2018 at 12:09pm PDT

Tonic alternatives

If you don’t like the bitterness of the quinine in tonic, then perhaps try one of these mixers instead:

Sekforde 

Made by Talula White, as she was looking for a mixer to drink with her favourite drink = whisky. With everyone else drinking vodka soda, or rum and coke, she didn’t want to be drinking her whisky as fast as their mixed drinks. So a mixer was required!

Talula White, founder of Sekforde drinks

Meet Talula, getting stuck into her botanicals!

As well as the mixer for whisky she has branched out into mixers specifically made for gin/vodka, rum and tequila/mescal. These are all quinine free and are quite lovely to drink on their own, as well as with spirits.

 

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[ad as gifted] Kinda on trend for #ginadaymay today with garnishes included, but I think this can also be my post for #mixer too. . Talula from @sekfordedrinks started with the aim of producing a mixer for whisky, but this soon progressed into mixers for rum, tequila and then into an alternative to tonic for gin and vodka . The ‘garnishes’ you see aren’t all garnish – some of them are the ingredients going into these carbonated mixers. . The whisky mixer has orange, rosemary and gentian bitters. The orange notes really work with the smokiness of the whisky (or bourbon!) . The rum mixer is a great blend of lime, mint rose and cacao – like a mojito spritzer. . The tequila mixer was my favourite ‘stand alone’ drink. Made with roasted prickly pear, fig and cardamom, it’s perfectly balanced for a stand alone drink or great with tequila – I’ve yet to open the mescal . And finally the gin or vodka mixer – with aromatic raspberry, rose and sage. This tastes lovely and fruity and I like the sage notes on the nose. I want to try this out with many different gins to see what my perfect serve would be! It also works well as a spritz serve . ❓will you be trying these mixers out❓ . #whatskatiedoingblog #sekfordemixers #sekfordedrinks #ginspiration #❤️gin #ginlush #gintasting #gintime #ginstagram #ginforthewin #ginformation #ginoclock #gintastic #whynotgin #imbibegram #imbibe #instacocktail #happyhour #instadrinks #drinkstagram #womenwhodrink #spirits #spiritsblogger #drinkup #booze #feedfeed #garnish

A post shared by Gin?| Travel✈️| Food? (@whatskatiedoing) on May 22, 2019 at 10:36am PDT

Sekforde gin and vodka mixer

The gin mixer – with raspberry, sage and rose botanicals, but zero quinine!

 

Low sugar alternatives

Perhaps you prefer your mixers without a lot of sugar in them, or are trying a low sugar diet? I would recommend swapping out a pre-mix g&t, for a miniature of gin and a can of sparkling water. Whilst not a gin in a tin or ready to drink, this is a good way to cut down on sugar and make a drink longer. It also helps to avoid the bitter quinine in a tonic.

Cawston Press is a great shout for this, having recently added their sparkling water with a twist cans to their range:

Cawston Dry sparkling water with a twist of raspberry

Instead of a raspberry gin try raspberry sparkling water

A lovely camping solution to warm drinks is a sloe gin with a flavoured sparkling water – this raspberry one would work well for this.

Cawston Dry sparkling water with a twist of ginger and lemon

I could see swapping out the lemonade in a Pimms for this lighter sparkling water with a twist of ginger and lemon

I also like to make a Summer or Fruit cup with ginger ale. Go for a low sugar version with this ginger and lemon sparkling water.

Cawston Press Rhubarb juice drink

This Cawston Press Rhubarb & Apple juice is lovely with juniper forward dry gins

I also love this Cawston Press Rhubarb juice drink. Mixed with apple juice and sparkling water, it’s not as light as the sparkling waters above, but it’s still a lovely tart mixer that works really well with dry juniper forward gins.

 

What if you’re not drinking?

Then obviously you don’t *need* a pre-mixed cocktail. However if you want to get a non-alcoholic version of your favourite gin and tonic, then check out The Duchess:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

If, like me, you’ve hit London Cocktail Week too hard, then why not relax with a virgin g&t like @drinktheduchess . Completely alcohol free and low in sugar, this gin flavoured tonic is a great replacement if you’re not drinking – whether through choice or not! . ❓anyone doing a sober October or Stotober this month❓ . #drinktheduchess #gifted #virginginandtonic #ginspiration #noalcoholneeded #nonalcoholicdrink #nonalcoholiccocktail #ginandtonic #whattodrinkifyouredriving #whattodrinkwhenyourenotdrinking #whattodrinkwhenyoureexpecting #noalcohol #soberoctober #stoptober2018

A post shared by Gin?| Travel✈️| Food? (@whatskatiedoing) on Oct 5, 2018 at 12:16pm PDT

The Duchess is sugar free as well as being alcohol free.

The Duchess virgin G&T

Completely alcohol free G&T – The Duchess now has three variations available to buy online

 

Another non-gin based ready to drink non-alcoholic cocktail is the Cubre Libre from the Temperance Company (Teetotal drinks):

 

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Office tonic (& gin!) tasting was a success ?? . We had a great line up thanks to our sponsors @fentimansltd @fevertreemixers and @cotemperance . The non drinkers appreciated tasting a breadth of different mixers, including the surprisingly good zero-alcohol Rum and Coke from @cotemperance – the drinkers confirmed that it really smelt and tasted like rum and coke! . The drinkers also enjoyed matching their gin with different tonics including the different citrus of the @fentimansltd latest range: Pink Grapefruit and Mediterranean Orange; or just mixing it up with ginger ale from @fevertreemixers instead. . Safe to say that my brief history of gin and tutorial on how to taste it went down a treat too! ☺️?? . #gintasting #workdo #mixers #ginandtonic #gintastic #gintonic #reginned #imbibegram #imbibe #instacocktail #happyhour #instadrinks #drinkstagram #womenwhodrink #spirits #spiritsblogger #drinkup #booze #feedfeed #ginspired #ginspiration

A post shared by Gin?| Travel✈️| Food? (@whatskatiedoing) on Aug 29, 2018 at 12:13pm PDT

All of my colleagues that I taste tested this on didn’t realise that it wasn’t actually rum and coke! And my non-drinking friends appreciated some drinks they could drink alongside our gin and tonics.

 

So which will you be trying? Let me know in the comments below!

 

The perfect gins in a tin for Summer BBQs, festivals and picnics - pre-mix gin and tonics and ready to drink cocktails

Pin me to remember your perfect gin-in-a-tin!

Ps my fave gin is the Sipsmith’s 😉

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Filed Under: cocktails, Gin, gin tasting, ginspiration

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Comments

  1. Lindsey Puls says

    August 27, 2019 at 7:43 pm

    Oooh I’m intrigued by the Brentingby Pink, love the pink can as well! That’s awesome there is a virgin option as well. My husband doesn’t drink alcohol, so we’re always searching for NA options.

    Reply
    • Katie says

      August 27, 2019 at 7:47 pm

      The Brentingby design is really pretty isn’t it! Their usual gin bottles are gorgeous too. There are a few non alcoholic options out there and it’s nice to have something other than soda to drink.

      Reply
  2. Ronita says

    September 1, 2019 at 5:29 pm

    The raspberry infused gin and Sicilian lemon tonic sounds like a real treat. I also liked the sound of the infusion of hibiscus in the Brentingby gin.

    Reply
    • Katie says

      September 1, 2019 at 5:31 pm

      There are options for everyone Ronita! This is what I love about the innovation in the market recently ?

      Reply
  3. Linda (LD Holland) says

    September 2, 2019 at 4:50 pm

    I must admit that I normally would not look for pre-mixed drinks in a can. Although this would be a great choice for taking a drink on the go for a picnic. Franklin’s Caorunn with raspberry and lemon sounds about perfect to me. The pink gin one looks pretty. But it brings back bad teenage memories of pink gin headaches. I am sorry we missed trying one of these when we were just in London. So many great choices.

    Reply
    • Katie says

      September 2, 2019 at 6:46 pm

      Haha these are slightly classier than those teenage pink gins Linda!

      Reply
  4. Andrei Salokhin says

    September 3, 2019 at 9:30 am

    I think gin & tonic is very tasty, I need to try 🙂

    Reply
    • Katie says

      September 3, 2019 at 9:35 am

      I think you’d like them Andrei!

      Reply
  5. Jayashree Sengupta says

    September 8, 2019 at 7:49 pm

    Not into colorful drinks much but would definitely give it a try now.. .. . The sole reason being the lovely pictures I came across here.

    Reply
    • Katie says

      September 8, 2019 at 8:16 pm

      Ah thanks Jayashree!

      Reply
  6. Lillie says

    May 25, 2020 at 4:00 pm

    Each bottle/can and description is so beautiful, I can imagine the luscious flavors!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      May 25, 2020 at 9:18 pm

      Aren’t they fab! There’s such a great range of drinks out there now

      Reply
  7. Lauretata says

    May 25, 2020 at 9:08 pm

    They all have really cool designs and look amazingly refreshing !

    Reply
    • Katie says

      May 25, 2020 at 9:18 pm

      Perfect for a (socially distanced) picnic in the park!

      Reply

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