June 13th is World Gin Day, the ultimate global celebration of one of the most versatile, historic, and wildly creative spirits. Whether you prefer yours ice-cold in a minimalist martini, complex and bitter in a classic Negroni, or bright and refreshing in a summertime cooler, there is no denying the enduring magic of gin.
Founded in 2009, World Gin Day is a global celebration held on the second Saturday of June every year. The idea is wonderfully simple: get people together all over the world to enjoy a gin-based drink. What started as a small gathering of friends in Birmingham, UK, has grown into an international phenomenon reaching millions of cocktail enthusiasts in over 30 countries. It’s a day to honor the category's history, explore innovative new craft labels, and toast the talented bartenders and distillers who make it all possible.
Here at New Deal, gin holds an incredibly special place in our hearts. To help you raise a glass this year, we’re breaking down what makes this spirit category so fascinating and how you can use our lineup of three distinct craft gins to build the ultimate home cocktail menu to celebrate World Gin Day.
What is Gin?
At its core, gin is a liquor defined by flavor. Legally, it must be a neutral spirit distilled from grain or agricultural products, and it must feature juniper as its dominant botanical flavor profile. Juniper is the defining, non-negotiable botanical, that piney, resinous note that makes gin unmistakably gin. But beyond that simple requirement lies an infinite playground for distillers.
The juniper tree, or more accurately a shrub or small coniferous tree of the genus Juniperus, is one of the most widely distributed woody plants on Earth, found across the Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic tundra to subtropical mountains. There are 67 recognized species of juniper, but for gin purposes, one dominates: Juniperus communis, or common juniper. While all juniper species produce berries, most are considered too bitter to eat, and many species are outright toxic. What we call juniper "berries" are not true berries at all, but fleshy female seed cones whose scales remain soft and merged, giving them their berry-like appearance.
Today, most commercial juniper for gin production is sourced from Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, Macedonia, and Italy, where the plant thrives in the rocky, mineral-rich soils of the Balkans and Mediterranean highlands. In the Pacific Northwest, decades of fire suppression have caused Western juniper populations to expand significantly, to the point that they have become invasive. Unfortunately, the difficult terrain and remoteness of Western juniper forests make them impossible to use for juniper berry cultivation.
Juniper's relationship with human beings long predates gin or any distillation. The earliest documented medicinal use of juniper berries dates to ancient Egypt, around 1500 BCE, where they were used to treat tapeworm. Ancient Romans believed juniper could treat everything from toothache to indigestion, and during the Black Death, physicians filled their plague masks with the berries to mask unpleasant smells and ward off infection. The Greek physician Galen, writing in the second century AD, noted that juniper berries "cleanse the liver and kidneys" and that they were mixed into health medicines, suggesting they were being combined with alcohol for medicinal delivery well before anyone thought to enjoy the result. Ancient Germans used juniper berries as a flavoring agent in intoxicating beers, and in medieval Scotland, the berries were used to flavor whisky, possibly as a palatable vehicle for delivering their medicinal benefits.
The critical leap from folk remedy to spirit category came in 16th- and 17th-century Netherlands. Dutch physicians prescribed jenever, a malt wine spirit flavored with juniper for kidney ailments and stomach troubles, but its popularity quickly outgrew the apothecary. English soldiers encountered it during the Eighty Years' War, dubbing it "Dutch Courage," and brought the taste home with them. The Dutch word for juniper, genever, became the English giniver, and eventually was shortened to gin meaning the spirit's very name is the plant's name. Juniper didn't just flavor gin; it gave gin its identity.
Know Your Styles: A Quick Reference Before You Shop
Understanding the main gin styles is helpful when you're choosing what to sip, what to mix, and why different gins call for different cocktails. Whatever style calls to you, gin rewards curiosity. No two distillers make it quite the same way, which is exactly what makes exploring the category so worthwhile.
London Dry
London Dry Gin is the style most people picture when they think of gin — clean, juniper-forward, and dry, with no added sweeteners after distillation. The term "London Dry" is a production standard, not a geographic one. Classic and versatile, it's the go-to for martinis, gin and tonics, and Negronis.
Old Tom Gin
Old Tom Gin occupies a fascinating middle ground between London Dry and the older Dutch genever style. It's typically slightly sweeter: historically, this was achieved by adding sugar to balance out rougher distillates; today, some producers achieve it through careful botanical selection and longer maceration. Old Tom was the dominant gin style in the 19th century and was all but forgotten until the craft cocktail revival brought it back. It's essential for historically accurate versions of the Martinez and Tom Collins, among others.
Contemporary / New Western
Contemporary or New Western Gin is a catch-all for gins that play with the traditional formula, pushing other botanicals to the foreground or using unusual ingredients. These gins may have a more muted juniper character or lead with herbal, floral, or citrus notes.
Garden Gin
Garden Gin is a newer descriptor for gins that lean heavily into fresh, herbaceous, and savory botanical profiles, such as celery, cucumber, dill, green tea, and similar ingredients. The result is a gin that almost tastes like it was distilled from the produce section of a really good farmers market.
Barrel-Aged Gin
As the name implies, distilled gin is aged in wood barrels, typically former whiskey or wine barrels, developing amber color and warm, toasted notes. The crossover appeal for whiskey drinkers is real.
Meet the New Deal Craft Gin Lineup
We've been making gin in Portland since 2007, long before the craft distilling boom made it fashionable. Our three gins reflect different sides of what this spirit can be — and together, they cover an enormous range of cocktail territory.
Portland Dry Gin 33
Style: London Dry
Portland Dry Gin 33 is our flagship expression and a study in elegant restraint. Using handmade copper botanical trays during distillation, we capture the bright, crisp character of organic juniper berries without muddying them with a crowd of competing botanicals. The result is a juniper-forward gin that lets the berry's richness speak — citrus, mineral, a hint of grass — with a clean, dry finish.
Men's Journal ranked Gin 33 fourth among the best American small-batch gins, noting its citrus, mineral, and grassy notes that seem to "come out of nowhere" from a spirit made entirely from juniper.
The Beverage Testing Institute has rated it Exceptional (90 points), describing it as a "clean nouveau-styled gin" with a silky body and a racy, complex finish.
This is the gin for people who love gin, and a great introduction for people who think they don't. It performs beautifully across the full spectrum of classic gin cocktails, from a crisp martini to a Negroni to a Gimlet, without ego or interference.
The batch-prep Gin 33 Freezer Martini is one of the smartest things you can do with a Friday night: mix it up, stash it in the freezer, and you're minutes away from a near-perfect martini whenever the mood strikes. The addition of water is essential: it replicates the dilution that would normally occur when shaking or stirring individual drinks.
Our Easy Breezy Gimlet is one of those cocktails that rewards simplicity, and this version lets Gin 33's juniper character do all the work. A gimlet is like a daiquiri where you swap the rum for dry gin. It's a bright, sharp harmony of gin, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup. It’s tart, refreshing, and beautifully simple.
Our strawberry-infused Heart Crusher Negroni is a mind-blower. A bold and intriguing take on the classic Negroni, where the bitter bite of a traditional Negroni meets the luscious flavor of strawberry. Soak your strawberries in Campari overnight and stir up this easy three-ingredient cocktail the next day. It’s a showstopper with just enough edge to keep things interesting.
This refreshingly green Cucumber Cooler highlights the crispness of cucumber and the herbaceousness of dill. Made with crisp, classic Portland Dry Gin 33, combined with dill, cucumber, lime, and bubbly water, this is the ultimate garden-party sipper. Muddling coaxes out the subtle, hydrating notes of cucumber and the fresh, aromatic qualities of dill, creating a truly refreshing gin experience.
New Deal Gin No. 1
Style: Garden Gin
If Gin 33 is built around juniper's clarity, Gin No. 1 is built around juniper's complexity. We craft it in what we call the "garden style," using our custom-designed pot still to retain botanical oils and tannins that most distillation processes strip away. The result is a buttery, herbaceous gin with a savory, almost salted-celery finish that is unlike anything else in our lineup.
An unconventional, botanical-forward adventure, you can expect citrus oils and juniper berry tannins layered with distinct citrus notes, cracked black pepper, and that signature silky texture.
Gin No. 1 leans away from heavy juniper and instead highlights warm, savory, and rich aromatics. It’s uniquely robust and acts as a brilliant substitute in drinks where you want a richer, more complex herbal backbone. This is the gin that dirty martini drinkers fall in love with, the one that makes a Bloody Mary variation into something genuinely interesting, and the one that earns comparisons to a garden in late summer.
Gin No. 1 earned a Silver Medal at the 2014 American Craft Spirit Awards, and our team still considers it one of the most interesting, unique spirits we make.
Gin No. 1's herbaceous, savory character takes a beautifully bright turn in this egg white gin fizz. The silky foam lifts the lemon and softens the botanicals into something almost cloud-like. A spritz of orange blossom water over the top (find it at New Seasons & pour it into a small spray bottle) takes it somewhere special.
Next up, the Red Snapper is the gin-based answer to the Bloody Mary. For fans of Gin No. 1's savory, celery-salted finish, it's a natural fit. We suggest using Walla Walla Sweet Onion Bloody Mary Mix, which you can grab from the Bottle Shop.
The rich, non-traditional botanicals of Gin No. 1 blend flawlessly with sweet 'n' savory Walla Walla onions, spiced tomato juice, horseradish, and citrus.
Bring the garden to your glass at your next summer gathering with a delightful Lawn Party cocktail. Grapefruit, lime, bitters, and Gin No. 1: this is what summer in Portland tastes like when the sun finally shows up. This citrus-forward cocktail highlights the herbal depth of Gin No. 1 and is most refreshing on a hot summer day.
New Deal Old Tom Gin
Style: Old Tom & Barrel-Aged
Our Old Tom Gin is the most adventurous bottle in the gin lineup and has the most storied pedigree. Distilled with over 20 botanicals, including rose petal, citrus, juniper, and orris root, it's a spirit brimming with depth and texture before it ever sees a barrel. After distillation, each small batch ages in Oregon wine barrels, developing warm, toasted notes, a beautiful amber color, and the kind of complexity that takes time.
Whiskey lovers often find their gateway to gin through the Old Tom, drawn in by the barrel character and the roundness of the mouthfeel.
The slightly sweetened, barrel-rested profile also makes it exceptional in historically accurate classic cocktails, particularly the Martinez and the Tom Collins.
This one spent years in our Distiller's Workshop series while we kept refining the recipe. We knew it was ready when it took home the Platinum Medal for Aged Gins in Sip Magazine's 2021 Best of the Northwest, followed by a Gold Medal at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. We'd call it the cat's pajamas. (More on that in the recipes section.)
The Martinez is widely considered the ancestor of the modern martini and might just be the historic missing link between the Manhattan and the Martini. It's a sweeter, richer, more complex drink that was the go-to of the Victorian cocktail era. Old Tom Gin is the historically correct gin for this one, and ours delivers on every note: the barrel warmth, the botanical depth, the sweetness that balances the vermouth perfectly.
Next up, our barrel-rested Old Tom Gin teams up with strawberry and lemon in this refreshing summer riff on a Tom Collins, historically made with Old Tom Gin. The vanilla barrel notes of our Old Tom Gin add
unexpected depth to a bubbly, sweet-and-sour frame. The house-made strawberry syrup takes a little weekend time, but a batch keeps for three weeks in the fridge and, trust us, you'll use every drop.
A vintage-style cocktail, the Cat's Paw is a riff on a Hemingway Daiquiri that was made for our Old Tom Gin. The barrel character adds warmth and depth to the citrus, and the grapefruit plays beautifully against the spirit's botanical sweetness. It's the kind of drink that makes you feel like you're on the beach in Key West, sippin' on sunshine.
Celebrate World Gin Day at New Deal
World Gin Day only comes once a year (second Saturday in June), and we'd love to spend it with you! Stop by the bottle shop & tasting room in Portland's Central Eastside, open daily 12–6pm. Try a flight of all three gins side by side, or try one of our gins in a mini cocktail, and ask us your burning gin questions while you sip.
All three gins are also available online at the New Deal Bottle Shop for local pickup and US Shipping. Order ahead, swing by on your way to wherever the evening takes you, and we'll have your bottle waiting.