There's something immediately intriguing about Gin O'ndina. The name alone suggests Mediterranean flair — that apostrophe hinting at Italian roots — and at 45% ABV, it sits in that sweet spot where a London Dry can really express itself without the alcohol overwhelming the botanicals. This is a gin that means business.
Style & Character
As a London Dry, Gin O'ndina follows the most exacting production standards in the gin world. For the uninitiated, that classification isn't about geography — it's about method. London Dry means all the botanical flavours must come from the distillation process itself, with nothing added afterwards except water and a tiny allowance of sugar. It's the purist's approach, and it demands that the distiller gets everything right in a single pass. The result, when done well, is a gin of remarkable clarity and precision.
At 45%, O'ndina has the backbone to carry its botanical payload with real conviction. That extra couple of points above the minimum 37.5% makes an enormous difference to how botanicals present themselves — juniper especially benefits from a little more strength, gaining depth and resinous complexity rather than simply tasting piney.
Best Served
A London Dry at this strength is a gift to cocktail making. My first instinct would be a classic Martini — two parts gin to one part dry vermouth, stirred over ice for a full thirty seconds until properly diluted and silky, then strained into a frozen coupette with a lemon twist expressed over the surface. The 45% ABV means it'll hold its own against the vermouth without losing structure. Equally, this would make a superb Negroni, where that London Dry backbone provides the scaffolding for Campari and sweet vermouth to build upon. I'd rate Gin O'ndina at 8.1 out of 10 — a confident, well-structured London Dry that delivers exactly what the style promises.
