Berry's celebrates the joy of gin. And challenges our after-dinner choices.

First things first. Gin, without juniper, is just vodka. The Bencard household's favourite spirit is defined by what's infused into it. While juniper is legally required to earn the gin designation, careful combinations of additional botanicals are what tend to differentiate today's brands.

Though we think of gin as the quintessential English spirit, it was actually developed by the Dutch as a medicine. Juniper-infused spirit was thought to calm the patient and bring focus, thus was often provided as a dose for soldiers before battle. Giving us the term "Dutch Courage". It was the English, however, who really kicked it off as a recreational drink. By the 18th century cheap, mass production had made it an opiate of the people, demonised in Hogarth's famous engraving "Gin Lane". Regulation scaled back the problem, and gin has been rising and falling in popularity ever since. Though a gin and tonic has been the quintessential welcoming drink as long as I've been in England, in the past few years the resurgence of cocktails and the fashion for small-batch spirits has seen the traditional old drink rise to giddy new heights.

Mix alcohol, English tradition and the latest market trends ... looks like it's time for another tutored tasting at Berry Brothers & Rudd.

Ben Foxley took us through five small batch varieties in an impromptu classroom set up at the back of the warehouse shop in Basingstoke. These have become so popular (see my report from last year's rum tasting here) that they're planning to do more. Good news for the Bencard household, if not for the budget, since an informative tasting always seems to lead to buying bottles you didn't know you wanted or needed.

This time, my favourite discovery was Junipero. In a world where makers are trumpeting ever more exotic infusions, this is a rigorously traditional London dry gin with in-your-face juniper. Though there are 11 other botanicals in there, they're a subtle backdrop. The result is a strong flavour that's going to hold its own against the tonic; like getting a double shot for the price of a single. Too bold for fruity cocktails or for sipping straight, I thought it was the perfect tipple for that pre-dinner G&T. Rather surprising given its traditional profile, it's American ... from the same company that makes Anchor Steam beer. I know what I'll be asking them to pour during our upcoming trip to San Francisco.

For cocktails, I'd pick the Old Tom Bathtub Gin. London dry and bathtub are both styles of production. Where London dry requires a sophisticated distilling set up so you can pass vapours through your botanicals, you can do bathtub at home. Start with pure spirit, plunge your botanicals into it and let it all steep like tea. (Exactly the process we followed when we made a trio of home-infused vodkas our signature gift one Christmas.) Old Tom has plenty of juniper, plus a good whack of sugar and a bunch of other botanicals. Add soda water, a straw and parasol and you're already on your way to the beach. The possibilities once you start blending other fruits are intriguing.

For martinis or sipping straight, my vote was either the Berry's No. 3 or the Tarquin. Berry's spirits
team created their house brand with the idea of the perfect martini in mind, and this could definitely get me drinking them more. It's reminiscent of the slightly more-complex-than-usual flavour profile of Tanqueray 10, but with a bit more ability to pick up some of the secondary botanicals (citrus, angelica, cardamom). Tarquin's is from a tiny distillery in Devon, notable for being a British producer of that French classic, pastis. Their gin is distinguished by its strong hit of English violets, which made it probably the most distinctive of all we tasted.

My least favourite was the most experimental. Dutch Zuidam goes back to the drink's national roots, even calling itself a genever rather than a gin. But then they go completely off piste, distilling it from a mash of malted barley, rye and corn, then ageing it in Bourbon casks. Sound familiar? It will do if you're a whisky fan. Because that's what this would be called if it weren't for the juniper infusion. If you're a fan of the honeyed, vanilla tones of Speyside (which I am), you'll find this a pleasant after-dinner drink. But I'd be just as likely to go for a Macallan. As an intellectual exercise, Zuidam is interesting. As a gin, I'll pass.

This one split the Bencard judges, however. My husband, who is not a whisky drinker, really liked this one ... and would definitely have it in the house for nursing after a nice meal. But we'll put off buying a bottle of this until we've reduced our stocks of Armagnac a bit more.