Why gin is in

Americans are rediscovering gin, said Robert Plotkin in the Wine Enthusiast. Tired of vodka’s “carnival-like parade of flavors,” they’re returning to traditional gins and discovering new ones. A guide to the best:

Plymouth English Gin

The “Chanel No. 5” of gins. An exuberant juniper bouquet.

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Hendrick’s

This Scottish import is flavored with rose petals, cucumber, juniper, and coriander.

Beefeater London Dry Gin

Exquisitely dry, and bottled “at a lip-tingling 94 proof.”

Cadenhead’s Old Raj

This 110-proof spirit includes saffron, which lends a “citrus and spice bouquet.”

Whitley Neill London Dry Gin

Bold African flavors of wild gooseberries and the orange-like fruit of the baobab tree.

Junipero Gin

From Anchor Steam brewery in San Fran­cisco. Smooth, “magnificently dry,” and an exceptionally high 98.6 proof.