One Of The Best Pink Gins Under $30 Comes From A Classic London Gin Brand

Like most fruit-infused liquors, pink gins are very often dismissed by purists who prefer their juniper and botanicals loud — "candy in a bottle," they said. That's why it's quite funny that one of the best bottles you can find in this category comes from perhaps the most recognizable name in London gin. In our roundup of pink gins under $30 worth buying in 2026, Beefeater London Pink Strawberry Gin received high praise from our reviewer. For a spirit that retails for $22 per 750-milliliter bottle — less than two cocktails at most bars — the drinking experience of Beefeater Pink Gin is quite remarkable.

For the uninitiated, few liquor brands are as storied as Beefeater, whose history started in 1863, when a Devon-born pharmacist named James Burrough paid £400 for a small distillery on Cale Street in Chelsea. He spent his first few years there turning out liqueurs, punches, and fruit gins — early ancestors of the pink gin. Classic gin carrying the Beefeater name started appearing in company papers by 1876, built on nine botanicals steeped for a full 24 hours before distillation.

Centuries later, in 2018, Beefeater took Burrough's fondness for fruit and, using his archived recipes, spun it into Beefeater Pink. Distilled on the same London Dry base that made the Beefeater name, natural strawberry flavoring is added after distillation, and the result is bottled at 37.5% ABV. For us, there are two reasons that made this bottle great: it never collapses into pure sugar, and it never picks up the tacky quality of a liqueur. You can still taste the botanicals under the fruit. Strawberry leads, warm coriander sits behind it, and the juniper and citrus give both something to push against. The finish reads clean rather than syrupy.

Beefeater London Pink Strawberry Gin is held in very high regard online, and many shoppers have gotten inventive with it. People have thought up numerous great ideas, including a gin and tonic with fresh mint and a lime twist, or — muddled with fresh strawberries — it could be used as the gin base for a dry, fruity martini. Many others call it smooth enough to sip on its own, and the judges agree — it scored 94 points and a silver at the 2022 International Wine & Spirit Competition, with medals from three more international spirits competitions behind it.

But if this is your first bottle, start simple with just ice, tonic, and a couple of strawberry slices. Let a good mixer do the steering after that. You have many options to pick from, depending on the vibe you're after: elderflower or grapefruit tonic can help rein the strawberry in, but if you want the fruitiness to go buck-wild, try adding a splash of lemonade or pink lemonade. You can get a bit of heat against the berry with ginger ale. The pink gin will also hold up as an ingredient in a Clover Club, a French 75, a strawberry bramble, or an easy impromptu spritz with some prosecco. All told, it's a fairly versatile ingredient to mix with, though there's one caveat: You'll want to go easy on sweet mixers. The gin already carries sugar, and a second dose turns it cloying fast.

At 37.5% ABV, this is softer and sweeter than the flagship, and the finish is shorter for it. Anyone hunting big juniper should reach for standard Beefeater London Dry and save the pink gin for the patio. But as a summer bottle, a party pitcher, or a peace offering to a friend who has decided gin is not for them, it's a cheap and persuasive argument.