Adnams Smidgin Dry Gin is a highly concentrated British dry gin created by Adnams in Southwold for drinkers who want the aromatic structure of a real gin and tonic with much less alcohol in the finished glass. The idea is unusual: Smidgin is not a non-alcoholic spirit and it is not a diluted low-alcohol gin. It is bottled at 50% alcohol by volume, but it is designed to be used in a very small measure. Adnams recommends 2.5 ml of Smidgin with 200 ml of tonic, producing a full-flavoured gin and tonic at around 0.6% ABV and about 0.1 unit of alcohol.

The recipe is compact and deliberately focused. It uses six botanicals: juniper berries, sweet orange peel, hibiscus flower, coriander seed, cardamom pods and orris root. Adnams explains that Smidgin is distilled in the same way as its other gins, but with a much higher botanical intensity. This concentrated botanical load is the central technical point of the product: instead of removing alcohol from a finished gin, the distillery increases aromatic density so that a tiny pour can still carry through a long tonic serve.

On the nose, Smidgin is intense, bright and aromatic. Sweet orange peel comes forward quickly, supported by juniper and the warm spice of cardamom. Hibiscus adds a soft floral tone, while coriander seed brings a dry, slightly citrus-spiced lift. Orris root acts more quietly, helping to bind the aromatic elements and give the distillate a more perfumed structure.

On the palate, tasted neat, Smidgin is extremely concentrated and should be understood as a spirit designed for dilution rather than as a conventional neat pour. Citrus, juniper and spice are immediately present, with a compact and powerful texture. When diluted with tonic, the gin opens into a more familiar profile: orange peel gives freshness, juniper keeps the drink recognisably gin-led, hibiscus softens the aromatic frame, and cardamom and coriander prevent the serve from feeling thin.

The recommended serve is essential to the identity of Adnams Smidgin Dry Gin. A very small measure with a good tonic water and plenty of ice creates a low-alcohol drink that still behaves aromatically like a gin and tonic. Orange zest is a natural garnish, because it echoes the sweet orange peel in the recipe and keeps the serve bright. Smidgin is therefore best understood as a technical response to moderation: a true gin, highly concentrated, made to deliver flavour in a much lighter final drink.