GIN is enjoying a massive boom at the moment, from the classic London Dry styles to the quirky flavoured fruit infusions that are now crammed onto the shelves of your local wine and spirit emporium.

There has also recently been a surge in gin joints and cocktail bars appearing on the high street, with everyone trying to have the biggest and most interesting range of spirits, as well as the most unusual and unique cocktail concoctions available. And you can even order "flights" of gin, to try a few in the range before settling on a favourite. Happy days.

You’d be forgiven for being a bit bamboozled by the range that has recently become available so, here’s a brief guide to navigating your way around the gin shelves and gantries.

Firstly, a classic London Dry gin at the right ABV (alcohol by volume) is a thing of beauty. The right ABV, in my opinion, is between 40 and 46 per cent as bottling at this strength allows more of the delicate botanical flavourings to shine through in your glass. Gin bottled at 37.5 per cent will just taste of juniper. Also, bear in mind that your gin should be smooth enough to enjoy straight. I keep my gin in the fridge at home (or the freezer if the fridge is full of wine), and I have been known to enjoy a very dry martini or two before dinner. The less vermouth you add to the shaker, the drier the martini will be, and I like them dry. I use an Italian vermouth, Cocchi Americano (Inverarity One to One, £16.99), as it creates the same style of martini that you used to get with the quinine-heavy (and now no longer available) Kina Lillet. So, add a healthy slug of gin to the shaker, and the tiniest dash of Cocchi Americano and shake well over ice. Pour into a chilled glass, and enjoy.

A very dry martini would almost certainly overpower Shirley’s gooseberry fool, so instead you should track down a fruit-infused gin liqueur to match the dish.

You’ll find sloe gins in every supermarket (Sipsmith make a particularly good one, which you can pick up in Sainsbury’s at £24 for a 50cl bottle), and the best way to enjoy these concentrated beauties is by adding a generous splash to a flute and topping it up with a nice Prosecco. Lovely bubbly.

Edinburgh Gin have a number of interesting bottles (available online, in many specialists and also in John Lewis for about £18 for a 50cl bottle). These releases include Rhubarb and Ginger, Raspberry, and my favourite, Elderflower. The Elderflower Liqueur (bottled at 20% ABV) is incredibly refreshing and I would serve it simply over ice alongside Shirley’s gooseberry fool.

Pete Stewart is Glasgow director of Inverarity One to One, 185a Bath Street, Glasgow inveriry121.com