Flavoured gins are a popular and diverse category, one where it’s possible to find a spirit to suit everyone, whether you prefer a classic sloe gin, a fun pink gin (check out the results of our pink gin taste test here) or something more left field (hello, earl grey and cucumber!). Flavoured gins are also hugely versatile – try them with tonic water in a G&T, topped with sparkling wine, as a base for a cocktail or simply sipped neat with ice. Here are a few of our favourites.
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Tarquin’s Cornish Sunshine Blood Orange Gin, £33.95/70cl
Sweetly tart citrus, rhubarb and berry flavours are balanced by a herbaceous bitterness that brings to mind an Italian-style aperitif such as Campari or Aperol.
Flavour profile: citrus
Botanicals: juniper, coriander seed, liquorice root, angelica root, orris root, green cardamom, cinnamon, bitter almonds, orange, lemon and grapefruit peel, violets, gentian root, rhubarb, blood orange, raspberries
Perfect pairing: Complex and smooth enough to drink neat on its own, but we suggest serving it spritz style – preferably at aperitivo hour.
The Wrecking Coast Distillery, Clotted Cream Gin, £34.95/70cl
Sounds like it could be one step too far, right? But The Wrecking Coast Distillery has executed this totally Cornish gin with such subtlety that it’s actually the dreamy mouthfeel of clotted cream that you get, as opposed to the flavour. To make it, fresh clotted cream is cold-distilled under vacuum (to produce a clear spirit) and combined with classic botanicals and Cornish spring water. The effect is a gin with all the depth of clotted cream, but with a surprisingly light and honeyed floral flavour.
Flavour profile: Floral
Botanicals: Juniper, coriander, chamomile, vanilla, angelica, liquorice, orris, grains of paradise, cassia bark, cinnamon, lemon peel and aniseed
Perfect pairing: With a good-quality tonic water and fresh strawberries, plus a little squeeze of lime.
LoneWolf Cactus and Lime Gin, £25.95/70cl
If you love the idea of a margarita but tequila isn’t your thing try this quirkily flavoured gin from BrewDog Distilling Co. Pressed cactus juice and Queen of the Night cactus flower add a sweet tropical edge (think lychee and watermelon) cut with zesty kaffir lime leaf.
Flavour profile: citrus/fruit
Botanicals: Cactus flower (Queen of the Night), cactus plant, kaffir lime, Scots pine, Tuscan juniper, grapefruit peel, lemon peel, pink peppercorn, orris root, angelica, mace, cardamom, lemongrass, almonds, lime, coriander and lavender
Perfect pairing: Sip on its own over ice, use in place of tequila in a margarita or just add a dash of soda and a twist of lime peel.
Sipsmith Orange & Cacao Gin, £25/70cl
An orange and cacao gin sounds like it could be incredibly sickly – this is anything but. With clean, bold juniper aromas, sweet, marmalade-like citrus and subtle, well-balanced cocoa notes on the palate, this is the classy gin equivalent of a Terry’s Chocolate Orange.
Flavour profile: citrus
Botanicals: cacao nibs, orange blossom, Seville orange peel, juniper
Perfect pairing: it’s smooth and sweet enough to drink on its own, or try in a negroni
Hayman’s True English Sloe Gin, £25.59/70cl
This festive number is made by steeping hand-picked sloe berries in Hayman’s London Dry Gin for three to four months. With a nice balance of sloe berries and a gentle hit of alcohol, it has a rich, fruity flavour without being too sweet and tastes like a proper sloe gin.
Flavour profile: fruity
Botanicals: juniper, coriander, lemon peel, orange peel, angelica, cinnamon, cassia bark, orris, liquorice, nutmeg
Perfect pairing: drink neat over ice, or top up with sparkling wine for a kir royale-style cocktail
Try more of our favourite sloe gins here…
Chase Pink Grapefruit and Pomelo Gin, £38.50/70cl
Created by distilling Chase gin with grapefruit and pomelo peel, this is a super-fragrant spirit, full of zesty tartness and well-balanced bitter notes.
Botanicals: pink grapefruit, pomelo, juniper, coriander seed, bitter almond, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, angelica, liquorice, lemon peel, cardamom
Perfect pairing: try with tonic water and a wedge of pink grapefruit
Porter’s Tropical Old Tom Gin, £35/70cl
With botanicals of passion fruit and guava this subtly sweet old tom gin is well proportioned, with juicy tropical notes balanced by an earthy, classic juniper base.
Flavour profile: fruity
Botanicals: juniper, passion fruit, guava, white tea, coriander, angelica, orange, lemon, orris, cassia, cinnamon, liquorice, almond
Perfect pairing: tonic water and fresh passion fruit
Whitley Neill Blood Orange Gin, £24.50/70cl
This fragrant number packs in lots of juicy citrus, with dryness from Sicilian blood oranges that pairs well with the gin, and subtle notes of orange peel and pepper.
Flavour profile: citrus
Botanicals: juniper, orange, lemon, orris bark, coriander seed, angelica root, blood orange extract
Perfect pairing: enjoy in a G&T with fresh slices of orange, or try it with fresh grapefruit juice and lime for a zesty paloma
Slingsby Gooseberry Gin, £40.25/70cl
Slingsby’s rhubarb gin was a hit at olive HQ and now the Yorkshire distillery has released another tart and zesty winner. Here, tangy gooseberries (also sourced in Yorkshire) marry perfectly with the citrussy notes of the base gin.
Flavour profile: citrus
Botanicals: severn sea rosemary, silver posie thyme, green and jasmine tea, citrus thyme, garden thyme, rhubarb, sage, lovage, chervil, nettle, sweet cicely, rosehip, angelica, cassia, orris root, coriander, liquorice, grapefruit and juniper
Perfect pairing: the gin’s creamy mouthfeel means it would be lovely sipped neat with ice, or try topping up with some sparkling white wine for a spring-like spritz
Pipe House Earl Grey & Cucumber Gin, £39/70cl
Proof that flavoured gins don’t have to be sickly sweet, this small-batch number, made in Tunbridge Wells, is clean and refreshing, with an intriguing vegetal back note. A less flowery alternative to Hendrick’s.
Flavour profile: floral
Botanicals: juniper, angelica, cucumber, earl grey
Perfect pairing: serve with tonic water and a slice of cucumber
Tanqueray Flor De Sevilla, £24/70cl
The bittersweet zestiness of Seville oranges adds a taste of the Med to the botanicals in this gin, and subtle notes of orange blossom evoke fragrant summer evenings.
Flavour profile: fruity
Botanicals: Seville oranges, juniper, coriander, angelica, liquorice
Perfect pairing: serve with tonic water and a wedge of orange
Hedgepig Zesty Elderflower Fruit Gin Liqueur, £32/50cl
We loved the opulent floral and citrus notes of this beautifully packaged, silky liqueur, which has a pleasing sharp-sweet character that’s not too sugary. It’s also wildlife friendly – 50p from every bottle sold is donated to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.
Flavour profile: floral
Botanicals: raspberry, elderflower, juniper, lemon
Perfect pairing: serve with tonic water, neat over ice or add to sparkling wine
Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin, £37.49/70cl
This Australian distillery takes local Yarra Valley shiraz grapes and steeps them in gin before pressing to release all of the juices. The end result is a corker – bursting with rich berry fruits, and elegantly subtle spice, herb and juniper notes.
Flavour profile: fruity
Botanicals: shiraz grapes, whole oranges, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, Tasmanian pepperberry leaf, lemon myrtle
Perfect pairing: serve with lemon tonic water
Eden Mill Hop Gin, St Andrews, Scotland, £33.99/50cl
A quirky hybrid of gin and beer flavours, this St Andrews-based distillery uses Australian galaxy hops as a botanical in its Hop Gin. Linking the two crafts of brewing and distilling together, this is an unusual spirit, with a strong, rich flavour.
Flavour profile: floral and citrus
Botanicals: juniper, angelica, coriander, Australian Galaxy hops
Perfect pairing: try with tonic water and fresh red chilli
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