Want to know which gin goes with orange? Read on for whichgin.com’s hand-picked list of the best 6 gins to pair with orange as a garnish.
- Thomas Dakin Gin
- James Keiller Dundee Gin
- Brooklyn Gin
- Copeland Gin
- Dockyard Gin
- Aviation Gin
Tired of lemon and lime in your gin? Try some orange garnish. Peel or slice, we do love a bit of orange action down at whichgin.com HQ. We’ve checked our gin reviews and curated six of the best gins to try with orange.
Which gin goes with orange – the contenders
We think the best gins with orange fit into two camps. The first are those gins that have a good punch of orange in them. A couple of the gins below are heady on oranges in the botanical mix, and they work very well with an orange garnish to enhance that. The second group are gins that are fresh and clean, where the citrus kick of an orange really opens them up in your glass.
Thomas Dakin Gin
Our review of Thomas Dakin Gin from Manchester was one that we remember as having reminded us about giving a gin time. We weren’t big fans at first but, once we’d actually taken the time to think about how to serve it, it really grew on us. So much so that it became our gin of the month for July 2019. It’s quite an earthy gin, and we found that a good sized slice of orange as a garnish worked brilliantly with it. It has orange zest in the botanical list, so your choice of an orange garnish can really bring this great gin to life.
James Keiller Gin
James Keiller Gin has to be a shoo-in for this list. Drawing on the history of marmalade it shouts ORANGES loud and proud. As we found in our review, it’s contract-distilled in Dundee by the award-winning Verdant Spirits and has Seville oranges at its heart. Add an orange peel garnish to this gin and you’re on to an absolute winner.
Brooklyn Gin
If you like citrus-y gins and you’ve not tried Brooklyn Gin yet you’re missing out. Distilled in New York State, this is a gin that majors on citrus. It has great dollops of fresh citrus peel in the botanical mix alongside hand-cracked juniper. Our review found it to be a smooth gin, full of fabulous citrus aromas and taste. Served over ice – with or without tonic – with an orange garnish, Brooklyn Gin is a treat.
Copeland Gin
To Northern Ireland next, and to Copeland Gin. There’s a flourishing gin scene in that part of the world – I reviewed many of them in my N.Irish gin article – and Copeland Gin from Donaghadee is right up there in terms of quality. It has Navel orange peel in the botanical line-up and, with it being bottled at 45%, I found that you’re getting a lot of flavour for your money. Add a wedge of orange to you Copeland Gin and tonic and you won’t be disappointed.
Dockyard Gin
Boasting Spanish orange and Italian lemon peel, Dockyard Gin is another beautiful citrus gin. We loved the aroma in our review. This premium gin comes from historic Chatham in Kent, and the fact that this is a ‘grain to glass’ gin really adds to the appeal. The suggested perfect serve for Dockyard Gin is with tonic over ice with a slice of pink grapefruit. However, a quick re-visitation with an orange garnish was a triumph, so Dockyard makes our top seven list.
Aviation Gin
Last up on our list is Aviation Gin, from Portland in the US. We found it had quite a mix of spice and floral notes and that it went well with grapefruit in our mini-review, so we gave it try pairing it with an orange garnish for this article. The result was excellent; the orange really gives an already-flavoursome gin a nice citrus kick.
Which gin goes with orange – the verdict
It wasn’t until we decided to curate these gins from our reviews that we realised just how often we’ve turned to an orange garish for gin. Make no mistake, irrespective of how you drink them, the gins above are all worth a try if you’ve not had them before. It’s tough to pick out an overall favourite. However, if pushed, we think the best gin with orange is Copeland Gin. It’s a punchy N.Irish gin with bags of character, and it’s great with an orange garnish. You can buy it from Amazon below, or from Master of Malt here.
Honourable mentions must go to both Brooklyn Gin and Dockyard Gin, which complete our top three gins to pair with orange. James Keiller Gin is a triumph of distilling, and shouldn’t be overlooked either.
What’s your favourite gin with orange? Let us know in the comments below or by email to contact@whichgin.com.
Cheers!
Andy
