THE sun has got its hat on, sip-sip-sip hooray – time for a cooling gin- and-tonic.
But which gin? That is the question?
17
The tipple may scream summer like cricket fans with hankies on their heads, the jingle of a Mr Whippy van, sunburn on the prom, stawberry-picking and . . . rainy bank holidays.
But there are now so many flavours, it is easy to feel all mixered up.
Thea Jacobs helps you gen up on your gin as she tries the various tastes – someone has to – and marks each out of five.
LEMON & LIME
Brewdog Cactus and Lime (Tesco, £25)
17
IS cactus a flavour we have been crying out for? Hmm. I can smell the lime, the dominant taste here.
But I am unsure where the cactus comes in, other than with the name. Sorry, this does not spike my interest.
Score: 2/5
Hortus Lemon and Lime (Lidl, £14.99)
17
SWEET and sherberty as lemonade but with a delightful kick.
The smell and taste is reminiscent of Sprite. Very easy to drink.
In fact, once this is mixed with tonic, you may forget it is boozy at all.
Dangerous.
Score: 4/5
Sipsmith Lemon Drizzle (Tesco, £28.50)
17
DRINKING this is a piece of cake.
On its own, there is a sweet, lemon taste and lovely, refreshing smell.
But when mixed, it blended too much into the lemonade, and taste was lost – making it hard to justify the price.
Score: 3/5
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Greyson’s Sicilian Lemon (Aldi, £12.99)
17
CHEAP as chips but not as tasty.
Strong lemon flavour when you first sip it but within seconds this gives way to the sting of cheap alcohol that could be used to strip paint.
You would want a lot of tonic to make this one work.
Score: 1/5
ORANGE
Malfy Blood Orange (Tesco, £28)
17
SMELLS bloody great, does this one, and has a strong dark-orange colour when mixed.
Unmistakable blood-orange taste and does not feel artificially flavoured.
Lovely and delicate gin but a little on the pricey side.
Score: 4/5
Sipsmith Orange (Waitrose, £22.50)
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VERY subtle. The orange compliments the botanicals and does not overpower them.
But more generic citrus than properly orangey.
It barely needed a mixer so if you are a fan of straight gin, this is the drink for you.
Score: 3/5
Adnams Orange and Sea Buckthorn (online, £31.99)
17
I DO not get orange but smell the seaweed, which transports me to the beach.
The sea buckthorn is the over-powering taste.
But there is a reason we do not drink sea-water.
For the price, I would expect nicer.
Score: 1/5
Greyson’s Mediterranean Orange (Aldi, £12.99)
17
PROPER hit of orange, with all the zing and zest you would expect. Like a slightly boozy orange juice.
Nothing artificial about the taste or smell, and leaves a lovely, fruity flavour in the mouth.
Top-notch drink at such a low price.
Score: 5/5
BERRIES
Sipsmith Strawberry Smash (Tesco, £28.50)
17
SMELLS like a straight gin – not a whiff of strawberry, no matter how hard I search.
Very subtle, it feels light and summery.
Not very flavoured compared to the rest but does at last refresh you on a summer day.
Score: 2/5
Whitley Neill Raspberry (Asda, £25)
17
SMELLS saccarine, like raspberry sweets rather than the real berry.
I had been hoping for a tart hit but this is just overwhelmingly sugary.
If you have a sweet tooth, you will love this, but it is one of the least subtle flavours.
Score: 3/5
Blackfriars Raspberry and Rhubarb (Sainsbury’s, £31.99)
17
MUCH tarter than the other raspberry gins, the rhubarb gives it a bitter kick.
Feels like I am drinking raspberry and rhubarb crumble, as if someone bottled that summer pudding, and I have no complaints.
Score: 5/5
Warner’s Raspberry (Waitrose, £30)
17
DOES not really smell like raspberry to me but I am blown away by the fabulously succulent taste.
It is as if they have crushed real berries right into my glass.
Nice balance of sweet and sour, like a really good raspberry jam.
Score: 4/5
TROPICAL
Gordon’s Tropical Passion-fruit (Sainsbury’s, £17)
17
SMELLS like a poor man’s porn star martini compared to the Hortus Orange and Passionfruit.
Not the strongest flavour at first, but leaves a sweet passionfruit aftertaste.
For the price, a decent drink.
Score: 4/5
Chase Pink Grapefruit and Pomelo (Waitrose, £28)
17
GRAPEFRUIT aroma explodes out of the bottle.
A rather bitter drink, like the fruit it is based on, and with a strong alcoholic after-taste.
I’ve never been a big fan of grape-fruit and this does nothing to combat that.
Score: 3/5
Blackfriars Mango and Pineapple (Sainsbury’s, £15)
17
I HAD high hopes of this Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference gin, as it smells like a tropical holiday.
But I could not taste pineapple or mango, and it was bitter.
More of a wet weekend than a tropical getaway.
Score: 2/5
Bathtub Gin Grapefruit and Rosemary (online, £36.95)
17
SO much rosemary from the smell, I would be tempted to slosh it over roast lamb.
Sadly, it looks like sparkling wee when in the glass.
Tastes better than it smells and looks, but does not really work as a gin for me.
Score: 3/5
