City of London Distillery Murcian Orange Gin review

Full City of London Distillery Murcian Orange Gin review

When the City of London Gin Distillery launched in 2012, there hadn’t been a gin distillery in London for over 200 years, so if you’re looking for the start of the small-batch gin revolution, you might well look here.

The distillery is hidden away on a side street near London’s iconic St Paul’s Cathedral (and you can clearly see the landmark inspiration in their bottle design). It’s all the more fitting that London Dry Gin is where the company began its story, and it’s the traditional London gin that’s used as a base for its new Murcian orange option.

City of London Distillery has released two citrus-flavoured gins: orange and lemon. The orange flavour, made with Italian oranges from Murcia, fared much better in our taste test than the lemon (although we were disappointed to find that it’s the bottle that’s coloured rather than the gin itself). The aroma is lively, so it was a surprise to find that the flavour wasn’t overly strong. It’s a premium-priced gin, so if you’re a citrus fanatic, you might be a little disappointed.

We like that City of London Distillery brought back part of London’s heritage with an excellent gin offering. Although it’s not the most orange-y gin we tried, their brand is something rather special.

The perfect pour

This is a gin that really tastes better with tonic – when it’s neat, it’s got a slight burn on the finish, but with an ABV over 40% that’s really to be expected. Topped up with tonic and ice, it becomes a much more refreshing drink.

It might not be citrussy enough for some, so we’d recommend mixing this with a Mediterranean tonic, which will really bring the flavours to life. Alternatively, you could add a splash to this zesty gin ‘n’ tonic cake and really give it a citrus kick.

There are a lot of citrus gins on our list that you can drink simply with ice, but this is one that you could use to give a twist to your cocktails without losing the classic juniper and summery citrus flavours. Try a new take on a classic Tom Collins, or amp up the orange flavour in a marmalade martini.

Read our full review of citrus gins

This review was last updated in June 2019. If you have any questions or suggestions for future reviews, or spot anything that has changed in price or availability, please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk. For information on alcohol guidelines, read our guide to drinking responsibly.