Refresh with the 12 Best Blood Orange Gin for a Fruity Twist
Because distillers of gin are able to experiment with any botanical they like, a ton of different gins have been made over time.
One flavor that has become very popular in the last few years is blood orange gin. In this article, we’ll list 12 of the best blood orange gins.
How Do Blood Orange Gins Taste?
There aren’t a lot of gins with blood orange used as a botanical on the market right now, but it’s becoming more and more popular in the last few years.
Most blood orange gins are actually gin liqueurs (read about the difference between gin and gin liqueur), which basically means that the gin is a bit sweeter and seen as more refreshing compared to a normal gin.
Generally speaking, gin liqueurs are most often served cordially (after dinner) and used in spritz cocktails, where you mix the gin liqueur with prosecco and sparkling soda water. They are a little bit less bitter than normal gins and are often seen as easy-to-drink gins.
Even though the name doesn’t exactly sound like it, blood orange gins are definitely a good example of those easy-to-drink gins. They tend to be a lot sweeter, just like the blood orange itself is, and they contain even more citrus notes than other gins do.
Gins with blood orange also tend to be way less bitter than your standard, let’s say, London Dry gin.
Just like any gin, blood orange gins are great in cocktails, especially if you want a nice and sweet cocktail with some strong flavors. They are perfect for a refreshing summer cocktail.
But of course, they can also be drunk neat if you like your gin like that. Perhaps more people will enjoy a neat blood orange gin over a normal gin, seen as it is a lot less bitter.
But which blood orange gins are actually good and which gin (liqueur) should you try for yourself? Below, we list 12 of the best blood orange gins out there right now.
1. Beefeater Blood Orange
Beefeater has been a staple in the gin industry since the opening of the first distillery in 1863. Beefeater’s gins are really popular and for good reason! Their London Dry gin is considered one of the best London dry gins out there by some people.
Beefeater’s blood orange gin is also a really popular gin amongst the blood orange gin (liqueurs), which is probably partly due to the fact that Beefeater is already really well-known.
Beefeater, unlike many gin distillers, actually provides a list of most (not all of course) of the botanicals used in their gin. Their blood orange gin consists of a mix of 10 botanicals ranging from the obvious juniper berries and blood orange to licorice, coriander, and lemon peel to name a few.
The Beefeater Blood Orange has a lot of citrus notes and this is accompanied by the bittersweet taste of the blood orange. These flavors make for a great addition to cocktails like the classic Gin & Tonic (or Orange & Tonic), a Bloody Sgroppino, or a Raw Carrot Citrus Crush.
2. Malfy Gin Con Arancia
Even though Malfy isn’t as well-known as Beefeater, they have made quite a name for themselves as one of the best citrus-forward gins.
Especially their lemon gin and their grapefruit gin are considered to be one of the best, if not the best, lemon and grapefruit gins out there. Their blood orange gin, the Malfy Gin Con Arancia, is also a pretty commonly used gin.
The Con Arancia is a very sweet, juicy, and refreshing drink. It’s not always considered to be one of the best blood orange gins if you purely look at the taste.
This could be due to the fact that expectations of this gin were high because people thought it had to be just as good as their lemon and grapefruit gin. It is sometimes perceived as a bit too soapy or the hint of grapefruit is too much.
Nonetheless, this is a great and very sweet blood orange gin that could be perfect for all kinds of cocktails like a gin & tonic or a negroni.
The other reason why this gin is great for cocktails and why a ton of bartenders use this drink is because of the color. Due to the nearly neon orange color, bartenders can use as little as a quarter ounce to turn the entire drink bright orange.
3. Whitley Neill Blood Orange Gin
Whitley Neill is one of the best-selling gins in the UK and is a very well-respected brand in the gin industry. Whitley Neill has an extremely long history as a gin brand. The Neill family has been distilling gin since 1762!
The Whitley Neill Blood Orange gin is one of their many great award-winning gins, and their blood orange gin itself won silver at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2018. This award already proves that it is an amazing quality gin.
This gin uses Sicilian blood oranges as its core. Some of the many botanicals used in the spirit are cassia, licorice, sweet orange, and lemon. Johnny Neill, the owner of Whitley Neill, also always adds 6 carefully selected botanicals to create the secret recipe, so we’ll probably never know the full recipe.
The complete recipe makes for a very sweet, fruity, citrus-forward, zesty gin with tiny hints of some earthy licorice.
Like all gins on this list, this gin goes perfectly with a gin & tonic, but with some fresh orange juice, lime juice, and some runny honey, you can create an amazing Sicilian Sunset.
4. Fox’s Kiln Distillery Blood Orange Gin
Fox’s Kiln Distillery is fairly new in the gin industry. The creator of the gin brand, Jared Brown, started a microbrewery out of boredom in 2011, and later in 2019, he started distilling gin.
Jared says he loves to experiment with natural ingredients found locally to produce special edition spirits and it shows.
Aside from the blood orange and a classic gin they also already make a pink gin and a rhubarb & ginger gin. A few of the not-so-commonly used botanicals in this gin are camomile, pink peppercorns, and bay leaf.
Together with the other botanicals, they create a gin that gives sweet and zesty notes of blood orange. There’s also a slight hint of fennel in the spirit. Jared Brown recommends serving this gin with a Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic and an orange wheel as a garnish.
5. Redcastle Blood Orange and Rhubarb Gin Liqueur
Redcastle’s gins have become increasingly popular over the last few years. Especially in Scotland, the brand’s popularity has been rising quite steadily. Aside from just gin, Redcastle also specializes in spiced rum and prosecco.
Redcastle has made a bunch of amazing fruity gins like passion fruit & mango, raspberry & pomegranate liqueur, and, of course, the blood orange & rhubarb gin liqueur.
What sets this blood orange gin apart from the other blood orange gin is definitely the addition of rhubarb. This gin still has a really rich sweetness to it with some great citrusy notes.
This combined with rhubarb makes for a very well-balanced and smooth gin liqueur. If you are able to get a hold of this gin, you should definitely try it.
6. Greenall’s Blood Orange Gin Liqueur
Greenall’s is Britain’s oldest distillation, with its starting date way back in 1761. With their incredible experience, they make a variety of great gins ranging from an Original London Dry Gin (with the same recipe as 250 years ago) to their Blueberry Gin and a Green Apple & Hibiscus Gin Liqueur.
The blood orange notes added to this gin complement the citrusy flavors very well and this results in a crisp and refreshing spirit.
It’s got a very fruity taste with a sweet finish that balances nicely with the bitterness. And to top it all off, it contains no added sugar at all!
Not only do they make an amazing Blood Orange Gin, but they also produce a Blood Orange, Fig & Ginger Gin Liqueur, if you’re looking for a nice and more spicy addition to a spritz.
7. Fallen Angel Blood Orange Gin
This bottle of gin is not meant for the faint of heart. This is not just because it’s a strong drink, but the bottle itself is actually quite startling. The bottle has the model of a devil’s head, which is the main theme of the brand Fallen Angel.
All their bottles have the same scary devil model, the only difference being the color of the bottle. Aside from the blood orange gin, Fallen Angel also makes spiced rum, British vodka, and two different liqueurs.
The prices of these bottles are a bit high compared to other spirits, but with Fallen Angel, you not only get a very nice drink, but you can also use the bottle in which it comes as a decoration if you like.
This gin has got some very strong and sweet orange notes. It’s recommended to drink with tonic or soda water, but it’s also a perfect gin to drink neat. Because the gin itself already has a ton of strong flavors, you don’t necessarily need to mix it.
8. J.J. Whitley Blood Orange Gin
The J.J. Whitley Blood Orange Gin might not be just as flashy as the bottle from Fallen Angel, but this bottle is also really nice looking. The bottle has some fancy floral embossing on it. This combined with the vivid orange color from the gin looks amazing.
J.J. Whitley is a sister brand from the aforementioned Whitley and Neill families and has a wide range of spirits. This range consists of a ton of flavored vodkas like raspberry vodka and watermelon & lime vodka and flavored gins from a standard London Dry gin to Mango & Papaya gin.
This gin is very bright and a bit zesty with hints of anise and really strong candied orange notes. The undertones consist of licorice and cassia. Like many of J.J. Whitley’s spirits, this one is a great addition to any alcohol collection.
9. Tarquin’s Cornish Sunshine Blood Orange Gin
Tarquin, the creator of the Tarquin’s Cornish Gin brand is driven by his extreme passion to create. Without any real knowledge about distilling, Tarquin started to gather information and he began experimenting with every botanical he could find, to create an extensive library of flavors and a perfect secret recipe for his gin.
Tarquin makes a vast variety of different gins, some of which have won gold (or even double gold) medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
His Sunshine Blood Orange Gin is infused with blood orange, summer fruits, and aromatic gentian root. This combination of botanicals makes this drink amazing for a refreshing cocktail.
Tarquin says this spirit is meant to be served in a spritz, with prosecco, sparkling elderflower, and a large citrus wheel as a garnish.
10. St. Ives Blood Orange Gin
The creators of St. Ives Liquor all gained their knowledge about spirits and liquor unknowingly through experience from working as bartenders.
During their work as bartenders, they educated themselves on what a superior spirit should taste like, so with this knowledge, they created their liquor company with quality, flavor, and a sense of place at its core.
They started out experimenting with a ton of fresh herbs and ingredients found locally and in their own kitchen. Through experimenting, they figured out the 13 perfect botanicals for their gin. The spirits that St. Ives produces range from a classic gin, to super berry gin, to limoncello.
The blood orange version of their gin is infused with (aside from the obvious blood orange) safflower blossoms, rosehip, cinnamon, and nutmeg. This makes for a zesty and crisp spirit.
This gin is infused with very fragrant botanicals which create a wonderful and complex flavor.
11. Didsbury Blood Orange & Ginger Gin
Liam and Mark, both founders of Didsbury Gin, forged their friendship over countless nights of drinking gin & tonics in different establishments all over their hometown: Didsbury.
Mark’s passion for gin caused him to build a career in creating numerous cocktail menus in different Manchester restaurants, bars, and cafés, so they know what they are talking about when it comes to gin!
Didsbury’s range of gin consists of a few different fruity flavored gins like Raspberry & Elderflower, Strawberry & Sicilian Lemon, Tutti Frutti (which literally means all of the fruits), and a gin that tastes like a much-loved dessert in Manchester: Manchester Tart.
The Blood Orange & Ginger gin is made up of the base of their original gin, which consists of a unique blend of 11 botanicals. Among these 11 botanicals are bitter orange, lime, and grapefruit to name a few, making it a clean, crisp, and zesty spirit.
The addition of blood orange further enhances the citrus-forward flavors. After the strong citrus flavors soften, the ginger brings a nice warmth to the mouth. Liam and Mark recommend drinking this gin with blood orange juice/soda.
12. Pickering’s Blood Orange & Caraway Gin
Pickering’s gin is distilled in an Edinburgh distillery that the owners built themselves. It’s actually the first exclusive gin distiller in Edinburgh for over 150 years.
Matt and Marcus, the owners of Pickering’s Gin, only started distilling in 2013, but their brand quickly grew into a multi-award-winning company.
Aside from their core range of gins, Pickering’s also specializes in really unique, fresh, floral, sweet, or fruity flavored gins like a Strawberry & Black Pepper Gin, Forget Me Not Gin, and Brussels Sprout Gin.
A few botanicals used in this gin are coriander, anise, fennel, and caraway seeds. The spirit opens up with vibrant citrus top notes that lead the way for a mild peppery note from the caraway seeds.
The finish of this gin is sweet from the blood orange peel with subtle hints of fennel. With this drink, you should definitely try a negroni cocktail or go for a classic gin & tonic.
Final Thoughts
Pretty much all of these gins are great for a nice, refreshing summer drink. Most of them work pretty well in a classic gin & tonic with some Mediterranean tonic water. It’s also greatly recommended to try these fruity en sweet gins in a spritz as an afternoon or cordial drink.
It depends on personal preferences which of these gins you should buy. If you’re going for aesthetics, then something like the Malfy Gin Con Arancia is great because of its vibrant colors, but also the Fallen Angel Blood Orange Gin is a good option due to its flashy and kind of creepy bottle.
Beefeater’s blood orange gin is a great and safe option because it’s one of the most famous brands out there and it will not disappoint you. But we definitely recommend you also try some of the other (award-winning) blood orange gins to see which you like best.
