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Gin Notes: Tanqueray Rangpur GinPosted Mar 31st 2007 1:01PM by Jonathan M. ForesterFiled under: Lush Life, Gin, Raves & Reviews, Trends, New Products, Liquor CabinetTanqueray Rangpur Gin is 41.3 abv. / 82.6 proof and different from many other gins out there. It starts out the same with a slew of botanicals like juniper and coriander steeped and distilled into the gin. But then it goes through an additional step of adding botanicals, steeping, and re-distillation with rangpur, bay leaf, and ginger. It isn't a classic London Dry gin because it has a little sweetness to help balance out the heavy handed addition of extra citrus, herbs, and spices in the botanical blend. I am sure you are asking, "Rangpur? What's a Rangpur?" Sometimes called rangpur limes, many people assume that rangpur are in fact limes. They have a very strong lime taste to them but they are actually a lemon x mandarin orange hybrid that probably originated in India. They are one of three similar fruits from the family Citrus × limonia Osbeck, commonly but incorrectly called mandarin limes. Other names for rangpur are: rungpur, marmalade lime, lemandari,; Canton lemon in southern China, hime lemon in Japan, Japanche citroen in Indonesia, sylhet lime, surkh nimboo, shabati in India, and limao cravo in Brazil. Rangpurs are orange skinned and are the size, shape, and look like tangerines, but with a very sour, acidic juice that is used like a lime and has a very pronounced lime like flavor and aroma. The other two similar fruits are Kusiae or kusiae lime which is a form of the rangpur with an even more lime aroma, and Otaheite orange or Otaheite Rangpur, which is thought to be a non-acid form of the Rangpur.Tanqueray Rangpur's aroma is a bit like Tanqueray London Dry but with added hints of floral lime, herbs, and a powdery ginger note. When I researched the gin and found out that bay leaves were one of the botanicals, I wasn't surprised. That put the name to one of the tastes and aromas that had me confused. It's a smooth and slightly sweet, with a very strong, sharp, tangy lime flavor with blasts of herbs and spices. This is like squeezing several strips of lime zest and juice into a glass of a spicy gin. I love limes, but this can be a bit too much, even for me. For those who don't care for lime, this spirit will be just too much of a limey thing. I couldn't drink this gin all the time, but for switching up every now and then, it's an interesting change. It was nice in a G&T and straight on the rocks, but overwhelmed most cocktail recipes I tried, especially martinis. All of Tanqueray's advertising says that this is a well balanced gin. That the rangpur melds well, etc. I disagree and I think that the amount of rangpur needs to be decreased dramatically. The use of bay and ginger creates a very good and unusual gin, but the intense lime flavor overwhelms it all and throws it out balance completely. If the rangpur weren't so overwhelming, so that you could experience more of the bay leaf and ginger, the better a gin it would be. I think this gin is capitalizing on the popularity of the new premium gins, and is also trying to get the people who like flavored vodkas to break into the gin market. To me it tastes like one of those ubiquitous flavored vodkas, but with a gin base. Sadly, I think that it may prove to become popular with the flavored vodka crowd. Well, if it does work as a gateway to bring some of them into the wonderful world of gin I can't complain. The more people who drink premium gin, the more new varieties we will see entering the market. Personally I would like to see well balanced, finely crafted gin like the old Tanqueray Malacca being produced again. Or better yet, Tanqueray making some new spice heavy, but smooth and complex gins, that work well sipped or in cocktails.
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