Tasting Notes
White grapefruit flesh on the nose. Very literal and truer to the fruit than I would have expected. There is a bit of an artificiality beneath it though, with some hints of Squirt and Fresca soda.
The palate is much less sweet than I expected. Acidic grapefruit early, with gin notes coming on most strongly mid-palate. Crisp juniper and citrus depth. Hartwall Original Long Drink’s finish is a return to form. Heavy grapefruit notes predominate, but with a gentle crisp and gently dry finish. There’s no bitterness here, but it does have a certain crispness that calls to mind a Gin and Tonic.
Overall
I wasn’t sure what the fuss was about the Finnish Long Drink. But after trying a couple, Hartwall Original Long Drink is my favorite of the bunch. Not simply because it’s the original (though it does have that). I prefer it because it’s less sweet than others and the mid-palate gin note is quite nice. Grapefruit makes a nice companion to gin, and Hartwall Original Long Drink is worth seeking out when you’re in Finland or any other country that has it.
Recommended within its category.