Tanqueray broke into the canned cocktail craze stateside in earnest. They launched three RTD’s, including two featuring their most prominent citrus flavored gins. Tanqueray Rangpur Lime Gin and Soda combines their 2006 launch Tanqueray Rangpur Lime with soda water and a bit of added sweetening.
Tanqueray Rangpur Lime Gin features the four signature botanicals of their Tanqueray London Dry Gin as a base. They then add three new ones: bay leaves, ginger and the aforementioned Rangpur Lime. While technically, not a lime, it’s a hybrid of a mandarin orange and a citron. (Citrus × limonia).
Tanqueray Rangpur Lime Gin and Soda is canned at 5.9% ABV and features 1.8g / 355 mL can of added sweetening.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Effervescent with a hint of a lemon/lime soda and citrus. Just opened, it reminds me a touch of 7up.
Flavor: Clean and crisp, with a strong more traditional lime flavor. Towards the finish, it begins to take on a hint of that lemon/lime note with a hint of ginger and spice. It bares only a slight resemblance to the taste of making a Tanqueray Rangpur Lime and soda at home yourself.
Perhaps where I’m most disappointed is that the juniper is so far in the background here. It’s extraordinarily slight.
Overall, Tanqueray Rangpur Lime Gin and Soda
There’s a beauty to pairing a gin with soda. Unlike a gin and tonic, the soda really lets the gin shine through. The botanicals you do get are nice. The overall presentation is refreshing with strong citrus character. This gin and soda will appeal to even non-gin fans.
However, the fact that as a gin and soda it ultimately is a bit light on the juniper and perhaps most surprisingly, it only bares a passing resemblance to a Rangpur Lime and Soda if you were to make one at home yourself.
It’s a refreshing cocktail assessed on its own merits, but one that might disappoint fans of the Tanqueray brand.