Flavoured gins walk a tightrope. Lean too far into the fruit and you lose the juniper backbone that makes gin, well, gin. Pull back too much and the flavour feels like an afterthought. Tarquin's Cornish Sunshine Blood Orange Gin lands somewhere in the promising middle — a bottling that wears its citrus credentials on the label and backs them up with a botanical bill that suggests real thought went into the balance.
Style & Botanical Character
At 38% ABV, this sits at the lighter end of the spectrum — typical for the flavoured category, where approachability is the goal. The botanical trio here is what caught my attention: ripe blood oranges provide the headline act, but it's the supporting cast that hints at depth. Bitter gentian — a root more commonly associated with Italian amari and aperitivo culture — brings a welcome dryness that should counterbalance any sweetness from the fruit. Aromatic herbs round things out, though the exact blend remains the distillery's secret.
It's a smart combination on paper. Blood orange already carries more complexity than standard sweet orange — that bitter, almost grapefruit-like edge gives it a natural affinity with gin's more savoury botanicals. And gentian is a bold choice. Anyone who's tasted Suze or a classic Salers will know it delivers an earthy bitterness that can anchor a spirit. I'd expect this gin to drink drier than the sunny branding might suggest.
Category Context
The flavoured gin market is saturated, and standing out requires more than a pretty bottle. What Tarquin's has going for it is restraint in its botanical selection — three clearly defined ingredients rather than a kitchen-sink approach. The Cornish distiller has built a solid reputation across its core range, and this blood orange expression feels like a natural extension rather than a cynical cash-grab.
At £37.25, it's priced in line with premium flavoured gins. Not a bargain, but not unreasonable for a craft bottling. The lower ABV means you'll want to go easy on the tonic to preserve whatever botanical intensity is there — a light hand will serve you better than a heavy pour.
Verdict
I'm giving Tarquin's Cornish Sunshine Blood Orange Gin a 7.2 out of 10. The botanical combination is genuinely interesting — gentian and blood orange together promise a flavoured gin with real backbone — and Tarquin's track record inspires confidence. The lower ABV holds it back slightly; I'd love to see what this blend could do at 40% or above, where the botanicals might project with more authority.
Best served: Build a Sunshine Spritz. Pour 35ml over ice in a large wine glass, add 50ml of Aperol and top with dry prosecco. Garnish with a thin wheel of blood orange and a sprig of fresh thyme. It leans into the gentian bitterness beautifully — think of it as a Cornish riff on the aperitivo hour I fell in love with during summers spent between Tokyo and Milan.
