I am sure everyone has seen Tanqueray’s recent commercials with the charismatic Tony Sinclair smiling away as he parties with his favorite gin within arm’s reach. After sampling Tanqueray’s newest creation, we know exactly what Tony is smiling about. In 1830, Charles Tanqueray established a distillery in the Bloomsbury district of London. In 2006, Tanqueray launched a new variant of gin flavored by Rangpur limes, which happen to be a hybrid of the mandarin orange and the lemon. The question here is not why an orange and a lemon equals a lime, but rather why did it take the folks at the distillery 176 years to try flavoring gin with these fruits?
I am not a gin drinker. This is mostly due to a horrible previous experience where Pepsi© was used as a mixer, and I can assure you that there is a very good reason that you never hear anybody ordering a gin and Pepsi©. I think most gin tastes like last year’s Christmas tree blended up and mixed with rubbing alcohol. Tanqueray Rangpur is something entirely different. This is, bar none, the smoothest gin I have ever had the pleasure of consuming, partially because it is the lightweight in the Tanqueray family at only 82.6 proof. However, it is the Rangpur limes that do most of the work smoothing out the standard gin piney flavor. In fact, this gin is so smooth that I found sipping it on the rocks to be a refreshingly pleasant experience. It starts off with the juniper berries giving you a solid piney punch in the palette, but the exotic lime flavor jumps in before it becomes overpowering.
As good as Rangpur is straight, it is even better mixed with a little tonic. There really is no need for the dash of fresh lime juice in this cocktail. We did not have any vermouth around so we did not try it, but we expect that the Rangpur would make one very fine martini. At about $27 a fifth, it is a little more than the classic Tanqueray, but it’s definitely well worth it. I caught a light buzz during our testing, somewhat less than I expected from an 80+ proof liquor, so I was a little disappointed in that respect. The next morning I suffered no ill effects from the previous night’s fun, however, a friend who consumed several Rangpur and tonics claimed he woke up with a horrible headache. We did not consider his experience when determining the ratings, so enjoy this gin at your own risk.
I encourage gin afficionados and basically everyone else to go out and pick up a bottle. If you are a gin hater like myself (now reformed), you might find that Tanqueray Rangpur will make you change your ways, and that the next time you find yourself at a bar you will be ordering a Rangpur on the rocks.
Also check out our review of Tanqueray No. 10.
Sipability - 7.0
Mixability - 8.5
Drunkability - 6.5
Hangover-ability - 8.0
Bang for the Buck - 7.0
Chick-appeal - 7.5
Overall - 7.5 
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Comments
I bought this based entirely on the review. I’m not disappointed. Very smooth, and very tasty.
We’re glad you liked it. I actually found myself craving some earlier today…
i mixed mine with sprite, and also with mountain dew, and was suprised to find that it added to there flavor with out maken it have a weird kick, its def my new favorite liquor, and ive never been a gin drinker b4 now!
Boozebasher is changing lives!
Rangpur is quite lovely. I had the pleasure of trying this gin and must say, I certainly enjoyed the lemmony zinger it gives off. Perfect!!!
Wow.
I mixed Rangpur with used coffee grinds and the contents of my neighbor’s ashtray. Even that combination was quite potable due to the smooth texture of Rangpur.
Tony Sinclair would appreciate that recipe. Can somebody pass it along?
Found this by accident at Duty Free on some bloody island and thought I would give it a shot. Absolutely love it! Am bribing other friends to pick me up more. It actually makes a great Bloody Mary when mixed with Mr. & Mrs. T “Premium” Blend. Just scrumptous, darlings…mmmmmmm!
After pistol whipping my third hotel-robbery victim of the evening, I noticed that he had a bottle of Rangpur in his luggage. Hesitantly, I removed the cellophane from a disposable cup on the vanity and poured myself three fingers.
I found it to be velvety smooth. It helped me to cool down a little. It may have even prevented me from going any further on the unconscious weary traveller that lay before me.
Knowing I had only a few minutes before the cops showed up, I poured another. I drank half and spilled the other half on my victim’s face.
What an unforgettable evening.
Love Tanqueray, but Rangpur isn’t sold in Canada. Nooooooooo….
I’m really sorry for you. This stuff really is a treat.
i’m a gin drinker. while my friends are ordering beers, i’m ordering gin and tonic. they look at me funny sometimes, but i’m drinking to impress my tastebuds, not my buds, right? anyway, i have been meaning to try rangpur for a long time and actually bought a bottle for a party about 6 months back. unfortunately, no one opened the bottle until after i left so i never got to try it (i did hear that once it was finally cracked open it was happily consumed in its entirety, though). i normally drink beefeater, tanqueray, or bombay. tonight, i finally purchased a bottle of rangpur for my very own. i’m on my second gin and tonic right now, and let me tell you - this review is not a lie. this is the best gin i have ever had (better than bombay saphire … better than EVERYTHING!). the lime taste is a very welcome little something, and this comes from a guy who stopped even buying limes to put in my G&Ts (found that i didn’t really need them). maybe the sweetness and the citrusyness (yeah, i make up words. so what?) will get old eventually and this will become just an “occasional” thing, but i don’t see that happening as of this point. my only rule about gin and tonics used to be “no flat tonic!”. but now it’s “no flat tonic … and make the gin rangpur!!”
I was standing in the center of a diamond mine in South Africa surveying the scene. I observed some of my men who were missing limbs, Even children were working hard despite missing ears and noses. The diamond mine belonged to me.
I stood with my gun, making sure everyone was hard at work when a woman carrying a small child made a run for the jungle in an attempt at seizing her freedom. It only took three shots to bring them both down.
The shots commanded the attention of the work force and they stood and gawked at their fallen co-workers, mouths agape. I fired another shot into the air above their heads and shouted, “Back to WORK!”
I took a swig of Rangpur straight from the bottle, then another. I threw the empty bottle in the river. All that I surveyed that morning, I owned.
this is the smoothest ginthat has ever crossed my lips. Shaken or stirred t is the best. 007 eat your heart out.
Constant immersion in a world of sub-standard dorm rooms, unpalatable cafeteria food, and the obnoxious immaturity of frat parties can wary classy girls such as ourselves, but Rangpur is a welcome reprieve and glimmer of refinement for girls who desire just that. Whether served in a high-ball glass or innocuously disguised in a Nalgene, Rangpur is worth stretching even the tightest college budget to remind us of the joy of REAL drinking.
I hung the noose low on the massive oak. Jimmy watched it rise, his vantage sideways from where he was tied up in the back of his pickup truck. I rubbed the bump he’d given me on my temple, watching him writhe. For a moment I considered the scene from his perspective, and shuddered.
Can’t be helped - this town isn’t ready for his kind. I carried him out and laid him on the ground. I went back to the truck to call my friends, and spied a greenish bottle behind the driver’s seat.
Tanqueray Rangpur, is it? That would be just typical of someone like Jimmy. I downed two gulps in between phone calls, and noticed that the pleasantly smooth swallow was matched with a fascinating aroma, almost enough to distract me from the task at hand. This was not only tasty, it helped with the pain.
We finished the bottle just as the legs stopped twitching, and used it to mark where we would build the pyre.
Very interesting comment there, Alan. I’m glad Rangpur could help you through such a tricky situation.
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