Released in 2007, Seagram’s Twisted Orange follows in the footsteps of a long history of products which pair gin and orange. Early orange gins tended to be like a cordial in style; that is, they were sweeter and of a lower ABV – almost liqueur-like. Some modern orange gins, such as the 1990s offering from Beefeater, were simply flavoured gin, being unsweetened, clear in colour and bottled at the usual 40% ABV.
On its own:
Nose: Not a very strong nose; mostly orange.
Taste: Very, very orangey, but the flavour reminds me of Calpol, being more of an artificial, orange oil flavour. Strong, but bitter.
Gin & Tonic
Again, the orange flavour was strong, but rather medicinal and slightly bitter. Overall, this drink still tasted rather artificial, like bitter orange oils, and I would have vastly preferred a much fresher flavour.
Martini
As you would expect, this makes a Martini that’s heavy on the orange notes, but I found that those dry orange notes do work well with the vermouth in this drink. Definitely the best way to drink this that I’ve tried so far, and the more I drink, the more I like it.
Negroni
Orange and Negronis are a naturally good match, but this drink was a bit juicier than a plain gin Negroni using an orange twist, tasting more like it contains a splash of orange juice. This was different, but pleasant to drink, with the strong bittersweet notes that you would expect from a Negroni.
In Conclusion
As the Seagram’s flavoured gins go, this is one of the weaker ones; the orange flavours are a bit artificial. I’m not, personally, a fan of orange flavoured white spirits, mainly because you can get a fuller, more pleasant orange flavour into a cocktail by a host of other means.
My favourite drink was the Negroni.
Summer Fruit Cup 