I’ve seen quite a lot about Bulldog gin on Instagram over the past few months, so when I got a bottle for Christmas I was pretty excited to try it. The bottle looks unlike any other on the market, so even before I’d tried it, I knew it was going to be a great addition to my ever-growing collection in my kitchen – much to my other half’s dismay. The almost urn shaped black bottle with studs around the neck give Bulldog gin a very edgy and up to date appearance which makes you want to delve in and taste this mysterious gin with its mysterious botanicals like dragon eye.

Regular readers of my reviews will know that the sound of a cork stopper being removed from a bottle of gin is music to my ears, so I must admit that I was slightly disappointed that Bulldog gin has a screw top. I didn’t let that put me off too much though and soon poured myself a nice big G&T.

This gin is very smooth and quite refreshing. The citrus is apparent and the first of the botanicals that I recognised as I tasted it. I didn’t get the poppy from the taste; however, I could smell it from the neat spirit. I honestly couldn’t tell you if the dragon eye taste comes through or not, but a quick Google search of dragon eye fruit shows that they are sweet, and I didn’t get much sweetness.

To garnish Bulldog gin, I tried a slice of orange which added that sweetness I didn’t get from the gin itself. It complemented the citrus in the gin and would be a great summer garnish for drinking this gin outdoors in the sunshine. My personal preference for garnishing this gin is a wedge of pink grapefruit. The combination of sharp and sweet really lends itself to Bulldog gin.

I first tried Bulldog gin with Franklin and Sons tonic, but I found it slightly too bitter for this gin and it overpowered the botanicals and all I could taste was the quinine in the tonic. The perfect tonic for this gin, in my opinion, is Fever Tree as it doesn’t cancel out any of the flavour, but you still get the quinine.

My overall opinion of this gin? It’s a perfectly nice London dry gin, but it didn’t leave me wanting more once I’d finished a glass. Personally, I’d rather pay a few quid more for a gin that has that bit of something special. If you were after a gin for cocktails, or you like a plain dry gin then this would be perfect for you.

When I drank it

In the evenings, relaxing at home

What I used as a garnish

A slice of a large, fresh orange or a wedge of pink grapefruit

Is it worth the money?

This depends on your preference of gin; if you like a lot of botanicals then maybe not. If you like a simple London dry gin, then yes. At around £23 a bottle, it’s certainly worth a try. You can buy Bulldog Gin online here