Review: Aviation Cranberry & Blood Orange Gin

Venerable Aviation Gin — now celebrating 20 years in existence — recently dropped a new expression, part of a small but growing collection of gins that are brightly hued instead of transparent. And while it’s a dark red color, don’t call it sloe gin. This is Aviation, infused with cranberry and blood orange elements. Now owned by Diageo, it’s the first ever “flavor innovation” from the brand.

The concept is fairly self-explanatory, taking standard Aviation Gin and infusing it with cranberry and blood orange flavors — and colors, though they aren’t all natural. Certified and caramel colors are both noted on the bottle.

With that all set up, let’s dive in.

Aviation Cranberry & Blood Orange Gin Review

Visually this gin immediately connotes “cosmopolitan,” and that’s not an accident. It looks, smells, and tastes like a cosmo — just run through the gin still for a little extra sabor. The nose features both fruit components in spades — perhaps leaning more heavily into the blood orange than the cranberry, which is a bit of a surprise. Traditional gin elements are more fleeting. Juniper is indistinct to the point of ephemera, earthier notes like angelica are absent altogether. If anything, there’s just a hint of lemon peel in the mix, but this may well just be an afterimage of the powerful blood orange component.

The palate is sweet and tart; there’s definitely some sugar in the mix here, and the cosmopolitan character continues — even more so, thanks to the sweetness. Tart cranberry and blood orange peel are well-complemented by the sweetness, which comes across with a honey-like character as it lingers on the tongue. Late-game touches of milk chocolate and vanilla only amplify the cocktail qualities of the gin, which again fails to exhibit much in the way of herbal tradition save for perhaps a touch of mint.

Shaken and served in a martini glass, your guests may well be unable to tell the difference between this and a $15 cosmo at their favorite sassy watering hole — though the abv will likely bruise them a bit. Consider a splash of soda, or, better yet, serving this as part of a long drink with soda or tonic.

80 proof.

A- / $28

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