Bombay Citron Pressé sits in interesting territory. It takes the Bombay blueprint — a name synonymous with accessible, widely distributed London Dry — and leans hard into Mediterranean lemon character. At 37.5% ABV, it's bottled at the legal minimum for gin, which immediately tells you this is built for mixing rather than contemplative sipping.
Style & Approach
The concept here is essentially a lemon-forward London Dry, and I respect the transparency of that pitch. Mediterranean lemons as a highlighted botanical suggest bright, slightly sweet citrus rather than the sharp, acidic punch of their Atlantic cousins. Think Amalfi lemon groves — fragrant zest, soft pith, that almost floral quality you get from a limoncello made properly. It's the kind of profile that should slot effortlessly into a spritz or a long drink on a warm afternoon.
The Trade-Off
Here's where I have to be honest. That 37.5% ABV is a constraint. Lower proof means less capacity to carry complex botanical layers through a tonic pour, and it can leave a gin feeling thin when you need it to punch above its weight. For a bottle at £28.25, you're paying a premium over several gins that offer more depth and a higher ABV. That said, if citrus-driven simplicity is what you're after — something clean, bright, and uncomplicated — Bombay Citron Pressé delivers exactly what it promises. No more, no less.
I'd score this 7.4 out of 10. It does one thing well, but doesn't quite reach the complexity that would push it higher.
Best Served
Pour over ice in a tall glass with a light Indian tonic, a wheel of blood orange, and a torn shiso leaf. The herbal, peppery lift of the shiso plays beautifully against the lemon sweetness — a trick I picked up at a gin bar in Shibuya that hasn't left my repertoire since.
