About this gin

Aqva di Gin comes from Bespoke Distillery in San Cipriano Picentino, in the hills above Salerno in Campania. The range was built for bartenders who wanted ready-made gins to vary their cocktails, and its structure borrows from perfumery. One 'mother' is made by distilling local spring water with botanicals such as red juniper, myrtle leaf and sea fennel; a second is made by infusing individual botanicals in grain alcohol. The two are brought together in a final steam extraction, Carter-Head style, and cold filtered.

The Floreale (Floral) expression turns up the bouquet: lavender leads, with rosebud, cornflower and orange blossom, a hint of pine and spice from the juniper, and a sweet, honeyed finish. It is a gin for people who enjoy aromatics, lovely in a floral Martini, a White Lady or a long drink with soda, and an unusual Italian bottle to give a gin lover who has tried the usual names.

Key facts

• One of a trio (Citrus, Floral, Spiced) from Bespoke Distillery, designed with bartenders in mind
• Built from a water-based botanical distillate made with local spring water, blended with grain-alcohol botanical infusions
• Finished by steam extraction in a Carter-Head-style still, then cold filtered
• Floral notes of lavender, rosebuds, cornflower and orange blossom

Tasting notes

Nose:

Lavender up front, rosebud and orange blossom, a hint of pine and spice

Palate:

Fresh and floral, with pine, cinnamon, lime zest and a green, grassy note

Finish:

Long and floral, gently sweet and honeyed

Serve

With a neutral tonic or soda over ice and a twist of lemon or a sprig of lavender; or stirred into a floral Martini with a dash of dry vermouth.

Food pairing

Try it with delicate dishes such as steamed bhetki or chingri malai curry, or with burrata and fresh figs.