Finsbury London Dry Gin 1 L 60%

Finsbury takes its name from the London district where Joseph Bishop founded his distillery, and where, as the story goes, he gave the world a gin that the British carried across the Commonwealth. By the cocktail boom of the 1920s it had become shorthand for the English way of life. This bottling, drawn from a secret family recipe passed down the generations, arrives at a bracing 60% and leans on multiple distillation for clarity and a smoother edge than the strength suggests.

The nose is aromatic and refreshing, classic juniper threaded with coriander and lemon peel. The palate is markedly bitter and dry, juniper and coriander framed by a nuance of pepper, before a long finish softens into gentle sweetness with a final hint of spice. At this proof it makes a commanding gin and tonic, but it also holds its own neat over ice or in a punchy Finsbury Fizz.