Ukiyo Tokyo Dry Gin

Ukiyo, the floating world, names a Japanese way of being that prizes the present moment, and the Tokyo Dry Gin is made in that spirit at a distillery in Chiba, just east of Tokyo. The base is local Japanese rice, and the botanical bill reads as a tour of the country's larder: yuzu peel, mikan peel, sakura flower and leaf, and tingling sansho pepper alongside the classic juniper and coriander.

The nose is clean and aromatic, juniper and coriander meeting a herbal note of rosemary. The palate brings a peppery sansho lift, earthy angelica root, bright lemon peel and warm cardamom, all carried on the smooth, rice-soft texture. The finish is long and gentle. Build a gin and tonic with a strip of yuzu or grapefruit peel to echo the citrus.