Amuerte Coca Gin – White Edition

Amuerte is a Belgian gin with an unusual centre: Peruvian coca leaves, a plant once used across the Inca empire against hunger and sickness, now in its fourth generation of production here as a meditation on living fully while death stays close. The White Edition pairs the coca with cardamom, coriander, hand-picked organic limes from the Circeo natural park near Rome and Sichuan pepper, the bottle itself wrapped by artists Havi Cruz and Adrian Dominguez in 24-carat gold leaf.

The nose is balanced and subtle, a quiet bitterness underneath. The palate leads with that distinctive bitter coca, then opens into exotic fruit, tamarillo, papaya and dragon fruit, all held in a balsamic freshness. The finish lingers long on the palate. Serve it with a light tonic and a wheel of lime to keep the cool, green-bitter character front and centre.