Hendrick’s Gin Amazonia

Hendrick's has been quietly rewriting the gin rulebook since 1999, and Amazonia is one of its bolder field trips. Master distiller Lesley Gracie spent around three weeks deep in the South American rainforest, living alongside a Venezuelan tribe and studying its tropical plants and fruits. The impressions she carried back were layered onto the classic Hendrick's character, producing a limited edition with an unmistakably exotic streak.

The nose is full of candied fruit and caramelised pineapple with vanilla and a floral lift behind. The palate is full-bodied and warm, all ripe tropical fruit, and the finish runs long on the tongue. This one rewards a gentler approach than a heavy mixer: pour it neat or over a little water, and drop in a slice of cucumber, the Hendrick's signature, to draw out its softer aromatics.