Tonka Gin

Tonka Gin began as a traveller's notion: Daniel Soumikh, journeying through Spain, wondered what a gin built around tonka beans might taste like. Two years of work with bartenders and distilleries followed before the first bottle appeared in September 2014. More than twenty-three botanicals go into it, but the tonka bean is the star, lending the vanilla, almond and caramel notes that define the gin. The squat square bottle nods to Prohibition-era America, when the shape suited a smuggler's crate.

The nose is juniper laced with sweet vanilla, almond, cinnamon and a flick of orange peel. The palate is smooth and layered, tonka bean and caramel meeting roasted almond, juniper and exotic spice. The finish is long and pleasantly warm, sweet and spicy with a fine citrus lift. Pour it into a G&T with a mild tonic and a twist of orange zest, or build it into a Negroni where its warmth sits beautifully against the bitters.