Cambridge Gin Three Seasons Gin

Cambridge Distillery makes gin the hard way: each botanical is distilled on its own and only then blended, so nothing gets muddied in a single pot. Three Seasons uses that method to bottle the English year, or three-quarters of it — spring lemon verbena, summer rose, autumn blackcurrant leaf.

The distillery, founded in Cambridge in 2012, built its name as a bespoke 'gin tailor' before releasing a small core range. Master distiller Will Lowe's separate-distillation approach is fiddly and expensive, but it's exactly why such delicate botanicals survive into the glass.

The nose is fragrant and lifted — green lemon verbena and fresh rose up front. On the palate the verbena's citrus brightness leads, the rose follows with a soft Turkish-delight sweetness, and the blackcurrant leaf rounds everything off with a gentle, earthy length. It's dry, aromatic and medium-bodied at 45%. This is a gin that rewards a light hand — it's lovely neat or in a martini, and a heavy tonic would trample the florals.

Save it for spring and summer drinking, or any evening you want something scented and considered.

How to Serve

Best in a cold, dry martini where the botanicals get room to speak. If you want a long drink, a soft tonic and a single rose petal or verbena leaf — nothing more.

Where to Drink It

Artesian at The Langham — for a delicate, well-built serve. Bar Lotus — unhurried and easy for a quiet martini. The Connaught Bar — if you want the full ceremony.

Food Pairings

Try it with goat's cheese and a drizzle of honey, or a bowl of summer berries — the rose and blackcurrant leaf meet both beautifully.