Gin Mare

Gin Mare is distilled in a chapel. Brothers Marc and Manuel Giró, grandsons of the founder of Spain's celebrated Gin MG, created it in 2007 in a converted 18th-century chapel on a former monks' retreat in Vilanova i la Geltrú, a fishing town on the coast south of Barcelona — and built it to taste like the Mediterranean before anyone else thought to. The signature botanical is the Arbequina olive, Catalonia's finest, with up to 15 kilos needed per batch because of the low yield; it's joined by Greek rosemary, Turkish thyme, Italian basil, coriander, cardamom, and a custom citrus blend of sweet Valencia orange, bitter Seville orange, and Lleida lemon, plus juniper grown on the family's own land. Each botanical is macerated and distilled separately in a custom Florentine-flask still — the citrus for up to a year — then blended, bottled at 42.7% ABV. Paste found a bright shock of fresh thyme unlike any other herbal gin, with juniper's red-fruit pine complemented by resinous rosemary and a hint of olive salinity — a thoughtful gin begging to be the centerpiece of a Martini. Bevvy: lemon, thyme, and fatty olive on the nose, a silky palate, soft rather than sharp, as laid-back as a Mediterranean afternoon. Spirit Animal: pick it out blind against any three gins. Honest note: juniper takes a supporting role. Serve it Spanish-style in a copa with Mediterranean tonic, a rosemary sprig, and a green olive, or in a Dirty Martini that needs no brine.

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