Tarquin’s Blood Orange Gin

Tarquin Leadbetter trained as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, found himself stuck in a London office at 23, and in 2012 decided to open the first new distillery in Cornwall in a century instead — testing a hundred recipes on a 0.7-liter copper pot before landing on the Cornish Dry Gin that took World's Best Gin at the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Cornish Sunshine is that gin built for a spritz. Southwestern Distillery starts by distilling the flagship recipe with a twist — gentian root added to the twelve botanicals, macerated overnight in wheat spirit, with fresh violets tossed in the morning before the stills fire over a naked flame. Only the hearts cut is kept, then it's infused with blood orange and fresh-pressed summer fruits: pink grapefruit, rhubarb, and raspberry, cut with Cornish spring water to 38% ABV. The gentian is the clever part — it lends an Aperol-like bittersweet edge that stops this from becoming orange cordial with gin in it. Expect bright blood orange, pink grapefruit, rhubarb, and raspberry on the nose with a hint of floral lavender, opening into lively orange and orange blossom over subtle Mediterranean herbs and fresh juniper, finishing clean on summer berries, bergamot, and tangerine. Master of Malt reviewers note the fruit tastes real rather than sugary. The distillery's serve: over lots of ice in a wine glass with sparkling wine and a splash of sparkling elderflower, garnished with a big citrus wheel. Cornwall's answer to the Aperol Spritz.

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