Marenostrum
Mediterranean Style Gin
Herbal / greenSavoury / coastal
A Mediterranean style gin: juniper stays in charge, but it comes wrapped in dry herb and citrus peel — rosemary and thyme notes, lemon and bitter orange rind, a saline edge that the name Marenostrum promises. Finishes dry and green rather than sweet.
Serve
Garnish — A strip of lemon peel
Cocktails
Gin & Tonic
Long, dry and bitter-edged, the tonic's quinine pulling against the gin's botanicals while the lime wedge sharpens both. Refreshing rather than contemplative. The gin has to hold its shape against all that dilution: juniper and citrus carry through, where delicate florals tend to vanish.
The herbal, citrus-peel Mediterranean style has more to say over ice and tonic than it does buried under vermouth or bitters.
Dirty Martini
Salt cuts straight through the cold gin, turning the drink savoury and faintly cloudy. The brine flattens delicate botanicals, so juniper and a firm spine are what survive; softer floral gins tend to vanish under the olive. The vermouth works as a bridge here rather than the voice.
Its built-in saline edge and dry, green finish meet the olive brine halfway, and the rosemary-thyme herbals turn savoury rather than being flattened by the salt.
Gin Basil Smash
Bruised basil turns this green and gives it a peppery, herbal lift; underneath sits a lemon sour, tart with just enough sugar to round it off. The basil is loud, so the gin needs juniper and spine to be heard at all — softer floral styles tend to vanish into the leaf.
Rosemary and thyme run with bruised basil instead of hiding from it, while the bitter orange and lemon rind keep the juniper audible through the leaf and the sour.
