Ginato Clementino Gin

A base built from Nebbiolo grapes rather than grain is the decision that sets the tone here. Nebbiolo is the grape behind Barolo, and using it as the foundation gives this Italian gin a rounder and more vinous body than any neutral spiritNeutral spiritAgricultural spirit rectified to at least 96% ABV, almost tasteless. It is the base later flavoured with botanicals.Glossary could offer. Ginato adds fresh clementine oranges and Tuscan juniper berries on top of it, bottles at 43% ABV, and keeps the botanical list short enough that all three components remain clearly audible in the finished spirit.

Citrus · Spicy · Fruity · Herbal

Clementine leads, and of all the oranges it is the gentlest: sweeter and less bitter than a Seville, considerably more rounded than any lemon. That softness suits the grape base, which arrives underneath carrying a fruity, faintly wine-like weight that no grain spirit could produce on its own. Tuscan juniper keeps the resinousResinousAn aroma reminiscent of pine or fir resin. It is juniper's signature, due to compounds such as pinene.Glossary green structure in place and prevents any drift toward a fruit liqueur, while spicy and herbal notes fill the middle and give the palate the length it needs. The result is full-bodied without ever becoming heavy, and it closes long, warm and fruity rather than sharp.

That body makes it a genuinely good cocktail base rather than merely another tonic gin. The producer suggests a NegroniNegroniAn Italian cocktail of equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and red bitter (Campari), served over ice with orange peel. Born in Florence in 1919.Glossary, and the recommendation holds: the grape weight and the clementine both stand up to Campari and sweet vermouthVermouthAn aromatised, fortified wine flavoured with herbs and barks; its name comes from the German Wermut, wormwood. Dry vermouth goes into a Martini, sweet red into a Negroni.Glossary instead of vanishing behind them. If you want it long, use a plain tonic and garnish with clementine peel, which follows the recipe to the letter. Ordinary orange peel does the job when clementine is out of season. Distilling from wine grapes rather than from grain is expensive and rarely attempted, and the difference makes itself heard from the first sip onward. It closes fruity, warm and gently spiced.