The gin is named after the man who built the first navigable submarine in 1620. Cornelis Drebbel was a Dutch inventor, and the bottle that carries his name is a London Dry made in the Netherlands from eight botanicals sourced globally, handcrafted using traditional Dutch methods and bottled at 40% ABV. The reference is not decorative: Dutch distilling has centuries behind it, and this is a recipe that stays inside that tradition rather than departing from it for the sake of a talking point.

Fresh citrus is the leading impression, lemon peel bright and clean at the very front of the nose. Juniper follows immediately with its green resinous line, and coriander seed slots between them, adding depth and a warm, faintly citric spice that ties the pair together. Underneath, angelica and orris root supply the dry structural grip that a London Dry needs, orris also leaving a fine powdery texture behind. The two least expected entries do the most for the finish: ginger brings a gentle warmth through the back of the palate, and vanilla sticks add a soft rounded sweetness of aroma rather than of taste, which is what makes the gin read as smooth without being sweet. Liquorice closes the gaps.

That smoothness makes it forgiving and genuinely versatile. A plain tonic works without argument and a twist of lemon is the obvious finish, restating the citrus that leads the recipe. For a warmer drink, a sliver of fresh ginger picks up the botanical directly and lengthens the finish. It performs cleanly in a Martini and sits comfortably in a Collins or any citrus-led long drink, which is a wide brief for eight botanicals. It signs off fresh and lightly warm, the ginger and vanilla holding on after the citrus has gone.