Three different parts of the orange tree appear on this botanical list, and noticing that explains most of how the gin behaves. Blood orange is the fruit, bergamot blossom and neroli oil are both flowers, and Forest Spirits distils near Antwerp in Ranst with twenty-four botanicals in total, each taken through the still on its own before assembly.

Splitting one plant family across fruit and flower gives the citrus unusual depth. Blood orange carries a darker, slightly berried sweetness absent from ordinary orange, and it sits low, filling the middle of the palate. The two floral orange notes work at the opposite end: bergamot blossom is sharp and perfumed, neroli softer and heavier, and between them they build a top layer that keeps lifting long after the fruit has settled. Grapefruit adds a clean bitterness alongside, pear a quiet orchard sweetness underneath. Jasmine and rose petals extend the floral register without turning it sugary, lavender cools it, and thyme draws a savoury green thread across the middle that stops the flowers from taking over. Ginger warms the finish, angelica and coriander seed hold the base, and juniper stays clearly audible throughout, which is what earns the Old School description the distillery uses.

A gin meant to suit every season should not be tied to one garnish. Plain tonic in a thoroughly iced glass is the constant; then follow the weather, a broad ribbon of grapefruit peel when you want the bitterness forward, a thin slice of blood orange when you want the fruit. Keep the tonic unsweetened either way, since the recipe already carries its own fruit. A recipe meant to work in every month has to avoid committing to one, and this succeeds by holding several registers open at once. It ends citric, floral and clean.