Panda Gin Bio

Lychee smells of roses. The compound responsible is one that perfumery uses for exactly that purpose, which is why the fruit reads as floral long before it reads as sweet, and why it belongs in a gin more comfortably than its reputation suggests. Panda Gin claims to be the first in the world to build one around it, in Belgium at 40%.

Citrus · Organic · Fruity · Herbal

The rest of the recipe treats the lychee as a floral element rather than as a fruit. Cherry sits beside it with a darker red-fruit depth that gives the top something to rest on. Orange peel supplies the citrus brightness. The herbs then arrive and redirect the whole thing: basil green and peppery, rosemary resinousResinousAn aroma reminiscent of pine or fir resin. It is juniper's signature, due to compounds such as pinene.Glossary and dry, and between them they drag the recipe clear of the fruit salad it could easily have become. Chinese star anise adds a light spiced lift at the back, aniseed and warming without weight. Juniper holds the centre throughout.

Everything is maceratedMacerationBotanicals soak in alcohol, from a few hours to several days, before distillation to release their aromas.Glossary before distillation, on an organic grain spirit and water from the High Fens, the protected upland in eastern Belgium. The nose opens fresh and fruity, lychee and cherry leading with citrus behind and the herbs showing quietly.

The palate runs smooth and round, fruit intensity held against herbal freshness, and the close is clean and of moderate length.

Certified organic, with no added sugar, additives or artificial flavouring, which is the claim that matters most for a fruit-led gin. Basil or orange peel as garnish, a neutral tonic, and it also sits well in cocktails using citrus, mint or ginger. Being first with an ingredient counts for nothing if the ingredient does not belong; the lychee earns its place because the two herbs give it something to push against, and because a floral fruit was the right kind of fruit to reach for.