Apricot is what moves this limited edition away from the house style. Melifera keeps the hand-harvested Oleron immortelle that defines the range, then builds around it with lemon verbena, orange blossom, apricot and a selection of citrus, distilling in Charente-Maritime at 43% ABV. Juniper, kaffir lime, maceron and French artemisia stay underneath as the structural half of the recipe, but the intent here is openly fruit-forward.

The fruit arrives first and it is stone fruit rather than citrus: apricot, soft and slightly jammy in aroma without being sugary on the tongue. Lemon verbena follows with a sharp, lemony green freshness that lifts the apricot clear of heaviness, and orange blossom adds a sweeter, more honeyed floral layer alongside the immortelle's drier one. Green cardamom brings a small aromatic warmth through the centre. Underneath all of it, artemisia and maceron keep their bitter herbal line running, which is what stops a fruit-led recipe from tipping into a liqueur. The finish is fresher and drier than the opening implies. Set beside the standard bottling, the difference is one of direction rather than degree: the same immortelle, pushed toward fruit instead of toward the dry herbal register.

Given how much aroma is already in the glass, the mixer should add nothing. A neutral tonic, a well-filled glass of ice, and either a strip of orange peel or nothing at all, which is often the better answer. Avoid floral tonics entirely, since there are two flowers in the recipe already. It also makes a good spritz with dry sparkling wine, where the apricot and verbena both carry easily. It ends fruity at the front and herbal at the back, the artemisia lasting longest.