Diplôme Dry Gin

A recipe written in Dijon in 1945 still fills this bottle. Diplôme Dry GinDry ginGin with no perceptible sweetness: in the European Union, the word "dry" allows at most 0.1 g of sugar per litre.GlossarySee Dry gin gins was first made for American troops stationed in post-war France, kept going until the army left in 1966, then sat in the archives until an entrepreneur restarted production in 2010 with the original formula. It is bottled at 44% ABV.

Citrus · Spicy · Herbal

Eight botanicals make the recipe: juniper berriesJuniperThe one compulsory botanical: gin must taste predominantly of juniper. Its "berry" is really a small conifer cone, resinous and peppery.Glossary, coriander, whole lemons, orange peel, angelica, saffron, iris root and fennel seed. They are maceratedMacerationBotanicals soak in alcohol, from a few hours to several days, before distillation to release their aromas.Glossary in beet alcohol and then distilled slowly in a small bain-marie still, a gentle heating method that gives the gin its round, rich character without losing freshness. Saffron is the unexpected entry, used in a small amount for a warm aromatic accent rather than for colour, and whole lemons rather than dried peel explain the weight of citrus.

The nose is bright, lemon and clean juniper first, then a trace of spice and soft herbal notes. The mouth is dry and structured: juniper forms the backbone, the lemon stays lively, and coriander and fennel give a savoury, faintly aniseed spice in the middle. Iris lends a powdery roundness to the texture, the body is medium and smooth, and the finish holds citrus oils and dry spice for a good while. It tastes like what it is, a mid-century French take on London DryLondon DryA style, not a place of origin: every flavour comes from distilling natural botanicals. After distillation only water and a trace of sugar may be added, with no flavouring or colouring.GlossarySee London Dry gins.

At 44% the gin takes a slightly longer pour of mixer: 5cl of gin to 12cl of tonic over plenty of ice, with a lemon wheel cut thick enough to hold its shape. That extra strength is also why it works so well in a MartiniDry MartiniGin and a little dry vermouth, stirred over ice and served in a well-chilled stemmed glass, with an olive or a twist.Glossary, where the saffron and fennel come forward once the gin is chilled. Avoid a flavoured tonic, which competes with the spice already in the bottle and covers the saffron completely, along with the fennel behind it.