Calamondin is the ingredient that gives this French gin its accent. A small citrus sitting between mandarin and lime, sharper than the first and rounder than the second, it is set against a deliberately classical base of juniper, coriander seed, cardamom and angelica root, and bottled at 41.4% ABV. Four familiar botanicals and one unfamiliar fruit is a narrow brief, and the recipe is better for the discipline.

The calamondin arrives early and stays distinct rather than blending into a general citrus impression. It carries the tartness of a lime with a mandarin's rounder perfume behind it, and a fine peel bitterness that stops any of it reading as sweet. That bitterness is worth noting, because it is what allows a fruit this aromatic to sit in a dry gin without softening it. Juniper is clearly legible underneath, green and dry, while cardamom supplies the aromatic warmth that gives the middle its lift. Coriander seed sits between the two, warm and faintly citric, and angelica root pulls the base dry so the finish has something to land on. The palate is herbal, gently spiced and citric in that order, and it stays clean throughout, with the cardamom holding on slightly longer than the fruit.

That clarity suggests a simple build. A plain tonic lets the calamondin stay identifiable, which is the reason to open the bottle in the first place, and heavy carbonation is preferable to a sweet mixer. Lime peel is the closest available garnish and works well; a strip of mandarin peel works too and leans the drink warmer. It performs cleanly in a Gimlet, where the fruit's own tartness already does much of the work for you. Little of it needs managing, which counts for something. The last impression is dry, citric and lightly spiced.