ARGO Gin is a Barrel-Aged Gin from Never Never Distilling Co., bottled at 42% ABV. ARGO was made with ARGO Bar at Four Seasons Hong Kong. Never Never matures its Triple Juniper Gin in locally sourced ex-Chardonnay barrels seasoned with Mancino Secco vermouth under vacuum. Shou Mei, oolong and Fu Ding teas are then used in brewed and distilled form. Chinese tea, soft vanilla and subtle tannin lead the nose; light vermouth, salt and briny texture shape the palate; and the colour is champagne gold.

Juniper leads a classical frame: coriander seed, angelica root and orris root hold the dry spine, lemon and lime peel supply the citrus, liquorice root a rounded sweetness without sugar, cinnamon the warmth of bark, and Australian pepper berry a resinous peppery bite. The three teas are what set it apart. Shou Mei, oolong and Fu Ding, used both brewed and distilled, add a dry tannin and a leafy line no single botanical would give. The base underneath is the house Triple Juniper Gin, so the juniper load is heavier than a barrel-aged gin usually carries, and that is what stops the tea from taking the whole drink.

The barrel does the rest. Ex-Chardonnay wood seasoned with Mancino Secco vermouth leaves a vinous, faintly saline impression rather than heavy oak, and the colour ends up champagne gold. Serve it neat and cold, or stirred over ice as a spirit-forward drink where the tea tannin and the vermouth memory stay visible. A tonic works if it is a light one, since anything sweet buries the tea first. It was made with the ARGO Bar at the Four Seasons in Hong Kong and it behaves like a bar spirit: stirred, cold and measured rather than poured long. Cold and neat, the vermouth seasoning is the first thing a taster meets.