Coffee & Cacao Gin is a 42% ABV Australian gin created by Never Never Distilling Co. with Bar Leone. The collaboration takes its cue from Roman cafes and classic Italian desserts, while keeping juniper at the centre of the spirit. It is bottled at 700 mL and brings together roasted coffee bean, cacao nib, cacao butter and bergamot peel in a profile designed for full-flavoured cocktails as well as a careful serve over ice.

The aromatic opening is unmistakably gourmand without becoming sugary. Freshly ground coffee, cocoa powder, vanilla and bergamot give the nose its shape: dark roasted notes are lifted by a fragrant citrus peel rather than softened by overt sweetness. Juniper provides the dry, resinous line that makes the whole composition read as gin, while cacao butter gives the liquid a more generous, rounded impression.

On the palate, espresso develops first and moves into a defined cacao core. The texture is notably creamy, with coconut cream contributing to its weight and a mocha-like note extending through the finish. Bergamot returns at the end with a fine bitter-citrus lift, keeping the coffee and cacao in focus. The result is rich and layered, but its 42% strength retains a clear botanical structure.

This is a natural choice for a measured Negroni, where its coffee and bitter-cacao character can meet vermouth and aperitivo without disappearing. In a long drink, use a restrained pour of crisp tonic and plenty of cold ice; an orange twist and a few coffee beans reinforce the existing aromatic cues without turning the glass into a dessert.

Serve slowly and let a little dilution open the bergamot and juniper after the first coffee-led sip. The balance becomes clearer as the initially dense palate relaxes, revealing the dry gin frame beneath the cacao, cream and mocha notes.