Facta non verba, deeds not words, is the motto of Sur, an Argentine gin presented as the first inspired by Patagonia, its forests, its lakes and its finest botanicals. Franco D'Angelo and Ezequiel Pizzorno started the project in 2016 after two years of work on the recipe, and the gin is made in San Martín, in the province of Buenos Aires.

The brand speaks of more than fifteen botanicals, starting with wild juniper harvested by hand at the foot of the Andes and elderberry and wild berries from the Comarca Andina. The twelve most often listed are juniper, elderberry, wild rose, coriander, orange, lemon, pink grapefruit, cardamom, clove, peppers, boldo and licorice. They macerate cold for more than forty hours before a very slow distillation in a traditional 40-litre copper still, and retailers list the 700 ml bottle at 43% ABV.

Some of those plants tell the story of the region. Rosa mosqueta, the wild rose of Patagonia, gives rosehips rich in vitamin C, and boldo, a shrub native to Chile, has aromatic leaves with a slightly bitter, camphor-like note. Citrus leads the gin: IWSC judges found complex aromas of citrus, intense lemon, lime and orange, then opulent citrus flavours on a balanced, bright palate with well-integrated juniper.

The range has grown with Sur Naranja de Barrio, Sur Frutos Silvestres and a limited Sur 10° Aniversario edition. With tonic, a Mediterranean one suits the citrus and herbs; a twist of pink grapefruit peel brings out the grapefruit, and a few rosehips or red berries recall the Patagonian fruit of the recipe.