Fifty-eight point two is a latitude before it is a strength. Gindome Mermaid Navy is bottled at 58.2% to match the latitude of Saaremaa, the Estonian island that supplies part of its juniper, so the figure on the label is also a map reference.

The Hope Distillery in Tallinn, launched in 2022 by founder and master distiller Steen Lerche-Jensen, makes it in the London Dry style on a 200-litre copper still: distilled once, with only water added afterwards. The base is a rectified spirit from organic rye grown in Estonia. Juniper from Saaremaa meets Mediterranean juniper, and around them the recipe is wide: coriander seed, angelica root, orris root, cornflowers, sea buckthorn, grape, orange peel, grains of paradise, fennel, rosemary, galangal, liquorice root, cashew nut and nutmeg. Sea buckthorn, a tart berry of the Baltic shores, brings the local fruit; cashew and liquorice round the texture; grains of paradise and galangal add a peppery warmth.

Juniper and orange stay clear despite the strength, sea buckthorn adds a tart fruit note, rosemary and fennel bring green detail, and pepper, galangal and nutmeg drive a long, warming finish. The strength carries that many botanicals through dilution, and that is what lets the gin work as a cocktail base as well as in a long drink. It was named World's Best Navy Strength Gin at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2023, and won Gold and Country Winner for Estonia at the World Gin Awards 2024. The distillery also hosts the first gin school in the Baltics.

A light tonic gives a navy-strength gin room without extra sweetness. Take 4 cl of gin lengthened with 10 cl of Fever-Tree Naturally Light Tonic Water over plenty of hard ice, then add an orange peel and a few sea buckthorn berries, which repeat the bright fruit of the recipe. Let the ice work for a minute before the first sip.