Ghosts of the Ocean Baleia Edition

Baleia is the Portuguese word for whale. Ghosts of the Ocean named this edition after the whales of the Azores, and the link is more than a label: the brand supports The Ocean Azores Foundation, with a donation for every bottle sold.

Citrus · Dry · Herbal · Earthy

The gin itself starts in the sea. Azorean seaweed is used in the base alcohol, so its marine, faintly saline character sits underneath everything else rather than being added on top. Local mint and Azorean lemon give the islands' second signature, fresh and bright. Juniper, angelica and rosemary build the dry, herbal frame, and cardamom adds a cool spice that suits the mint. Seven botanicals in all, and the balance leans herbal, which is how Portuguese retailers class it.

Baleia is produced and bottled by Lima & Quental on São Miguel, the largest island of the archipelago, at 40% in 70 cl. It is sold on the islands at The Gin Library as well as through the brand's own store in Singapore, an unusual reach for a gin made in the middle of the Atlantic. The seaweed base is the thread running through the Ghosts of the Ocean range, and in Baleia it is paired with the most direct island herbs. Seaweed in the base is harder to control than seaweed added as a botanical, because its character is set before any other plant goes in.

The official serve uses a Mediterranean tonicMediterranean tonicA tonic with less bitterness and sugar, scented with herbs and citrus (rosemary, thyme, lemon). It leaves more room for the gin's botanicals.Glossary, lighter on quinineQuinineAn alkaloid from cinchona bark that gives tonic its bitterness. The British in India drank it against malaria and added gin: the gin and tonic was born.Glossary, which lets the mint and the seaweed through. Pour 4 cl of gin onto firm ice, add 10 cl of the tonic, then a few juniper berries, a sprig of thyme and a slice of lemon. Thyme is not in the recipe, but it sits naturally beside rosemary, and the lemon repeats the Azorean citrus. Keep the drink cold and stir only once.