Plum and cassia give Gin In A Tin No 20 a winter character built on fruit and spice. Juniper, plum, cassia bark and muscat root make up this Cotswolds London Dry, bottled at 40% ABV in a deep indigo half-litre tin and put together during the colder months.

Plum brings a gently tart stone-fruit note. Cassia answers with warmth and a cinnamon-like scent, while juniper keeps its resinous grip on the recipe. Muscat root adds an earthier, faintly sweet undertone beneath the two. The contrast is the whole point: orchard fruit next to dry spice, a long way from the citrus-led profiles that dominate the rest of the collection. Despite the fruit in the name, nothing about it resembles a plum liqueur.

Tasted alongside a mixer, the fruit softens the perception of spice without erasing it. Cassia lasts well into the finish, and juniper returns underneath to remind you which category the bottle belongs to. It suits drinkers who like stone fruit but still want something warming, and it is worth trying with a plain tonic before moving on to a sweeter cocktail where the plum would be pushed forward. Each tin in the range carries its own number and colour, and this indigo one is among the most wintery of the set. Gin In A Tin was founded by Martin Agius, the man behind the Gin Pantry, and its recipes follow the seasons rather than a single house style.

Skip the syrup for the first glass. Our serve uses 4cl of gin, 10cl of Indian tonic, well chilled, and a single thin slice of fresh plum, ripe but firm enough to hold its shape against the ice. Left intact, it perfumes the drink gently instead of clouding it. Cold mixer and the briefest stir keep the bubbles alive and the spice distinct.