Key limes from Egypt give The Citrologist Key Lime Gin its fruit, bottled at 42% ABV in 700ml in the Borders town of Galashiels. The house makes citrus the whole point of its catalogue, and this is one of the recipes it returns to most often.

Key lime is smaller and more fragrant than the limes most bars keep, with a concentrated aroma and a softer, faintly floral edge. Here it arrives immediately, sharp and clean, before juniper reasserts a dry base underneath. The distillers describe the result as lusciously limey, and they are not wrong: this is a refreshing gin rather than a contemplative one, built for a long glass at the end of a working week.

The Wildings Distillery works from Huddersfield Street in Galashiels, in the Scottish Borders, and describes itself as an independent specialist. Whole fresh fruit, prepared by hand for zest and juice, is the method behind its editions, which is what separates them from gins flavoured with dried peel or concentrate. Key Lime is a permanent fixture rather than a seasonal one, and the makers count it among their own favourites. Egyptian fruit is what keeps it available all year round, whereas the rarer citrus editions come and go with their own short harvests.

The garnish should be restrained. Drop 4cl into a glass of large cubes, top with cold Indian tonic, 10cl, and lay a single thin lime wheel on the ice. One wheel supports the aroma of the fresh fruit; two or three make the drink sharp. Leave the juice and the sugar out altogether, and give the glass a moment before the first sip. Served this way it also makes an unusually clean base for a Collins, where the fresh fruit meets soda water and a little more citrus.