Tanami Navy Strength Gin

The Tanami, a vast stretch of desert north-west of Alice Springs that runs into Western Australia, gives this navy-strengthNavy StrengthGin bottled at 57% ABV or more. Royal Navy lore holds that at this strength, gunpowder soaked in gin would still ignite.GlossarySee Navy Strength gins gin its name. Lizard Dragon Distillers makes it at Clarkson, on the northern edge of Perth, and bottles it at 58% ABV in 500 ml bottles. The label carries Tanami June 2024, a painting by Samantha Turk, an Eastern Arrernte artist from Mparntwe, which depicts the Tanami as a sacred place of stories and song lines. Mparntwe is the Arrernte name for Alice Springs, and the distillery's licence is held by Thorny Devil Distillers, named, like the brand, after an Australian desert lizard.

Spicy · Herbal · Navy Strength

JuniperJuniperThe one compulsory botanical: gin must taste predominantly of juniper. Its "berry" is really a small conifer cone, resinous and peppery.Glossary, wormwoodWormwoodA bitter, aromatic plant, the one behind absinthe and vermouth (Wermut in German).Glossary and cinnamon myrtle are the hero botanicals, with quandong and coriander alongside. The native plants come from traditional landowners, and the distillery pays local community members to harvest them, supporting families who live from the land. Quandong is a desert peach, tart and slightly salty, long eaten by Aboriginal people of the inland, while cinnamon myrtle is a rainforest tree whose leaves smell of cinnamon.

Despite its strength, the distillery describes the gin as smooth. Juniper is woody, piney and spicy, and with the wormwood it gives a warming note on the palate. Cinnamon myrtle adds a hint of sweetness, the quandong a faint tartness, and the finish stays dry and herbal. At 58%, the botanicals keep their shape even after plenty of dilutionDilutionThe water added by melting ice. In the right amount it opens the aromas and softens the alcohol; too much flattens the drink.Glossary.

For a long drink, pour a measured 4 cl over plenty of ice in a copa glassCopa glassA large stemmed balloon glass, popularised by the Spanish gin and tonic: it stays cold for longer and gathers the aromas above the drink.Glossary and top with 12 cl of a dry Indian tonicIndian tonicThe classic tonic: sparkling water, bitter quinine and sugar. The name recalls colonial India, where quinine warded off malaria.Glossary. A narrow strip of orange peel lifts the cinnamon myrtle without hiding the juniper. Neat, a few drops of water open the wormwood and the spice, and the gin also stands up well in a NegroniNegroniAn Italian cocktail of equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and red bitter (Campari), served over ice with orange peel. Born in Florence in 1919.Glossary or a Martinez.