The Stylish Gin To Gift & Serve This Season

On Italy’s Ligurian coast, the picturesque fishing village of Portofino is well loved by tourists for its colourfully painted buildings. The technicolour scene is immortalised on Portofino Dry Gin’s signature bottle, which marries a striking square design with blue glass, making it ideal for gifting.

Inspired by ‘La Dolce Vita’, the gin works extremely well in classic aperitivo – we’ve tried it and loved it in everything from a straight-up negroni to an early evening G&T served with a sprig of fresh rosemary. And while its looks and tasting notes are a natural fit for an Italian summer, they work just as well in a low-lit, atmospheric lounge – especially shaken up and served in a classic martini.

The north-western region’s unique microclimate allows Mediterranean vegetation to grow year-round, and many of these comprise the 21 botanicals that make up Portofino Dry Gin. Each one is carefully selected for its natural aromatic properties and some are organically grown in the brand's botanical garden on the hills of Portofino, such as iris, rose and marjoram.

Every bottle of Portofino offers you a taste of the Italian Riviera. Drinkers will taste initial notes of fresh lemon and crisp juniper, followed by universal Mediterranean flavours – from the wild rosemary and lavender perfumes of the coastal scrub to the sweet, delicate notes of marjoram and sage that feature heavily in traditional Ligurian cuisine.

Produced at an antique Italian distillery a short distance from Portofino’s estate, each batch of the brand’s gin is made using a combination of traditional and modern methods: from an old Italian copper pot that still distils local liqueur and grappa to this day to state-of-the-art technology that produces vacuum distillation, preserving the aromas of the gin’s most delicate botanicals. Best of all, the spirit is distilled and bottled in Italy using natural ingredients – there’s no added sugar, artificial flavours or preservatives.