Hendrick's Orbium Gin
Hendrick's · Girvan Distillery
Orbium reimagines Hendrick's through additional infusions of quinine, wormwood, and blue lotus blossom. The result is more complex and more bitter than the original — a gin built for contemplation rather than casual mixing. It rewards neat tasting and works brilliantly in a bone-dry martini.
Nose
The familiar Hendrick's cucumber-rose signature is present but pushed into new territory by bitter quinine notes and a pronounced juniper pine character. Blue lotus blossom adds an ethereal, almost powdery floral layer. Wormwood lends a subtle herbaceous bitterness underneath.
Palate
The mouthfeel is silky and medium-weight. Juniper takes a more resinous, woody turn here compared to standard Hendrick's, balanced by a distinctive quinine bitterness that recalls tonic water but drier. Coriander seed warmth and a delicate violet note emerge mid-palate, with a hint of black pepper on the edges.
Finish
Medium-long, defined by lingering quinine bitterness, pine-forward juniper, and a dry violet-floral fade that demands attention.
- Style
- Contemporary / Limited Release
- Botanicals
- Juniper, coriander, rose petals, cucumber, quinine bark, wormwood, blue lotus blossom, and additional Hendrick's botanicals
- Base Spirit
- Neutral grain spirit
- Distillation
- Dual distillation: Carter-Head still and Bennett copper pot still, then blended and further infused
Cocktail Suggestion
Orbium Vesper — 2 oz Hendrick's Orbium · 0.5 oz Cocchi Americano · 0.5 oz vodka · Stir with ice for 30 seconds, strain into a chilled coupe, express a lemon peel over the surface and discard.
Food Pairing
The gin's quinine bitterness and violet florals play off the sweet scallop meat, while its juniper pine notes complement the bitter endive and a light lemon vinaigrette.
Master distiller Lesley Gracie created Orbium at Hendrick's dedicated gin palace in Girvan, Scotland, infusing the base Hendrick's spirit with quinine bark, wormwood, and blue lotus blossom to explore unfamiliar dimensions of familiar flavors.
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