Amicis (friends, amigos) from the very heart of Portugal, Coimbra, between the sierras Açor and Sicó.
It’s from there that come the 14 botanicals, a “sensory memory book from where I grew up” says Paulo Pereira, 38, a tutor at Portugal Tourism College Douro-Lamego and creator of the latest Portuguese Gin, during its official presentation.
The space chosen was the atrium of Gin Lovers Príncipe Real, which only just managed to welcome all the visiting enthusiasts. The presence of the the three “dragons”, Miguel Ribeiro Ferreira, Isabel Neves and Marco Galinha, who support the project, was a reminder that Amicis already existed, after two years of tests, when it was presented to the dragons on the Portuguese version of Dragon’s Den/Shark Tank in March 2016. “I had to buy him a suit,” joked Marco Galinha, meaning that the bet has paid off. Thus a 100% Portuguese, 100% original Gin was born, with a different aroma that deserves to be first tasted with plain water. Single distillations of Gorse flowers, walnut, honey, citrus fruits from the orchards of Coimbra, Mastruz and nine other botanicals make Amicis one of the most aromatic and distinctive Gins, with enough potential to reach the international premium market. The first signs of that happening are already appearing. Amicis is available at Gin Lovers Online Shop.