First Light is the original in Salcombe's New London Light range, designed to sit where a gin would in a G&T. The production method is worth understanding: the key botanicals, juniper, ginger and habanero capsicum, are steeped in neutral grain spirit then run through a rotary vacuum still, which strips the alcohol at low temperature to keep the aromatics intact. That base is then blended with distillates and extracts from a further twelve or so botanicals, including cardamom, lemongrass, sage and orange. The result is clear and clean, and the juniper is genuinely present rather than implied. There's a brightness from the citrus and lemongrass, warmth from the ginger that builds slowly, and a mild habanero heat on the back end that stops it tasting flat. The mouthfeel is light and dry, which is what you want if you're pouring it over ice with a good tonic. It won't pass for gin to anyone paying attention, but it's one of the more convincing AF spirits in the category, and a reasonable go-to for anyone who misses a proper G&T.