Hidalko: Drinks designed for moments

By Ndéla Faye | Photos: Hidalko

In a consumer landscape saturated with drinks, Hidalko takes a different approach to alcohol. The company doesn’t simply craft beverages; it curates experiences.

“There are many drinks in the world. We’re not here to make the best drink in the world, but we want to create the full package,” says Nicolas Arkkila, Hidalko’s head distiller. Each bottle, each can, each cocktail is designed with a specific context in mind, and the brand’s attention to detail applies to both its image and taste.

Hidalko’s tagline, “Imaginary Spirits,” nods to ideas that are still forming, and spirits that are distilled and shaped by imagination, mood, setting and intention.

Launched just last year, the Finland-based distillery and drinks company is preparing its existing range for wider release, with new concepts already in development and set to follow soon.

At the forefront is The Lombe gin, designed for elegance and ease. Its Art Deco-inspired bottle reflects the sophisticated simplicity of the spirit itself: a classic profile with subtle, unexpected touches.

The Lombe flows naturally into the brand’s signature cocktail, the Lombe Sour: Hidalko’s take on the gin sour, hitting a sweet-and-sour balance perfect for sweltering summer evenings or even as a zesty digestif, finished with a rosé pepper garnish that brings a playful edge to the refined drink.

With a crisp finish, the companion Lombert Long Drink opens up the gin’s flavour with surprising nuance, offering a contemporary interpretation of Finland’s iconic gin-based long drink, or lonkero, one of the world’s earliest ready-to-drink cocktails.

Hidalko: Drinks designed for moments

Elevating drinks to a new level

Looking ahead, Hidalko plans to expand its portfolio with a vodka designed for living it up, a liqueur and a line of alcoholic hard seltzers.

“Without a container, even the finest drink is just a puddle on the ground. The first question, then, is whether it belongs in a plastic cup or a champagne bottle, for example,” explains Mira Ala-Kantti, Hidalko’s art director. Creating a drink means considering every detail, from presentation to reverse-engineering what kind of drink fits a specific moment. “We want to elevate drinks – and the way they’re enjoyed – to a new level, across new places and categories,” Ala-Kantti says.

Hidalko has been offering tastings and glimpses into the world the brand is building at festivals in Finland. For Hidalko, the drink itself is only one part of the story, with the rest completed through image, taste – and the moments that align with it perfectly.