Cape Town loves gin, and we have so many different variations of our favourite juniper berry drink available – lemongrass gin, black gin and seawater-distilled gin are just a few of the unique ones found here.
A new gin, the brainchild of ‘ginnovators’ Dr Les Ansley and Professor Paula Ansley, is infused with one of the most unique ingredients yet – elephant dung.
In an increasingly crowded market, the key differentiator is that the botanicals used in the gin are selectively foraged by elephants, then extracted from their dung and cleansed for the infusion process.
Under the guidance of leading ‘Gin Master’, Roger Jorgenson, the Ansleys created Indlovu Gin – an innovative gin that incorporates the foraging habits of the world’s largest land animal. Translated from several African languages, ‘Indlovu’ means elephant.
Whilst sipping on her G&T on safari in Kenya, watching a herd of elephants quietly grazing, Paula recalls the game ranger telling them about the elephants’ foraging habits. Although elephants graze constantly throughout the day only a small percentage of what they consume is actually digested. This led to Paula’s lightbulb moment of researching and eventually creating an elephant dung-based gin, together with her ‘partner in crime’, husband Les.
Elephant dung is known to be brewed as a tea in Africa, as well as used in traditional medicine for its remarkable healing properties. These medicinal qualities have been ascribed to the large variety of fruit and plants that an elephant consumes throughout the day. That same Savannah vegetation gives the Indlovu Gin its uniquely wooded, earthy flavours. The gin is a crystal clear golden colour, with aromas of Juniper, citrus, grass and an element of earthiness.
On the palate are a blend of flavours such as Juniper, Angelica, citrus with earthy undertones and spice from the elephants’ favourite foraged botanicals. “A sip of our gin will transport you to sundowners in the tranquility of the African bush,’”says Les.
As Les and Paula are passionate about wildlife and biodiversity, it became important to them that the brand underpins a strong conservation message. Therefore, 15% of the profits from the sale of the gin will be donated to the Africa Foundation to support their work in conservation through the Phinda Wildlife Project.
Indlovu Gin retails for approximately R615 per bottle and is available to purchase online via Yuppie Chef.
For more information on this world first – and proudly South African product – visit www.ibhu.co.za.
Picture: Supplied