Back in 2020 we teamed up with Chester Zoo to help them create a truly unique Gin. Infused with hand-picked ingredients from the zoo’s gardens, that also feed the animals, the Chester Zoo gin is truly special.
The concept for the gin came from walking around the vast and amazing landscape of the zoo, taking in all the different gardens, varieties and species of plants that they have at their fingertips. Hamish and the Secret Garden team spent some time at the zoo with their Curator of Botany and Horticulture, carefully selecting and choosing which botanicals would give make the gin stand out.
The botanicals used in the Chester Zoo gin are carefully balanced to create a unique flavour and were selected to reflect the zoo’s ‘tropical’ landscapes, and our work with rare plants. For example, one of the more unusual flavourings in the gin is extracted from banana leaves. These were grown at Chester Zoo, where they use the hardy Japanese banana (Musa Basjoo) to help create a tropical effect in their planting, particularly in the South East Asian islands habitats.
In 2021 we helped Chester Zoo create their Winter Gin, infused with cinnamon leaf taken from the zoo’s Monsoon Forest, combined with Himalayan honeysuckle berry from their stunning botanical gardens.
For that extra special touch, the gin bottle neck labels are made entirely from seed paper, so you can grow your own little piece of nature, courtesy of Chester Zoo. Simply plant the paper into the ground, water regularly and watch your wildflowers grow!
