Sir Edmond Gin is a rebellious and unusual spirit made with carefully combined botanicals from around the world. Most notably, the craft gin is distilled with Bourbon vanilla from Réunion, the vanilla capital of the world. Sir Edmond Gin honours the tradition, history, and culture of Africa by paying homage to Mr. Edmond Albius, the man who revolutionized the cultivation of vanilla.
In the 1820s, when French colonists started cultivating vanilla on the island of Réunion, they quickly realized that local insects were not pollinating the plants properly. As a result, their cultivation efforts were fruitless.
Edmond Albius was only 12 years old when he realized that farmers could hand-pollinate vanilla groves. Although the manual technique was quite simple, it was revolutionary and is still used to pollinate vanilla orchards around the world today. Mr. Albius did not get much recognition for this feat when he was alive. Born a slave in Saint-Suzanne, he was freed in 1848 and left the plantation to work as a kitchen servant. He died a poor, free man at the age of 51.
Sir Edmond Gin was created to honor Mr. Albius for his great contribution to Africa and the world.
The botanicals used to create Sir Edmond Gin are sourced from southeastern Europe, Central America, Greenland, China, and Africa. As the Sir Edmond website states, these botanicals are “selected with the sole purpose of supporting the vanilla.”
Each bottle undergoes a precise distilling process with juniper, angelica root, ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon. The distillate is then infused with Bourbon vanilla for a few weeks, which results in a distinctively flavored gin that has a unique hue, due to the vanilla bean infusion.
“The combination of six botanicals provides both cocktail lovers and bartenders with an incomparable drinking experience that calls for a new approach and drives inspiration,” states the Sir Edmond website. “Since the vanilla beats juniper’s natural bitterness, mixologists are challenged to rethink the possibilities of gin when it comes to creating new cocktails and reinventing classics.”
The creative blend of ingredients took the judges of the Spirits Business Awards (SBA) 2017 by surprise. That year, the SBA awarded Sir Edmond Gin a Master Medal in a blind taste test.
Edmond, a flamingo from Madagascar, is the face of Sir Edmond Gin. As such, the creators of the botanical-infused spirit are dedicated to protecting African wildlife. A portion of every sale is donated to the African Wildlife Foundation, a Kenya-based charity that is passionate about wildlife conservation, habitat protection, community empowerment, and economic development throughout Africa.
About Sir Edmond Gin
Sir Edmond Gin is a Netherlands-based organization that is passionate about protecting and honoring African culture, history, and traditions. Sir Edmond Gin is sold in 20 countries throughout Europe. For more information, please visit www.siredmondgin.com.
