For a gin-tastic cause.
One of the many industries which has been hit hard by the pandemic this year is hospitality. We all can’t wait to return to our favourite pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes but for some businesses the return may not be straightforward or feasible. But what if that post-5pm gin could help alleviate the issue?
To help support the UK hospitality industry throughout the coronavirus pandemic, a new not-for-profit gin brand called Hospitality Gin has been launched. When Covid-19 began to affect the hospitality industry in the UK, Sheffield-based industry veteran Tom Lord set out to create a spirit to help.
On the Hospitality Gin website it states that hundreds of thousands of hospitality worker’s jobs are at risk. “Across the country, thousands of pubs, bars, and restaurants are closing their doors again. They’re unsure when they’ll be able to reopen, or whether they’ll be able to keep paying their staff.
“Those that can open are crippled by loans and restrictions with minimal support,” said the organisation.
To produce the London dry-style gin, Tom Lord teamed up with Cooper King Distillery in North Yorkshire and set up a crowdfunder in mid-May to sell the first bottles. Within weeks the initial batch was sold out, followed by a second. Hospitality Gin is now on its third batch, with wider availability via various wholesalers and bars.
All profits of Hospitality Gin: Charity Dry go towards supporting hospitality businesses and workers via The Drinks Trust and Hospitality Action, with plans to set up a dedicated fund. The gin itself features botanicals such as local lavender and honey, lemongrass, cardamom and cumin, and a big dose of juniper. Together, these botanicals create a bold flavoured but also delicately balanced dry gin, which is perfect in cocktails and mixed drinks, as well as a cracking G&T.
Plus, there is now another flavour of gin launched with the same ethos as the original, known as Bartender Series #1- Pineapple and Pepper. The gin features subdued juicy tropical notes from the pineapple, backed by fresh, crisp green bell pepper and fragrant pink peppercorn.
Tom Lord told drinks magazine, Imbibe, how the idea came about: “I’d been looking for ways to help the people that needed it most when the idea for Hospitality Gin hit me. I’d been advising as many people as possible on the best next steps for their personal situations, but at the end of the day, I’m not an employment lawyer.
“Most important was a managing a quick turnaround time to get the money to those who needed it as quickly as possible – that and having a cracking gin of course!”
Hospitality Gin is available direct from the brand’s website for £37 per bottle, with 15% off if you buy six bottles, as well as from a number of wholesalers, including Master of Malt.
[Featured Image: Hospitality Gin]