Allergico Features: Hospitality Gin

Hospitality Gin

PHOTO CREDITS: Hospitality Gin, Victoria Greensmith Photography

With the hospitality industry struggling due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we talk to a company aiming to do their bit to help out through sales of gin.

When the pandemic started, the hospitality industry saw almost all of its trade wiped out practically overnight causing both people and businesses to suffer. But this predicament has also prompted a groundswell of support for the industry and sometimes this has been in unexpected ways and arguably Hospitality Gin is one 0f those.

Born in Sheffield in early 2020, Hospitality Gin was the idea of drinks industry veteran Tom Lord and the concept was a simple one: a notfor-profit spirit company that would donate all the money from its sales to hospitality charities such as The Drinks Trust and Hospitality Action. Tom then partnered up with Cooper King Distillery to produce this product.

The first gin to be produced was their Charity Dry variety, designed to be a classic spirit, but with a few exciting twists courtesy of botanicals including lavender and cardamom. It was an instant hit, selling hundreds of bottles and raising a lot of money.

Off the back of the first gin’s success, Hospitality then launched the first in their Bartender’s Series which they state aims to showcase unconventional flavour combinations and therefore improving drinks through inspiring creativity and innovation.

First up in the series is the Pineapple and Pepper gin and with such an intriguing name it certainly serves the purpose of piquing curiosity. That intrigue then only strengthens when you read that the botanicals list which contains unusual flavours such as green pepper and pineapple. The latter showcases the brand’s skill as

pineapple is notoriously difficult to use in the distillation process.

Much like its predecessor, the Pineapple and Pepper Gin was a triumph and together both are expected to raise over £10,000 for hospitality charities.

Both gins come in 50cl and 70cl bottles and the prices are as follows:

Charity Dry:

50cl - £30

70cl - £38

Pineapple and Pepper:

50cl - £30

70cl - £38

Both the gins are available from : https://hospitalitygin.co.uk

ALLERGICO’S TOP SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Charity Dry:

Serve this in a tall glass with a light tonic or sharp lemonade to compliment the zesty botanicals. Garnish with peppercorns to balance the flavours. Why not mix it in with a Negroni or a Martini?

Pineapple and Pepper:

Serve with either plain sparkling water or lemonade. The key here is balancing the fresh flavours so that both gin and mixer can shine. If you wanted, why not mix with some pineapple juice and coconut milk for a fresh take on a Piña colada?

Allergico Reviews:

Hospitality Gin

Charity Dry

Botanicals: Honey and lavender, zesty lemongrass, cardamom and juniper.

The London Dry has all the much-loved characteristics typical to the variety and the addition of lavender, lemon and cardamom add a beautifully gentle note, whilst delivering a strong flavour hit. Drinking this gin, I not only got to experience the best of the traditional London Dry elements, but I also got something new and refreshing. I’d recommend serving this in a tall glass, chilled with a little sparkling water or tonic on a hot summer’s day.

Pineapple and Pepper

Botanicals: Pineapple, green bell peppers, pink peppercorns, lemon thyme, orange blossom, orris root, orange peel, and juniper.

For the Pineapple and Pepper gin, the first in their Bartender Series, it’s safe to say that intrigue was my initial emotion. Finding bell peppers and pineapple together in a gin certainly raised my eyebrows but then again this range did promise to be something a little bit different and that it certainly did! The green pepper adds a surprisingly refreshing note, working well with the other botanicals and especially the pineapple which is notoriously difficult to distill. If you’re looking for a slightly different gin to excite you but still provide all the refreshing qualities we love about the drink, this is your gin.