Picture this: you’re on a safari, and you look over to the herd of elephants while sipping on a G&T, having just heard from your guide about the properties of elephant dung. As you glance at the cocktail in your hand, suddenly it all clicks.
The thought never occurred to you? That’s probably what makes Indlovu gin so interesting. This is how Les Ansley along with his wife Paula jumped into the world of gin after a trip to Kenya:
‘Shortly after we arrived, Paula had an opportunity to go to Kenya on safari and it was while she was sipping a G&T while watching a herd of elephants listening to the guide explain how particular elephants are in their browsing habits and yet how little of the plant material they digest that she had this crazy idea …… would it be possible to make elephant dung gin?’
And so they did! Indlovu gin was born, where they use the foraging habits of elephants to select the botanicals they use, with their range including three varieties; Original, Pink and Citrus.
This is quite the crazy idea indeed, but Les insists that it was his wife’s idea, Paula, who tends to be the more creative one of the two.
Not only that, both Paula and Les come from scientific backgrounds, so they didn’t just see the ball of dung with its social prejudices, a ball of crap, but for the physical properties therein, i.e., botanicals.
Even though Les says that the flavour is dependent on the season they harvested dung, and the elephants’ diet, it usually tends to have a dark chocolate, orange taste; a bit uncharacteristic of other gins.
This does not mean you don’t drink it like other gins, it can still be enjoyed as your favourite summer cocktail or enjoyed neat around a fire.
Their Original gin is made from elephant dung that is washed and dried, and then extracted botanicals are infused into the gin with smooth, earthy flavours.
Their Pink gin is made from something elephants forage; the prickly pear fruit. Their Citrus gin is infused with tangy marula and wild oranges.
Indlovu also pays the elephants for their work, with 15% of their profits going to Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation and Development Trust (HERD).
To see a list of their stockists, visit their website here.
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