Anty Gin

After its debut at 2013’s Pestival tasting, a long development process to ready it for market, its first commercial run of ninety-nine bottles and a media maelstrom, and its second commercial run being sold at Hedonism Wines and Selfridge’s, we are now preparing the third production run of Anty Gin with our friends at Cambridge Distillery.

More info below. Batch 6 is available at Anty Gin’s website.
We hope you enjoy it.

The NFL team

Anty Gin

A joint venture between experimental Copenhagen-based Nordic Food Lab and the world’s first gin tailor, The Cambridge Distillery, is introducing a new and somewhat different gin to the market.

Formica rufa, the red wood ant, are found in forests around the Northern Hemisphere, and are inspiringly sophisticated creatures. They communicate using a host of chemical pheromones, which allow them to form immense colonies housed in large mounds, and they defend their complex communities by producing formic acid in their abdomens and spraying it in the direction of any invader. Luckily for us, these very compounds hold great delicious potential. Formic acid (the simplest organic carboxylic acid, with the chemical formula HCOOH) is a very reactive compound in alcohol, serving as an agent for producing various aromatic esters. Furthermore, many of their chemical pheromones are the same volatile molecules we perceive as aroma. Through distillation of these wood ants, we can explore the tasty universe of these naturally occurring molecules and reactions, capturing the flavours of this fascinating species.

Over six thousand Formica rufa have been foraged and preserved by Forager, a team of wild plant specialists led by Miles Irving in the forests of Kent, UK. Each bottle of Anty Gin will contain the essence of approximately sixty-two wood ants. To support the distinctive flavour of the wood ant distillate and the characteristics of Bulgarian juniper berries, we have selected a handful of prime-quality, wild springtime botanicals to add complexity to the final blend: wood avens (Geum urbanum), nettle (Urtica dioica), and alexanders seed (Smyrnium olusatrum). In order to ensure exceptional quality of base alcohol, only 100% organic grown English wheat has been used for the spirit, and every distillation is carried out just one litre a time.

Our first commercial batch of Anty Gin will produce only ninety-nine bottles, at a retail price of £200 GBP (€250) per bottle. From foraging to bottling and labelling by hand with The Cambridge Distillery’s 1924 typewriter, every step of the process has been done with a dedication to craft. And to share our excitement for the unique flavour of the Formica rufa, each bottle of Anty Gin will come with a 50 ml bottle of pure wood ant distillate.

We look forward to sharing it with you. 


Nordic Food Lab is a non-profit, open-source organisation that investigates food diversity and deliciousness. We combine scientific and cultural approaches with culinary techniques from around the world to explore the edible potential of the Nordic region. We work to broaden our taste, generating and adapting practical ideas and methods for those who make food and those who enjoy eating. 

The Cambridge Distillery is the world’s first gin tailor, using unique methods to create bespoke gins for individuals, organisations and institutions. Approaching the traditional craft of gin distillation from a modern, scientific angle, we experiment continually to discover and apply the best methods of extraction and distillation for each botanical and flavour we work with.


Available this week in limited numbers from:
www.cambridgedistilleryshop.co.uk

700ml Anty Gin
+ 50ml Ant Distillate dropper 

£200 / €250 


For more information, please contact:

Nordic Food Lab                                                       The Cambridge Distillery
  Roberto Flore                                                                 Will Lowe
+45 52732253                                                            +44 07970 339015
rf@nordicfoodlab.org                                           will@cambridgedistillery.co.uk




Anty Gin RT @NordicFoodLab: Danish winter herbs ready to meet fermented beans. Grateful to eat this at the thoughest time of… https://t.co/bqW3ZM2Nzy about a year ago

Anty Gin RT @NordicFoodLab: New post on our blog. On eating insects – Essays, stories and recipes can be pre-ordered now.… https://t.co/CxKxzEqvnH about a year ago

Anty Gin https://t.co/vWxfgAtHaj about a year ago

Anty Gin RT @atasteofinsects: NEWSBREAK: #BUGStheFilm wins award at Italian environmental film festival @Cinemambiente https://t.co/MJF0gB0GPZ #edibleinsects #eatbugs about 2 years ago

Anty Gin Anty Gin on stage… https://t.co/f3XLHdhcOu about 2 years ago

Anty Gin Ants/flavour treasures at @NordicFoodLab (Photo by Brian Finke) https://t.co/9mbElsCQQ9 about 2 years ago

Anty Gin RT @NordicFoodLab: @antygin @robbeflo @joshdevans @JCRedon andreas johnsen @AftonHalloran @NordicFoodLab #bugs! #NYC come and taste!! https://t.co/oeLjL65pSL about 2 years ago

  Anty Gin RT @CambridgeGin: Our famous @AntyGin (world’s most innovative alcohol!) is now available to customers in the USA via @Hedonism_Wines! https://t.co/1F3esRa5s6 about 2 years ago

  Anty Gin Watch out for BUGS 🙂 We’re extremely excited on behalf of @NordicFoodLab and co. https://t.co/F3rPGBcJ6P about 2 years ago

  Anty Gin Teaming up with wonderful gins from @CambridgeGin at #cambridgeginfestival! @NordicFoodLab salutes! (img @will_lowe) https://t.co/mV4Oxacqo1 about 2 years ago