Copenhagen-based Nordic Food Lab and British gin maker The Cambridge Distillery have collaborated on the development of a limited-edition gin made using the essence of red wood ants.
This type of ant is found in forests in the Northern Hemisphere and defends its territory by spraying formic acid, produced in its abdomen, in the direction of potential invaders. Formic acid is a simple organic carboxylic acid that acts as a very reactive compound in alcohol, serving as an agent for producing various aromatic esters. Furthermore, many of the chemical pheromones that allow the red wood ant to form immense colonies are the same volatile molecules, which humans perceive as aroma. By distilling the wood ant, Nordic Food Lab and The Cambridge Distillery are able to explore these naturally occurring molecules and reactions, capturing the flavours of this species of ant.
More than 6,000 red wood ants have been used in the distillation of an initial batch of 99 bottles of Anty Gin, which also combines Bulgarian juniper berries and botanicals such as wood avens, nettle and Alexanders seeds. Each 50ml bottle of the 42% ABV beverage contains the essence of 62 ants and retails for £200.
The small-batch gin is made 1l at a time and uses organically grown English wheat in order to ensure an exceptional quality of base alcohol.
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