In 2022, The Oxford Pride committee members approached the Chalgrove Artisan Distillery (the home of OX GINS) to become one of the sponsors for the charity. Owners and co-founders Bob and Jenny Clark decided to go one step better than this. They decided to work with the committee to create a Gin that could be sold all year round so that they could donate for each bottle sold.
So, they invited the committee members to the distillery and they both started the journey to create their own OX Pride gin. It was the year coming out of the covid pandemic and all were excited about this new venture.
Jenny and Bob have a plethora of experience in creating world class gins, with their OX44 Gin being voted best in the UK at the London Spirits Competition 2019. The pride committee began the art of distillation under Jenny’s watchful eyes.
They started with a botanical masterclass where they selected the mix of ingredients using Jenny’s expert palate, gin expertise and production. The committee decided upon a range of interesting botanicals, including seven that made up the colours of the rainbow.
They worked through five different iterations of the recipe, and Jenny continually tweaked the ingredients and mix until they had something they were proud enough to call OX PRIDE Gin! – a 40% ABV Gin.
In essence, the committee members attended the OX Gin Experience Gin School. A fully immersive experience day where the “Gin undergraduates” take control of their own two litre copper alembic still, under the watchful eye of expert distillers Jenny and Bob. Within this experience, the undergrads select their botanicals, extract the alcohol from the still, “cut” the alcohol down to strength, filter the gin, and then label and name their finished product. z
One of the committee members, with her creative side, also worked to design the artwork to complement the branding of OX GINS. After months of process, the gin was finalised in flavour & the bottle design was created.
A 40 % ABV craft distilled floral gin with a distinctive crystal-clear finish. The pronounced nose carries both key flavour elements – the lavender and rose petals – along with a strong juniper aroma and back notes of coriander seed and mint.
In the mouth, this is a floral, fresh gin that takes you on a journey of flavour. The robust weight warms the mouth with the alcohol hit of the high-quality base spirit, but this soon gives way to a light spice, followed by the citrus and floral characters of lavender and the complex mix of botanicals.
The finish is long, leaving the delicious taste of freshly squeezed mint on the palate.
OX PRIDE Gin has sufficient complexity to make an enjoyable sipping gin that reveals more and more of its character through the serve. It also partners well with plain tonic or ginger ale to make a refreshing long drink – with the pleasing aesthetic of each of these mixers.
The versatile 40% weight also makes OX PRIDE Gin perfect for mixologists, providing a strong spirit base for a range of cocktail recipes, including the Bramble and the Negroni.
The launch of OX PRIDE Gin will be taking place during the Pride month of June and will be featured at this year’s Oxford Pride Event in the Oxford Castle Quarter.
