Gin Squares

FIRST JOURNEYS - 80 GINS AROUND THE WORLD - PIN 66 OF 80

ELEPHANT GIN, Germany

AROUND THE WORLD, ONE BOTTLE AT A TIME,

PHILEAS FOGG WOULD SURELY APPROVE

Today’s stop on the big world tour is a little different. I’ve already written about Elephant Gin and its connection with African conservation, so rather than repeating that story, I’m stopping to look at something that caught my eye the first time I saw the bottle — the colourful beads around its neck.

The beads are made by Maasai women in Kenya, and beadwork has been part of Maasai culture for generations. Jewellery isn't simply decoration; colours and patterns can carry meaning and are connected with identity, age, social status and different stages of life.

Elephant Gin's bottles use colourful combinations of beads, with the brand explaining that the colours have their own symbolism. Green represents grass and land, white peace and purity, blue the sky and energy, while red represents bravery, unity and blood.

I love these little details on gin bottles because they can take you somewhere before you've even opened them.

The beadwork also gives the bottle a lovely connection to the communities and culture that inspired Elephant Gin. The beads are handcrafted by Maasai women in Kenya and can be removed and worn as a bracelet or necklace, so they don't simply end up in the recycling bin when the gin is gone.

It's a small detail, but it turns the bottle into something much more personal. There is a traditional craft, a story and a person behind something that could otherwise just be another piece of packaging.

So I'm calling this one a culture stop on the World Gin Tour — a reminder that sometimes the most interesting part of a bottle isn't what's inside it.

I've covered the bigger Elephant Gin conservation story separately, so click through to my original article if you'd like the full story behind the gin and its African connections.

Elephant Gin, Hamburg, Germany