FIRST JOURNEYS - EUROPEAN EXPEDITION- PIN 39(stop2) OF 40
COPPERHEAD GIN - Belgium
A ROAD TRIP WHERE EVERY STOP HAS A STORY
After countless stops, a myriad of botanicals and enough unpronounceable names to test even the most confident gin lover, I thought I’d better finish this epic journey with something suitably big… and yes, apparently that includes a pickle the size of a small tree!
When Belgian pharmacist Yvan Vindevogel read an article about gin’s medicinal history, he immediately knew he wanted to create a gin that reconnected gin with its origins as a botanical remedy. In 2013, he teamed up with Belgian distillers to create Copperhead, a contemporary gin inspired by the idea of the alchemist transforming botanicals into something new.
If you look closely at the label, you will see the snake symbol and around it the Latin phrase “Consolans potio fortuna inventa”, which Copperhead translates as “Medicinal drink discovered by accident”. The imagery is a nod to the historical relationship between plants, medicine and the art of distillation.
Yvan named the original gin The Alchemist’s Gin, and in 2018 he collaborated with Marian Beke, a world-renowned bartender and owner of London’s Gibson bar, to create the Gibson Edition, inspired by the classic Gibson Martini.
This is not your everyday gin, with 13 botanicals traditionally associated with pickling included in the recipe, alongside a touch of eight-year-old genever. I’m sure you will agree that their shiny bottles attract attention, but let’s go back to that snake symbol.
Buckle up - this one's a biggie!!
In Greek mythology, Asclepius was the son of Apollo and the god of medicine and healing. He carried a staff called the Rod of Asclepius, which had one snake entwined around it.
This remains one of the most recognised symbols of medicine today.
The Bowl of Hygieia, named after Asclepius’s daughter Hygieia, goddess of health and cleanliness, is another symbol associated with pharmacy and is widely used by pharmacists around the world.
The confusion comes from the caduceus, the staff of the messenger god Hermes (or Mercury in Roman mythology), which is intertwined with two snakes and often shown with wings.
Unlike the Rod of Asclepius, this symbol was connected with communication and commerce rather than medicine. However, over time the two became confused and the caduceus was adopted in some medical settings, particularly in the United States.
Whether right or wrong, both symbols are now instantly recognisable as being connected with medicine — making the snake a fitting emblem for a gin inspired by botanicals, pharmacy and a little bit of alchemy.
Phew! Lesson over - time for a drink!
“A pharmacist, an alchemist and a gin inspired by the history of medicine.”
Copperhead Gibson Martini
50ml Copperhead Gibson Edition
A splash of dry vermouth
Garnished with a pickled onion… although I may have gone slightly overboard with the pickle!
"Show me a bottle and I’ll tell you a story."