If you like the odd boozy tipple, these brands not only are vegan-friendly, but generate profits to help animal friends at the same time.
Tonic water contains quinine, which should be avoided for pregnancy, abnormal heart rhythm, kidney or liver disease or low blood sugar). Avoid grapefruit (used in some tonic waters) or grapefruit slices for certain conditions (check your medication). Avoid rhubarb tonic waters for stomach/kidney issues.
- Hedgepig Fruit Gin Liqueurs uses fruit from local hedgerows and orchards to make their drinks, with 50p from each bottle donated to British Hedgehog Preservation Society.
- Wild Thing Organic Prosecco uses profits to help Born Free, which campaigns for better welfare (you can report concerns) for zoo animals, and tries to rehabilitate animals back to the wild.
- Garden Shed Gin makes a gin with local blackberries and dandelion, profits help Scottish charities that plant trees, to save bees.
- Papillon Gin is made on Dartmoor, and profits help the local butterfly conservation. Made with gorse flowers, rowan and hawthorn berries, chamomile, nettle, navelwort and Devon violets.
Artisan Gin to Help Endangered Species
- Urban Rhino Gin is helping to protect one of the world’s most endangered species.
- Gorilla Spirits makes small batch, award-winning spirits, with £1 from every bottle going to a charity to help save gorillas. In London, Graveney Gin uses profits for their organic gin to help develop free protected parks for gorillas in their native homelands.
- Elephant Gin is a German gin that uses funds to help elephant charities. The 14 botanicals include rare African ingredients, with mountain pine. The sloe gin with wild berries has a fruity bouquet. See more ways to save the elephants.
- Cloud Leopard Gin has a big hit of classic juniper, with a bright zing of lemon zest and fruity notes of mango, balanced by fragrant black pepper spice. 15% of profits go to Born Free, which rehomes endangered clouded leopards in spacious sanctuaries). Also look out for Snow Leopard Vodka (uses spelt, to help snow leopards) and spiced Indian Wild Tiger Rum.
- Grey Whale Gin is a lovingly handcrafted spirit from California, with profits helping to support ocean charities, to help save the whales. Also look out for Naked Turtle Rum.
- Tarsier Gin offers a southeast Asian dry gin and an oriental pink gin. 10% of profits go to charities that help to protect endangered tarsians (a little primate that looks a bit like an aye-aye).
One good brand to try is Pangolin Gin, which is crafted with rare African botanicals to produce a spirit to capture the essence of the South African sundowner. With fresh bursts of citrus and smoky cardamom, this is handcrafted in Staffordshire.
What makes it so special is that a portion of profits are donated to help pangolins – the most trafficked animal in the world. This creature that has a plate of armour (similar to an armadillo) may well have been the cause of the first case of COVID-19, due to being sold at the so-called ‘wet markets’ in China. Founder Chris donates to international conservation charities in Africa and Asia, to protect this amazing creature from extinction.
