Fatty’s Organic Gin is made with dill (inspired by the founder’s home town of Dulwich which means ‘the meadow where dill grows’), serve this with ice and a slice of cucumber. Even the bottles are sprayed with organic inks, and screen-printed at low temperatures, then sealed with cork closures.
Avoid tonic water (esp. grapefruit or rhubarb) for some medical conditions. Also avoid for pregnancy/nursing (but then you hopefully aren’t drinking alcohol anyway).
Also read of boozy tipples, that use profits to help wild creatures.
The low-alcohol version is based on pink grapefruit; serve with lime and pink grapefruit juice with crushed ice, garnished with a wedge of pink grapefruit.
Artisan Gins from St Ives (Cornwall)
St Ives Gin is sold in glass bottles that use 30% less glass per 100ml than standard UK spirits bottles, with compostable tamper seals made from cellulose (renewable wood pulp), plant-based varnished labels and sent in plastic-free packaging.
It’s made from a blend of 13 botanicals, all gathered from the Cornish coastline. Including foraged gorse flowers, fresh basil, thyme, rosemary and bladderwrack seaweed. Made in traditional copper pot stills.
Serve with a slice of grapefruit and a pinch of basil. Berry Gin is made with ripe English red berries, rosehip and kaffir lime leaves.
SILco (cocktails and liqueurs from St Ives)
Salt air, sea thrift, and sunlit coves. Cornwall has a way of getting under your skin. SILco bottles that feeling and brings it to your glass. The brand is family-run, grounded in local life, and serious about flavour. It focuses on non-alcoholic and low-alcohol drinks, made with Cornish herbs, fruits, and spring water.
SILco supports its community and treats the environment with care. It works with local growers, keeps packaging light, and thinks about its impact. If you want a drink that refreshes without fuss, and tastes like a coastal walk, this is a fine place to start.
Avoid tonic water for quinine allergies (and for pregnancy/nursing but you won’t be drinking gin anyway?) Avoid rhubarb and grapefruit for some medications.
The Unique Origins of SILco Drinks
SILco began in a small Cornish village, set between fields and cliffs. A group of locals, friends before business partners, wanted to celebrate everyday Cornish flavours. They started with simple ideas, clear water, fresh fruit, and clean recipes. The goal was taste first, with a light touch on alcohol.
The coastline shapes the brand’s style. Walk the cliffs near Zennor and you catch gorse on the breeze, bright and coconut-like. Wander hedgerows in late spring and elderflower drifts in the air. Farms supply apples with crisp bite, and moorland herbs add a wild edge. These scenes are not branding fluff, they are the pantry.
Cornwall’s drink traditions run deep. Cider presses once dotted the countryside, and today small distilleries and breweries keep that craft alive. SILco sits in this stream, but looks ahead. The recipes favour short ingredient lists and natural infusions. People want fewer additives and more clarity on labels. SILco answers with clean flavours, low sugar, and gentle bubbles.
The company’s choices reflect its home. Bottles use recycled glass where possible. Boxes are snug to reduce waste. Spent fruit goes to compost. Local growers see repeat orders, keeping value in the county. This is small brand thinking with a community eye. It builds trust, not by shouting, but by doing the simple things well.
How Local Ingredients Shape SILco’s Flavours
Cornish ingredients set the tone for SILco’s range. The team picks herbs from the moors and hedges, always in season. Orchard fruit comes from nearby farms that favour taste over size. Spring water adds a soft finish.
Standout pairings include:
- Zesty lemon and gorse, bright and sunny, with a hint of coconut.
- Apple and meadow mint, crisp, cooling, and perfect for warm days.
- Elderflower and pear, floral at first sip, then mellow and rounded.
- Blackberry and heather, dark fruit with a herbal lift.
These blends feel fresh because they are close to the source. You can taste soft fruit rather than syrup. The herbs add a clear note, not a perfumed haze. The result is natural refreshment that suits a long lunch, a beach picnic, or a quiet evening at home.
Sustainability at the Heart of SILco Production
SILco treats the environment as part of the recipe. The team reduces water use in cleaning cycles, reuses process water where safe, and invests in efficient equipment. Packaging stays minimal, with recycled glass and light boxes to cut transport weight. Labels are simple, inks are chosen with care, and plastic is kept low.
The brand supports Cornish conservation work through local partnerships and events. That might mean hedgerow projects or coastal clean-ups. Buying a bottle helps fund work that keeps Cornwall special. For customers who want taste and responsibility, this is a clear choice without the jargon.
Tasting the Range of SILco Beverages
SILco’s lineup spans sparkling waters, herbal tonics, and fruit spritzers. Most options sit under 0.5% ABV, with several at 0.0%. Many are vegan and gluten free, which makes them easy to share. The drinks stand on their own, and they also play well with food.
Here is a quick tour:
- Sparkling waters: Light bubbles with a twist of herb or citrus. Think lemon and gorse, or mint with a touch of apple. Ideal for everyday hydration, picnics, and work lunches.
- Herbal tonics: Layered blends that bring out the moors and hedgerows. Elderflower, thyme, and a hint of bay can appear here. Best served cold with ice and a lemon peel.
- Fruit spritzers: Juicy blends that keep sugar in check. Apple and elderflower is a classic. Blackberry and heather feels like late summer in a glass.
Top Picks for Everyday Refreshment
- Classic apple spritzer: Crisp, clean, and gently sweet. Pair with a cheddar sandwich, hummus wraps, or a Cornish pasty. Good for a mid-afternoon lift.
- Mint-infused water: Cooling and dry, with a garden-fresh finish. Serve with a squeeze of lime. Great after a run or a swim.
These choices hydrate and bring natural vitamins from real fruit. They are easy to enjoy, and easy to share with family.
Special Editions Inspired by Cornish Seasons
SILco releases short runs tied to the Cornish year. A summer bottle might mix blackberry and heather, dark and floral, made for long evenings. Early autumn could bring apple and spice, warm and calm. Spring tends to favour elderflower with a citrus snap, bright and lively.
These editions feel like postcards from the county. They track hedgerow changes, orchard harvests, and festival weeks. If you want a sense of place in your glass, these bottles deliver it with restraint and charm.
Bringing SILco into Your Lifestyle
SILco fits daily life without fuss. Keep a few bottles cold for weeknight dinners. Pack them for beach trips, park picnics, or garden gatherings. For hosts, a mixed case covers different tastes, from herbal fans to fruit-forward sippers.
These drinks make thoughtful gifts. Add a note, a pair of glasses, and a local snack for a neat hamper. Part of each purchase supports local growers and community projects, which adds meaning to the treat.
SILco stands out for clarity of flavour and Cornish character. In a crowded market, it avoids gimmicks, and focuses on honest ingredients, light recipes, and good design.
Try a simple no-alcohol cocktail:
- Cornish Garden Cooler: Fill a glass with ice, add 150 ml mint-infused water, 50 ml elderflower spritzer, a squeeze of lemon, and a cucumber ribbon. Stir gently and garnish with a sprig of mint.
This mix is bright, clean, and fit for any table.
Limoncello (from Cornwall?)
Not so, as you can’t grow lemons, even in sunny Cornwall! But at least this brand is supporting homegrown artisans. This drink uses Eureka and Meyer lemons that have just the right ratio of bitter skin and pith, to sweet flesh. SILco says the yellow sunshine of the Italian coast is not too dissimilar to the St Ives coastline at the height of Summer!
Artisan Fruit Pudding Gins from Cornwall
Atlantic Distillery is an organic maker in Cornwall. It offers a range of orange, grassy and citrus gins, along with signature gins.
The range includes:
- Gooseberry & Elderflower
- Blackcurrant & Mint
- Rhubarb Vanilla
- Earl Grey
- Smoked Green Tea
- Pudding Gin!
An Organic London Dry Gin
If you like London dry gin, then try Juniper Organic. Distilled at the Thames Distillery (near Clapham), this is the world’s first organic gin, from a place that’s made this popular drink since the 18th century.
This gin has tasting notes of green pine and leafy herbs, with bold flavours of woody spice and clean citrus notes.
Store in a dry cool place, then serve with tonic water and a slice of lemon.
The organic juniper for this gin is gathered from a Bulgarian forest, where the FairWild certification means the harvesters are paid properly too. Harvesting is also done in a sustainable manner.
Gorilla Spirits Co (booze to help silverbacks!)
Gorilla Spirits Co has carved a niche for itself among English distillers. Its vodka and gin not only draw attention for their top-quality taste, but also for their ethical background and commitment to conservation.
Check medication (quinine in tonic water, and rhubarb/grapefruit). Corks are too dense to compost, so recycle at off license or send in bulk to Recorked.
If you’re passionate about spirits and want to know what sets these bottles apart, this list breaks down all the essentials.
The range includes:
- Blackback Mountain Strength Vodka!
- Karisimbi Golden Rum
- Karisimbi Spiced Rum
- Karisimbi White Rum
- Maraba Coffee Liqueur
- Maraba Salted Hazelnut Liqueur
- Silverback Clementine Bergamot Gin
- Silverback Wild Strawberry Gin
- White Rum
Elephant Gin (a tipple to help gentle giants!)
Sold in recycled glass bottles with natural corks, Elephant Gin offers a range of tipples alongside coffee liqueur and ready-to-drink negroni. It uses profits to help charities that are helping to save endangered elephants.
Its current financial situation means the company can only support smaller projects, so please support this company over big brands, to fund its wonderful work.
Corks are too dense to recycle and are choking hazards, so send off in bulk to Recorked, if your local off license does not collect.
Check medication before drinking tonic water (contains quinine). Also avoid tonic water for pregnancy/nursing (but hopefully you won’t be drinking gin anyway).
Unique Brand Mission
Gorilla Spirits stands out for tying its brand to wildlife protection, in this case gorillas. Every bottle sold supports conservation, with a set amount donated to The Gorilla Organization.
The brand’s ethical focus isn’t just a marketing angle—founder Andy Daniels built the business to balance premium spirits with social good. Read more on how to save endangered great apes.
The Best Brands of Sustainable Tonic Water
Tonic water is mostly served as a mixer for gin and vodka, or sometimes alone as a refreshing drink. But it was originally used to help prevent malaria, as it contains quinine (from the bark of the cinchona tree).
It was so bitter that medics added gin, to make it more palatable. Modern tonic waters don’t have as much quinine, and are generally sweeter.
Due to quinine, avoid tonic water for pregnancy/nursing and certain medical conditions (liver failure, blood thinners, antibiotics and anti-depressants). Avoid grapefruit and rhubarb tonic waters, if on certain medications (check paper inserts).
- Fentimans (Northumberland) makes a wide range of botanically brewed tonic waters, made with herbal infusions from lemongrass to Sicilian lemon oil.
- Luscombe (Devon) blends Dartmoor spring water with wild or organic fruits, and Indian quinine. Also in flavoured versions (elderflower and grapefruit) and a Light version (sweetened with fruit sugar, with Japanese yuzu).
- Daylesford makes organic tonic water with dandelion, instead of quinine. Containing far less sugar, it’s bottled on a family farm in Devon. Choose from Light, cucumber, wild elderflower or Damescena rose.
