A South African alcohol maker say it is using bodily waste from elephants to make the popular drink called gin.pdf
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Les and Paula Ansley created Indlovu Gin, which is made from elephant dung. They got the idea during a safari when they learned elephants eat many fruits and flowers but only digest a third, leaving waste full of botanicals. They collect fresh dung, dry and clean it, then add the plant remains to gin for a taste resembling woody, earthy spices. It takes five bags of dung to make 3,000-4,000 bottles, marked with the dung's collection date so tasters can compare "vintages." Visitors find the gin an unusual gift and story to bring home from Africa.
A South African alcohol maker say it is using bodily waste from elephants to make the popular drink called gin.pdf
- 1. DID YOU KNOW THAT NOW ALCOHOL CAN BE MADE FROM ELEPHANT DUNG ? A MUST INTERESTING READ ARTICLE FOR ALL. A South African alcohol maker say it is using bodily waste from elephants to make the popular drink called gin. Les and Paula Ansley are the creators of Indlovu Gin. They came across the idea a year ago during a safari. They learned that elephants eat many kinds of fruits and flowers. However, the animals? bodies only process less than a third of the plant material they eat. Ansley told The Associated Press that, weeks after their trip, his wife woke him up in the middle of the night with the idea. Ansley recalled his wife suggesting, “Why don?t we let the elephants do the hard work of collecting all these botanicals and we will make gin from it?” Ansley noted that elephant waste, or dung, possesses the plant material called botanicals. They are substances often used in gin production to add to the taste. The first load of elephant dung came by mail from the park where the Ansleys had taken their safari. Then the two scientists began searching for the best way to use elephant waste in the gin-making process. Now they collect the dung themselves, using their hands. Les Ansley, and his wife Paula, collect fresh elephant dung in the Botlierskop Private Game Reserve, near Mossel Bay, South Africa, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2019.
- 2. They described the gin?s taste as “lovely, wooded, almost spicy, earthy.” The taste, they say, changes a little with the seasons and location. The gin bottles are marked with the date and location of where the elephant dung was collected. “So, you?re able to compare almost different vintages of the gin,” Ansley said. It takes about five large bags of elephant dung to make between 3,000 and 4,000 bottles of the gin. The elephant waste is first dried and broken down into small pieces. Then it is washed to remove dirt and sand. Eventually, only the remains of fruits, flowers and other plant materials are kept. Harmful bacteria and germs are then removed from the botanicals, which are dried again and placed in an airing container. Think of it like a spice cupboard,” Ansley said. Eventually, the remains are added to the gin. An elephant forages for food at Botlierskop Private Game Reserve, near Mossel Bay, South Africa, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2019. The Ansleys test the gin on their friends before explaining how they make it.“The initial reaction of most people is, ?What? There?s no way.? But most people are very keen to actually taste it,” Ansley said. And once people hear about elephants? digestive process “it becomes a lot clearer to them, and they accept it very well.”The Ansleys decided to name the gin Indlovu, which means elephant in the Zulu language. They did not say how much of the gin they have sold. A bottle sells for around 500 rand, or about $32/ Rs 2450/ 29 Euro. The gin is popular with travelers seeking an unusual gift and a story to tell when they return home. One South African visitor, Elsabe Hannekom, said she felt closer to the animals after touching their waste. “So having a piece of them actually feels … good. An export of the African experience, I would say.” NEXT TIME DON?T FORGET TO TRY INDLOVU GIN AND SEND ME ONE ALSO …………………………