This New London Dry Gin Has a Whole Cucumber Grown Inside its Bottle

Yes, the cucumber is real. (Photo: Mixed Up Drinks/Facebook)

Hailing from Cheshire, U.K., a new London dry gin has been launched and it includes one very special ingredient: a whole cucumber, which has been grown inside the bottle, as reported by Cheshire Live.

Cucumbers and gin are best friends. The vegetable is featured frequently as both a garnish and an ingredient. For example, Hendrick’s Gin is made with cucumber and is recommended to be served with a slice of it, too.

According to the report, Genie Gin Founders Ed Hope and Phil Cardwell believe this to be the world’s first time a cucumber has been grown in a bottle and then filled with gin. With research yielding no other such instances, we believe them too!

The company first came up with the concept in 2019. A trial-and-error process began in 2021 as the founders tried different bottles, soils and techniques.

The duo ultimately found success with a hydroponic method known as the “Dutch Bucket” system, the report noted. The cucumbers are grown horizontally across a net and bottles are placed under the baby cucumbers, where they mature to just the right size before being harvested. Both the bottles and cucumbers are sanitized before gin is added to the mix.

The brand, Mixed Up Drinks, noted that the entire process takes about two and a half months.

A cucumber grown inside a bottle for Genie Gin. (Photo: Mixed Up Drinks/Facebook)

According to the gin producer, “crisp overtones of Cheshire grown ‘La Diva’ cucumbers are guaranteed to linger after every aromatic sip.”

Now don’t get the wrong idea, this cucumber is not meant to be eaten. The brand made sure to let imbibers know not to break the bottle to gain access to the veggie within. There should be enough cucumber-y goodness in the gin for you to enjoy, so don’t hurt yourself on broken glass.

“This is a very exciting time for Genie Gin, and we are really pleased with the outcome of our first crop of Cheshire cucumbers,” Cardell told Cheshire Live. “Our product is fully dependent upon the growth and harvesting of cucumbers in a timely manner, and our business model is vastly different to any other drink manufacturer or distributor.

Each 70cl bottle of Genie Gin rests at an ABV of 40%. Find yourself a bottle here, for £49.80 (57.85).

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