UK Poison Garden Enters Spirits Business With Gin Made Using ‘Dog’s Bottom’ Fruit

Alnwick Garden’s Poison Garden Gin spotlights the medlar fruit’s complex flavors. (Photo: Alnwick Garden)

The Alnwick Garden, an England tourist destination known for its Poison Garden, has entered the spirits business with a gin made using a particularly unique fruit.

Crafted in partnership with Durham Distillers, the new gin draws its character from the medlar tree fruits. Often referred to as “dog’s bottom” for their puckered, brownish exterior, these medlar fruits are harvested from the Poison Garden in December. Ensuring the fruit is fit for consumption demands a process called bletting, allowing it to overripen; otherwise, its inherent acidity poses a risk of causing stomach discomfort.

After being properly overripened, medlar fruit transforms from hard and acidic to soft and custardy-sweet. (Photo: SP2Zsolt/Pixabay)

“The Medlar fruit has a complex flavour, combining a tart apple-like freshness with an undertone of butter and hints of cinnamon and vanilla,” explained Victoria Watson, strategic head of catering, retail and hospitality, per Chronicle Live. “This unique mix of flavours makes it an ideal ingredient for craft spirits such as gin, breathing fresh life into an ancient fruit that has been fading into obscurity.”

“The Alnwick Garden is a testament to plant history and its continuous mission of inspiring and educating about plants’ power to afflict, heal, and nurture. It is exciting to not only demonstrate how something as toxic as a ‘poisonous plant’ has had an impactful role to play in shaping human history – be it in warfare, medicine, but even with the humble gin and tonic.”

The Poison Garden is home to approximately 100 killer plants, such as deadly nightshade and opium poppy. Enveloped by black iron gates, guided tours weave through ivy-covered tunnels, delving into the history of poisons — and strictly advising against interacting with the toxic flora. Beyond the perilous allure, the poison garden experience imparts valuable survival knowledge, guiding visitors on what not to forage in the wild.

(Photo: Alnwick Garden)

Ioanna Chatzi, the Head Distiller at Durham Distilleries, reassures consumers that Poison Garden Gin is entirely safe for consumption, despite its ominous name and source of inspiration.

“The unique process of making this 40% proof gin starts with harvesting the Medlar fruits from the Poison Garden when they are overly ripe-almost to a point of being rotten,” Chatzi explained, according to Chronicle Live.”The stage of over-ripeness allows for the complex amalgamation of acids, tannins, and sugars within the fruit to produce that unique flavour that gin-lovers will savour. The fruit is then mashed into a pulp, and the essence is distilled in ‘Lily’ – our 400-litre copper pot.”

“The hand-crafted gin is completely safe to drink and is best served with high-quality tonic water to allow the spirit’s unique flavours to shine through. In terms of garnish, either a slice of apple or a squeeze of lemon works to highlight the gin’s floral notes and balance out its woodier undertones.”

“This was an exciting project to be involved in and one-of-a-kind so we are delighted to have been able to collaborate with The Alnwick Garden to produce something so unusual.”

Poison Garden Gin is now available at The Alnwick Garden gift shop and for order when dining at the Alnwick Garden’s treetop restaurant, The Treehouse.

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