World Gin Day - Harrogate’s Norse offers first gin made from insects!

If you’ve ever fancied trying a gin made from ants, yes, ants, an innovative Harrogate restaurant is offering the chance as part of its celebrations for World Gin Day this Saturday.

But, beware, this exciting new tipple comes at a price - £200 per bottle to be precise.

Located within Baltzersen’s, a café offering traditional Scandinavian-inspired dishes by day, Norse restaurant will be serving Anty Gin, a joint venture between experimental Copenhagen-based Nordic Food Lab and the world’s first gin tailor, The Cambridge Distillery.

The gin is made using Formica rufa, the red wood ant, which are found in forests in the Northern Hemisphere.

Reportedly, and I haven’t tried a glass myself, the pheromones in the ants give the gin an appealing, natural aroma, while wild springtime botanicals – wood avens, nettle and alexanders seed - complement the Bulgarian juniper berries and the 100% organic English wheat used for the spirit “

Norse owner Paul Rawlinson decided to add the Anty Gin to his impressive collection of gins not only because of its distinctive taste and unusual ingredients but because of the connection with his Nordic heritage and links to the Scandinavian-inspired dishes served at Norse.

Paul said: “We can’t wait to test out this highly-unusual gin on our guests in celebration of World Gin Day. We are massive fans of gin here at Norse with a growing collection of different types but the Anty Gin is by far the most unique and expensive! We will be serving it by the glass on Saturday alongside tonic and ice.”

Located within Baltzersen’s cafe on Oxford Street in Harrogate, Norse only opens in the evening from Tuesdays to Saturdays at 6pm to 9pm.