Doug Speedy has bought Bootleggers Gin Drinkers Collection which is now 100 per cent made and produced in Hawke's Bay. Photo / Warren Buckland
Doug Speedy has bought Bootleggers Gin Drinkers Collection which is now 100 per cent made and produced in Hawke's Bay. Photo / Warren Buckland
There's nothing worse than pouring yourself a lovely gin on a Saturday evening and realising that the big bottle of tonic you bought from the supermarket is flat.
But it's too late to save it, you have already poured it into the glass with your expensive gin. There's no way that's going down the sink so down the hatch it goes anyway.
Disappointment abounds as you sip away.
Bootleggers to the rescue. The Gin Drinkers Collection by Bootleggers is 100 per cent Bay-owned and made right here in Hawke's Bay at Parkers Beverage Company in Whakatu.
Company owner Doug Speedy said it bought the Bootlegger Gin Drinkers Collection last year from founder James Waugh.
Waugh was a bartender in Wellington mixing drinks when one day he picked up a bottle of ginger ale and asked himself "What's even in this?".
It turned out he barely recognised the ingredients and couldn't see any real ginger. He decided to make his own out of raw and organic ingredients.
From there he continued to experiment and refine his recipes and eventually developed his first range of premium mixers. The name Bootleggers came from the fact that, like bootleggers before him, Waugh started to "smuggle" his creations into bars and parties.
Speedy knew that the fastest-growing non-alcoholic beverages were mixers.
Bootleggers mixers on the production line in Whakatu. Photo / Warren Buckland
"Gin has made a huge comeback in recent years and gin lovers are turning to premium, handcrafted tonics and mixes to accompany their gin," Speedy said.
So he bought Bootleggers. "James is still involved but it is all made and bottled right here in Whakatu at Parkers Beverage Company.
"We own and produce several brands and the Bootleggers brand is something we are really proud of."
He says consumers enjoy trying something different and are on the lookout for high-quality mixers with great ingredients.
Bootleggers mixers are used at many local restaurants including Malo in Havelock North and The Farm at Cape Kidnappers.
Speedy says his choice of gin is a London Dry or a Bombay Sapphire with a Blood Orange Bootleggers tonic. They are available in bottle stores or online at Bootleggers.nz
