Rendle's - Now available in the UK!

Rendle’s Original Gin has been so well received in Canada and the USA that we have decided to bring it to the UK, where we are confident of a similarly enthusiastic reception.

Distilled in the USA to an original recipe first formulated by my father captain Frank Rendle while serving in the colonial Indian Army, Rendle’s Original Gin is created using the finest grains and botanicals with no artificial flavours or colours.

The last decade has seen a huge resurgence in the popularity of gin in the UK, with new brands coming onto the market each month, so many having been created that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between them. However, this is not an issue when regarding Rendle’s Original Gin. Its distinctive colour and particular taste sets it apart from all the rest, and will appeal to gin lovers who seek something special and out of the ordinary.

Where to distil Rendle’s Original Gin?

The unique recipe for Rendle’s Original Gin was created and perfected by my father, a British officer who served 75 years ago in the Indian Army’s 16th Light Cavalry during WW2. When deciding where to produce our special pink gin, we carefully considered our options.

Given its origins, finding a distillery for our gin in India seemed appropriate – but since we intended initially to launch in North America, logistics were an overriding concern.  Thus we plumped for Uncle Sam, which also had strong connections with my father.

Frank Rendle had a long and affectionate relationship with the United States. From 1962-75 he worked for Ludlow Jute, an American company whose head office was in Needham, Massachusetts. Frank would travel between India and the USA regularly and loved doing business there: he even thought about settling down in the States and particularly on the West Coast where indeed, I still have some first cousins who live in California to this day.

Once the decision was made, we were lucky to find a US distiller whose enthusiasm for faithfully recreating Frank’s recipe, and ability to produce batch after batch of superlative quality, clinched the deal. By sheer coincidence, the Master Distiller has family links to the same region in India as where my Father was stationed, therefore it seemed fitting that he was our man. This is our gin and we hope you will continue to enjoy it as much as we do.

Chris Rendle

The Monsoon - a brief history..

What intrigues me about the provenance of Rendle’s Gin is that my father, Captain Frank Rendle who created the recipe back in 1942, did not set out to make money but simply to produce a gin of exceptional taste and consistent flavour and quality; one that he could confidently share with his friends and fellow army officers. He took great pains to source the finest ingredients and, by adding Hibiscus to achieve its subtle shade of pink, ensured the gin he served was his authentic creation.

It’s peculiar how circumstances can produce interesting moments. For example, on a family holiday at a beach resort in Puri, south of our home in Calcutta, we arrived to find the fridge and freezer broken leaving us only coconut water to drink. Finding it impossible to buy tonic or beer at the time and with only a few cubes of ice borrowed from kind neighbours, the Captain experimented with said coconut water and his own gin to invent a delicious new cocktail: one part Rendle’s Gin to two parts coconut water, stirred and not shaken, with ice and a slice of fresh lime. Deciding on a name, Captain Frank chose Monsoon because, at the precise moment he took the first sip of his delicious creation, the tropical rain was pouring down outside. The monsoon had arrived and so too had Captain Frank’s thirst-quenching discovery.

Fast forward to our home in Calcutta, India

Fast forward to our home in Calcutta, India

1971

With regard to cocktails, I recall there were numerous books on how to make them and I do remember one in particular called ‘Giggle Water’! It was a small, reddish book with a simple drawing of a glass on the front.  I can still picture my father mixing drinks himself using this particular book after which he then carefully instructed the Bearer on how to perfect the various cocktails recipes which he would recreate and serve to his guests.


He would invariably insist that his own Gin (which actually was pink due to the addition of hibiscus in the process of production) was to be served neat over ice. He called it "Pinkers" which I later learnt was the popular name for his gin served at his Officers' Mess during WW2.


His constant experimentations led him to convert one of the bathrooms in our house in order to work on his beer as well as his spirit concoctions. It used to drive my mother mad with the smell of fermenting beer mixed with odours of the botanicals doing their work on the Rendle’s gin!! She hit the roof one day when some beer bottles started to explode, shattering glass everywhere. The beer had carried on fermenting in the bottle and the pressure proved too much. His escapades often proved to be a messy business!


Chris Edgcumbe-Rendle

Why is Rendle's Original Gin pink?

Why is Rendle's Original Gin pink?


My Father, Captain Frank Edgcumbe-Rendle invented the recipe in 1942 whilst serving in the 16th Light Cavalry, Indian Army. Prior to joining the Military, Captain Frank plied his trade as a professional tea taster. Dissatisfied by the quality of the gin available at this time, he embarked upon a mission to utilise his tea tasting skills to create his own superior Gin. The exotic combination of botanicals in the recipe gave the Gin it's distinctive flavour and appealing pink hue. In this way, it was instantly recognisable but more importantly, Captain Frank knew that it was his Gin being served in the Officers' Mess with no risk of dilution!


Captain Frank's recipe has endured the test of time and is still available today for gin connoisseurs and cocktail lovers. The heady blend of botanicals originating in India and the Orient make Rendle's Original Gin "Distinctly Different" in both taste and appearance. Indeed, as well as delivering a classic G&T, Rendle's is the perfect base for a host of exotic cocktails. Alternatively, it can be enjoyed neat over ice.


Chris Edgcumbe-Rendle