Last weekend, I spent an exciting evening with the makers of the Kenyan Originals range of drinks in Westlands. Not only did I get to enjoy funky cocktails, I also got to learn firsthand how to make my own version of flavoured gin. My colleague and I made a spicy one which we named KO Femme and I can’t wait to host a small gin party at home.
KO Femme is a gin made with infusions of pink peppercorns, cloves, cardamon, lemon grass, lemon peel and juniper in varying percentages. These are what we chose to go with, otherwise there were other flavours like orris root, mint and vanilla.
This was my first time trying out Kenyan Originals gin which comes in classic, tambuzi and spicy orange. As far as the drinks for the evening went, my absolute favourite was tambuzi, a 40% ABV gin infused with scented roses, real cucumber and a hint of hibiscus.
There were many great take aways from the event, one of my most favorite being learning that Kenyan Originals sources all their ingredients locally. For a brand that uses a wide variety of flavours in large quantities, it is clear that a lot of suppliers are making their daily bread from KO, and that as we enjoy the array of drinks from the company, we are supporting Kenyans from all over the country. Empowering families economically creates economic pockets with ripple effects that are felt throughout communities and eventually in the national economy.
I’ve been a huge fan of Kenyan Originals ciders for some time now and it felt very endearing to learn that their flavours are all home grown. My favourite flavours are Lime and Ginger and Passion and Lime whose ingredients come from Garissa and Nyahururu. Pineapple comes from Kisii and Thika and mangoes from Makueni. Now I have even more reason to always include KO ciders in my shopping.
Crossing over to the tonics, the Rose and Cucumber variant sources roses from Naivasha and cucumber from Kiambu, and chilies for the Chili and Turmeric variant come from Makueni and Kibwezi. The company also makes iced tea with Hibiscus from Meru and tea from Kericho.
Kenyan Originals was founded in 2018 with the mission to build truly authentic African craft beverage products. Beverage that are made with real Kenyan ingredients. Beverages that build on Kenyan traditions of drink making but with a modern twist. Originally Kenyan beverages. Source.
