Proclamation Gin

Proclamation Gin is a proudly Pinoy, FDA-approved drink. It uses 12 botanicals—sampaguita flowers, coriander seeds, orris roots, orange peels, lemon peels, juniper berries, cassia bark, almonds, lemongrass, angelica roots, liquorice roots, and toasted sticky rice. The sampaguita flowers are carefully picked by women farmers in Central Luzon, and the toasted sticky rice adds a certain “aha!” moment to its lingering finish.

This is fragrant gin, but not overwhelming on the nose. It gives notes of toasted rice, transporting you to Philippine fields in the summer, surrounded by warm, relaxing climate. It’s smoky on the palate, and has a unique, fresh, smooth quality, with floral, honeyed notes.

Smooth and pure, you can absolutely enjoy Proclamation Gin neat. You can also have it with a singular large cube of ice; this brings out the toasted sticky rice notes more. But it’s also brilliant stirred with some tonic water and some calamansi slices.

Pair with strong cheeses like Epoisses, and with pates. It’s also great with Asian dishes, like curries or ginger prawns.

Proclamation Gin is 100% and very proudly Pinoy. Creators Carlo Calma and Cheryl Tiu take pride in having made a gin that not only makes use of local ingredients, but supports local businesses, and shines a light on local artistry. The entire team were born and raised in the Philippines, and this was a perfect avenue to showcase something uniquely ours, not only to fellow Filipinos, but to the world, as well.

Sampaguita is their main botanical, chosen for its title as the Philippine National Flower, officially declared in 1934 by General Frank Murphy via Proclamation No. 652. Hence, their name. These sampaguitas are hand-picked by women farmers in Central Luzon. Social responsibility is also important to Tiu and Calma, and supporting these women and helping them level up their livelihood was something very dear to them. Another thing to note in this vein is their bottle. Simple and minimalistic, their bottle was intended to be re-used and donated; even their wrapping is made of recycled paper.

Even the flavors of their gin are uniquely Filipino. They originally wanted to use just sampaguita, but they felt it lacked some balance. The addition of toasted sticky rice was a pleasant surprise, and one that drove home its local flair even better. Rice is, after all, an important Philippine crop. And “kakanin” is a staple in our cuisine.

Proclamation Gin is the result of two peoples’ love of gin and love of country. It’s drink that will not only make Filipinos proud, but one that will definitely be shown off. Pure Filipino craftsmanship--from its ingredients, to the drink itself, to its bottle.