Uniting the best of science and nature, we create exceptional spirits
Imagine yourself in an animal menagerie at night in Victorian London, except... The animals are nowhere to be seen. You notice a faint glow of light from a hole in the ground.
Follow it to the menagerie’s best-kept secret.
A speakeasy down the rabbit hole, where the true spirit of the animals comes alive.
Take a sip and get curious with the Rabbit, learn how to blend in from the Fox, or show your colours with the Peacock.
Blending art and science, each of our spirits is carefully designed to reflect an animal’s character.
Born in Bermondsey, London, Animal Spirits invites you to drink curiously.
Our Story
fig.01 Dr Lukas Radosa
“I’m a virologist and a lover of gin. While working as a scientist at King’s College London a few years ago, I had an idea.
What if I could use my knowledge in natural products research to create a new kind of spirit, inspired by personality types? Which combination of ingredients would evoke the character of different animals? Could a sip of this spirit be an invitation to explore them?
Along with my co-founder Eva Liparova, who’s built a career producing immersive theatre and digital experiences at places like the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Royal Opera House and The Globe, we decided to bring art and science together to create exceptional spirits.
We partnered with the Design Laboratory who have given our dream an identity. Together we started Animal Spirits, with the hope to invite you to bring you closer to an animal’s character while you explore your senses.”
fig.02 Eva Liparova
“And so the work began. Lukas started experimenting with organic botanicals, using his PhD in microbiology to match them to personality profiles of animals that I had mapped out.
While Lukas was completing his distiller’s and spirit connoisseur courses, I started building out the story and the brand with the design team. Starting locally in Bermondsey, we also collected product and brand feedback from bartenders whose work we hugely admired.
After numerous experiments with our partner Thames Distillers, rounds of fine-tuning with our bartender mentors, and two lockdowns later, our first Animal Spirit – The Rabbit Gin – was launched in November 2020.
We believe it reflects the Rabbit’s character exactly as we saw it in our surreal Victorian speakeasy. It’s bold, lively, curious and will dare you to explore. We hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we loved capturing, taming and bottling it.”
fig.03 Boris Thuery
“The opportunity to partner with incredible human beings to create and design a visionary spirit brand with full creative freedom was a gift that I couldn’t refuse.
I accepted the challenge and brought The Design Laboratory and its talented team on board, to make Lukas and Eva's vision a reality.
The project brought Animal Spirits to life by disrupting an already saturated market through design innovation and storytelling.
Animal Spirits aims to be an innovative and inspiring new contender in the drink industry, conveying a clear story, and stand out from the crowd.
Animal Spirits tells a story of Botanical, Science, and Spirits. The tale of an alchemist who blends knowledge and science through the magic of the distillation process to release the characters of the Animal Spirits”
OUR ETHOS
We are committed to protecting the planet and cutting our carbon footprint. We use ethically sourced FairWild-certified juniper, premium botanicals, organic corn spirit and 100% plastic-free packaging. Our hand-finished bottles are sourced a walking distance from our London-based distillery.
The RabbiT Gin
“When was the last time you felt truly curious?”
– The Rabbit Gin –
Discover our first Animal Spirit.
On the nose, sense the Rabbit Spirit’s charm through the freshness of our FairWild-certified organic juniper harmonising with the spicy green cardamom, zesty Kazbek hops and orange peel.
Take a sip and feel the tingle of the Sichuan green pepper on the tip of your tongue. Experience a warming sensation that opens to notes of citrusy orange and fruity magnolia berry. Find the herbal and woody notes of our secret botanicals, a nod to the Rabbit’s excitable nature.
Indulge in the buttery, lusciously smooth texture thanks to the premium corn spirit while earthy angelica holds all botanicals together in perfect balance
End with a long finish and notes of cool mint, piney juniper and subtly sweet cardamom.
The Rabbit Gin is designed to invite you to explore your sense of curiosity, adventure and playfulness.
London Dry Gin | 70cl | 44% | £42
OUR TEAM
Animal Spirits was co-founded by a Slovakia-born microbiologist and theatre producer duo. We work closely with our design partners Design Laboratory to perfectly capture, distill and craft each Animal Spirit we produce.
DR LUKAS RADOSA
Co-Founder
Certified distiller with a PhD in microbiology from Humboldt University in Berlin. Scientist at Leibniz Institute for Natural Products Research and Infection Biology in Jena, Germany. Level 3 certified spirits connoisseur for sensory evaluation of spirits from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.
lukas@animal-spirits.com
EVA LIPAROVA
Co-Founder
Producer specialising in all things digital and immersive. Previously developed experiences for Royal Opera House, V&A, Shakespeare's Globe and National Theatre. Fellow at the Royal Society of the Arts. Trained as a director at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and UAL in London.
BORIS THUERY
CEO & Director
With over 15 years of experience in Design Innovation & Strategy, Product Design as well as Branding & Narrative. He has an extensive background and a passion for creating innovative concepts and experiences for the beverage and food industry, having worked with LVMH, Dom Perignon, Cointreau, and The Fat Duck by Heston Blumenthal.
boris@animal-spirits.com
THE DESIGN LABORATORY
Design Partners
Award-winning experts at telling stories through design. Mentors and Fellows at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design. Previously developed brand and design solutions for Dom Perignon, Cointreau, The Fat Duck by Heston Blumenthal, and Grey Goose Vodka.
The Rabbit Gin
Learn more about the unique character of our first Animal Spirit
