Simon Ford went from working at a wine bar to Founding One of Today’s most iconic gins.
Nowadays, fan-favourite gin is hailed as a highly versatile spirit, oft-reached for by the most potent mixologists behind the bar. But as UK gin mogul Simon Ford will tell you, the fashion of gin and its dexterity in cocktails is a relatively new phenomenon – take it from him, it’s a phenomenon he personally helped to usher in.
As the story goes, having worked in the world of spirits for over 20 years, Ford realised that the perfect cocktail gin simply did not exist. Incensed by this absence, the goal was simple: to create a jack-of-all-trades spirit that would taste and pair well with a wide range of ingredients commonly used in gin cocktails, making it the ideal all-around mixing gin.
Image credit: Fords Gin
“The inspiration for Fords Gin was bestowed upon me by bartender Sasha Petraske who opened a bar called Milk & Honey in New York City, which became one of the most influential bars of modern cocktail culture,” Ford revealed.
“Sasha told me that I had taught him to love gin and convinced me to make a gin of my own. Gin is a quintessential ingredient that is important to the past and present of cocktail culture, and so we set out to make a gin that was built around the insights, ideas and knowledge of the bartender community.”
With the help of a small, merry band of bartenders, 10th generation master distiller Charles Maxwell, and the blood, sweat, and tears of continuous trial and error, it was on the 83rd attempt that they veritably cracked the code – and Fords Gin was born.
While most brands lean on marketing to shape their spirits, Ford’s for-bartenders-by-bartenders approach stands out as unusual. Yet, it’s this very strategy that earned his gin widespread acclaim, placing it in the creative hands of some of the world’s top mixologists.
Image credit: Fords Gin
Fords Gin’s ‘soul’ purpose is a spirit that plays well with others, so naturally, its creator attributes his deep connection to people within the industry as the biggest driving force behind his success.
“I love our industry and the people that make it what it is. I also love what I do. Those things combined have inspired me to do things throughout my career that I hope have contributed to our global bartending culture. The love I have for our industry helped give me motivation on the difficult days of trying to start a company, and there are many difficult days when you start a business!”
Having initially dropped out of college at 19-years-old, Ford worked at a wine shop for five years. His career as we know it today started kicking into gear when he was headhunted to be a marketing manager for Plymouth Gin. Years of cutting his professional teeth eventually led to the marketeer becoming Plymouth’s brand ambassador, and building an accolade-winning Brighton bar named Koba in 2002.
From his humble beginnings to scaling new heights in the cocktail industry, Ford’s true love has always been the connections he forged along the way with industry experts, acting as both teacher and pupil to bartenders around the globe.
Image credit: Fords Gin
Following years upon years of shaking new hands and exchanging both sober and gin-soaked conversations, the entrepreneur can now gauge the emotions of people with the good fortune to come across him at a glance. Ford attributes this preternatural ability, gained through his years in hospitality, as one of the most valuable lessons he’s carried with him throughout his career.
“I look at the facial expressions and body language of the people around me to see who is engaged, who is happy, who has checked out and who is looking for some validation and attention. Being able to respond to people and anticipate their needs is an art form that people in the hospitality industry learn through experience.”
According to the former bartender, it’s the stories hidden in the back pocket of these happy or harrowed faces that informed his propensity for kindness, ranging from a death in the family, an illness, or a breakup; a principle he’s preached in interviews over the years.
“I use the art of hospitality in my day to day life to look for moments where I can surprise and delight people with kind gestures that will hopefully improve someone’s day a little. The world would be a better place if everyone did at least one year in hospitality. Restaurants and bars are great places to learn patience for others and how to treat people well.”
Image credit: Fords Gin
Given his storied life, coloured by decades soaked in the industry, very few things surprise the label owner. But according to Ford, heading East has been the biggest eye-opener of his career.
Alongside its Southeast Asian contemporaries, Malaysia’s burgeoning cocktail scene has consistently pushed the envelope on what’s conventionally expected – let alone possible – for a cocktail to be, owing to its rich cultural influences and alchemist’s book of locally-sourced ingredients unavailable in the Western hemisphere.
“Southeast Asia is an extremely innovative cocktail culture that explores many different ways to make a drink and experiments with different flavours and ingredients. Since its emergence onto the global scene it has been one of the best if not the best bar scenes in the World. I get inspired every time I visit. I also love the hospitality that is embedded into the culture here.
“When bars open alongside other bars in Southeast Asia they tend to do something different to their neighbours. This creates a really dynamic and diverse cocktail culture where the bars seem to complement each other, creating great cities to drink in.
“Malaysia [in particular] has taken cocktail culture to an upscale and luxurious place since I was here, and there is even more emphasis on local style and flavours. The community feels really strong and everyone appears to be really supportive of one another also which is really nice to see.”
Image credit: Fords Gin
Clearly, we would be remiss not to request a few personal cocktail recommendations from one of the foremost authorities on Gin. Unsurprisingly, his list of favourites is an extensive one, citing offerings by such KL cocktail hotspots as Bar Trigona, Coley Bar, and Penrose.
“A highlight for me was to try the Trigona honey, and the cocktails made with that local honey at Bar Trigona. They also did a fantastic drink with Fords Gin, Dried Figs, Fig Leaf, Veliver and Pandan which was delicious,” Ford states, referring to the Petrichor.
“I really liked drinking the Gin with Coconut water and Pandan at Coley Bar, and there was a drink I tried at the Penrose in Kuala Lumpur that was an elevated Banana Daiquiri that blew my mind with its complexity of flavour. It was made with rum, banana leaf, burnt butter and aged sherry. It was spectacular.”
When asked to pick a penultimate favourite, Ford bestowed that honour to the Miloni at Coley Bar, named for that childhood favourite malt chocolate drink with a Negroni twist, served over Milo jello.
“It was a Negroni and a chocolate pudding all at once,” Ford enthuses, “I wasn’t sure when I saw it on the menu but when I tasted it I wanted two.” High praise indeed.
Also read:
Penang’s Secret Sips: 9 Hidden Cocktail Bars to Uncover
12 Best Cocktail Bars in the Klang Valley
