New Wonky Fruit Gin Perfect For Summer Spritz

Award-winning farm craft gin brand Penrhos Spirits is launching a new limited-edition summer gin today in collaboration with mission-led food company Oddbox – a ‘Wonky Apple and Fennel Gin with a squeeze of Lemon’, designed from the ground up as the ultimate ingredient for this year’s summer spritz. Each bottle has been crafted using Oddbox’s wonky British apples, and rescued fennel and lemons that couldn’t make supermarket shelves.

This marks the third Penrhos x Oddbox collaboration following overwhelming demand for the brands’ limited-edition partnership, which began with 2023’s sold-out Cucumber and Apple Gin and continued with last year’s viral Pear and Chilli Gin, selling out within a week. The success has prompted both brands to commit to two collaborations this year, giving customers a summer and winter edition to add to their collections.

The new Wonky Apple and Fennel Gin with a squeeze of Lemon takes Penrhos’ flavour portfolio in a distinctly British, more sophisticated direction and each of the three botanicals has been chosen not only to rescue fruit and veg from waste, but to work in harmony as a spritz serve. Fennel is rarely seen in gin but is a botanical with genuine heritage — used for centuries in herbal medicine and Mediterranean cooking. In this variant, it contributes a silky, aromatic sweetness that sits beautifully alongside the dominant Apple flavour and lemon freshness, adding layers of complexity and depth. The fennel adds a mild and savoury twist that transforms the gin into true aperitif – moving beyond the fruit-forward sweetness and into pre-dinner drinks territory.

Apple is the dominant flavour delivering a crisp, orchard-fresh sweetness that forms the backbone and a hint of lemon provides the finishing balance, lifting the blend with bright citrus notes – perfect in a summer spritz.

The UK is in the grip of a full-blown spritz boom. According to Bacardi’s 2025 Cocktail Trends Report, the spritz has been ranked the number one cocktail choice among Gen Z consumers for 2026, while industry body Paragon Brands has predicted a ‘summer of spritz’ for mid-2026. Greene King reported that spritz serves accounted for 45% of all cocktail volume sold across its 2,600 UK pubs last summer – up 12% year-on-year – with the Hugo Spritz alone seeing over 300% growth. In Europe, the spritz has even overtaken Champagne as the go-to drink for socialising, chosen by 41% of respondents in Bacardi’s global consumer survey.

The gin’s signature serve – The Wonky Spritz – is super simple to create at home using a measure of the Penrhos Wonky Apple and Fennel Gin with a squeeze of Lemon, topped with chilled sparkling white wine and a splash of soda water, served over ice and garnished with a slice of apple, a frond of fennel, a wedge of lemon – or all three. It blends the citrus-forward appeal of the Limoncello Spritz trend with more savoury, crisp flavours, creating a sophisticated and refreshing aperitif that feels quintessentially British.

 

Ingredients:

• 50ml Penrhos Wonky Apple and Fennel Gin
• English sparkling wine
• Splash of apple juice

Method:

Pour in the gin and add a splash of apple juice. Top up with sparkling wine. Enjoy!

The English Sparkling Wine featured here is the Sherborne Castle Estates Brut 2019, which won a Silver Medal in the Tropical Burst category at the Glass of Bubbly Awards 2024. This sparkling wine has delightful green and golden apple flavours, with hints of pineapple. These flavours perfectly complement the apple and fennel gin, creating a refreshing cocktail that is ideal for summer!

 

Harriet Evans, co-founder at Penrhos Spirits, said: “After last year’s sell out ‘Pear & Chill’ gin, we wanted to create something that was even more unusual and unique in flavour – and this certainly does that. Fennel is an undiscovered flavour for the gin category and something we know our customers are going to love. As the gin is our summer edition this year, we wanted to create something specifically designed for the super popular spritz moment – and we’ve this unique flavour combination creates the perfect sophisticated spritz. The apple gives it a crisp sweetness, the fennel elevates the flavour in a subtle way, and the lemon adds the freshness on the top. When you pour it as The Wonky Spritz with a good English sparkling wine, it’s honestly the perfect summer drink.”

 

Emilie Vanpoperinghe, CEO and co-founder of Oddbox, commented: “After two sell out collaborations, we are excited to extend our partnership with Penrhos and launch this new and completely unique flavour this spring. It proves that for our considered customers, flavour and sustainability go hand in hand. This summer edition is a brilliant example of what happens when you look at rescued produce with creativity rather than compromise. These wonky apples, odd fennel and imperfect lemons are packed with flavour, and together they make a genuinely delicious gin. It all helps to support growers and show what’s possible when we rethink food waste.”

 

All Penrhos Gin is made entirely in the Herefordshire family farm. The limited-edition Oddbox Penrhos Wonky Apple and Fennel Gin with a squeeze of Lemon (£34.95/70cl, 42% ABV) launches exclusively at penrhosspirits.co.uk and for Oddbox customers at market.oddbox.co.uk from Monday 8th June 2026, housed in Penrhos’ award-winning 100% recycled aluminium bottles – fully recyclable, reusable and refillable.