Summertime, and the living is… Well, freezing. As sunny London summers are scattered even deeper into the folklore of urban legends, the dreary drizzle has put a dampener on the summer-night events that were set to sizzle our party-socks off. Faced with another night of wearing wrong-season shoes and timed-out tights, I decided to party without leaving home.
A quick ring-around and the theme was decided. On such a cold and miserable evening, it was evident we needed some top-quality vodka to warm us up and make us smile. And then I remembered Snow Leopard – the world’s first ethical vodka. We could save endangered snow leopards with each sip and give children an ecological treat with each gulp. Okay – I might sound like some dodgy, drunken, do-gooder who watches too much Discovery Channel on those long, lonely nights. But we were going to have one hell of a heavy head the next day regardless of our chosen brand- we might as well ensure that our consciences were just that little bit lighter…
So the Snow Leopard House Party began. With each guest bringing one bottle, I estimated that our modest gathering must have helped keep a good few proud snow leopards purring whilst on the prowl in their Central Asian mountain-top habitat. That got my mate’s acrobatic Siamese cat in such a good mood she danced on the kitchen counter all night. Meanwhile, her human companions watched Mongolian movies and snacked on Samsa – meat dumplings, which are one of the queens of Kyrgyz cuisine. The dozen-vodka-shot-dessert was a house special for the night, and it definitely proved a favourite with the diners! Snow Leopard vodka not only does good – it is good. It’s a luxury Polish vodka made with the rare Spelt grain – and we certainly did some over-excited, rarely-seen-in-my-kitchen dance moves after tasting the slightly aniseedy alcohol, accompanied by some home-made lyrics which I won’t reveal here.
What I can happily reveal is that 15% from each bottle goes to snow leopard conservation charities and these donations are already making a definite difference to those who dedicate their lives to saving these beautiful animals. Sue Brodie, Chair of Trustees of the Snow Leopard Trust UK (who wasn’t at my party. We found her somewhere sensible) says she owes a big thank you to Snow Leopard vodka;
“This funding…is allowing us to start conservation projects we simply would not be able to do without their help.”
This donation of Snow Leopard’s profits is presently funding two commendable projects. The company hope to be funding a third in Northern India in the very near future, focusing on eliminating the retribution-linked killing of snow leopards by farmers who lose livestock as a result of a snow leopard locating it’s hard-to-find lunch.
One of the current projects, taking place in Kyrgyzstan’s mountain ranges, funds children attending an eco-camp. The rural children learn about their mountain ecosystem and have a chance to experience education in a way that they didn’t dream was possible.
Mongolian communities are also benefiting from Snow Leopard vodka’s funding as they recruit and train a new village in an economic enhancement exercise by adding value to the community’s main resource, wool. The Snow Leopard International Trust buy the herders’ wool and stunning handicrafts direct and then market them at fair prices to speciality retailers around the world. The participating families protect the snow leopards and their pray as part of the programme. The local children also benefit from the food, medicine and schooling that the extra income provides.
Stephen Sparrow, founder and CEO of Snow Leopard vodka Ltd hopes that “enough people will adopt our brand so that…the lives of poor families living in some of the harshest yet beautiful terrain on our planet will be enhanced and the magical snow leopard will be saved from extinction.”
Saving the world shot by shot… Now I’ll drink to that.
Image Courtesy of Snow Leopard Vodka
For furter information please visit:
www.snowleopard.org
www.snowleopardvodka.co.uk
