The artisanal gin made with actual Harley-Davidson parts

For decades, Uwe Ehinger, founder and namesake of the world’s first Premium Dry Gin to contain Harley-Davidson engine parts, has been searching the most remote places on the planet for antique motorbikes, and saving them for dealing or as core pieces for designing his own models. This earned him the nickname “The Archaeologist.”

“Everything I do pays tribute to the things that used to be,” Ehinger explains about his work. Now, he honours some of the greatest legends in motorcycle history with a special homage in liquid form. The Archaeologist is a Premium Dry Gin – and the first spirit of its kind. Thus, it’s filled in bottles together with original engine parts of legendary Harley-Davidson bikes Ehinger has discovered all over the world: 1939 Flathead camshafts from the Mexican desert, 1947 Knucklehead screw-nuts from Chile or 1962 Panhead rocker arms from South Korea. To each of these iconic machines, Ehinger dedicates a sort of tribute in the form of Gin.

As an analogy to Ehinger’s motorcycles, The Archaeologist is pure craftsmanship: The parts of the motorbikes are specially cleansed and sealed with a tin alloy to make it safe for them to be utilised in a drink. Subsequently, they are soldered onto a steel structure and encased in a handcrafted bottle.

The creative concept was developed by Serviceplan Group together with renowned Hamburg designers, Studio Oeding. The entire look and feel recreates the original packing of the antique engine parts – using authentic materials and historic techniques. Packages are made using selected pieces of cardboard and colours, and printed on an original Heidelberg Tiegel printing press from 1931. Waxed wrapping paper tells the story of each discovery.

This unique design is completed by hand-stamped, tamper-proof seals and clenched hang-tags, each bearing the unique serial number of the engine part in its respective bottle. Every single bottle of The Archaeologist is a unique item and therefore as irretrievable as the era of the motorcycles it represents. Preserved for eternity – or at least for a very special night amongst motorbike enthusiasts.

The first edition of The Archaeologist is reserved for Ehinger’s most loyal customers and is only served in Ehinger’s garage. A limited number were distributed via the website’s online shop and sold out within hours.