Cygnet didn’t start as a spirits brand. It started as a question about impact. Speaking at House of Robb during Miami Art Week, artist and filmmaker Andrew Levitas said he and his wife, classical singer Katherine Jenkins, set out during the pandemic to make a gin that was easier on her voice and easier on the planet.
They began working with a sixth-generation distiller, trying to make something smooth enough for a non-gin drinker—and clean enough that Jenkins would actually enjoy it. She wanted manuka honey, something she relies on as a singer, but without added sugar or any of the harshness that normally comes with gin. “Eventually we landed on something that she would drink,” Levitas said, after distillers initially told them it couldn’t be done.
But the real breakthrough was the mindset behind it. Levitas said they realized early on that if they were going to bring Cygnet into the world, sustainability had to be part of the foundation, not a marketing line added later. That meant rethinking the bottle itself. Cygnet’s hand-blown glass bottle is significantly lighter than standard spirits packaging and designed to be reused—the label washes off and the shape doubles as a vase. “We didn’t want to make something that gets thrown away,” he said.
That approach resonated in ways the couple didn’t expect. Chefs and bartenders were among the brand’s earliest supporters, drawn to a gin they didn’t have to hide behind mixers (and disclosure: Cygnet is a partner of Robb Report). The smoothness brought in people who normally drink tequila or whiskey, and soon the team created Cygnet 77—a golden-hued expression aged in Welsh whiskey casks—for those looking for more depth. Levitas admitted it partly came from personal envy. “I was getting a little jealous,” he joked.
Cygnet’s sustainability isn’t limited to packaging. Levitas emphasized that people increasingly want to know what they’re putting in their bodies and where it comes from. The gin’s 22 botanicals are carefully sourced, the process avoids unnecessary additives, and the lighter bottle drastically reduces the brand’s footprint. “People are looking to make a better choice,” he said.
The brand’s growth—including its expansion from the U.K. into major U.S. cities—hasn’t changed how involved Levitas and Jenkins are in every decision. “We’re constantly engaged in it,” he said. “There’s no disagreement that’s too small.”
What began as a home experiment has quietly become a model for what a modern luxury spirit can look like: thoughtfully made, lighter on the planet, gentle enough to sip neat, and embraced by people who never considered themselves gin drinkers at all.
Authors
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Abby Montanez