Close-up of Júlia Gin bottle with minimalist red label and a crystal cocktail glass garnished with cucumber, styled on a reflective brass tray for a modern, refined aesthetic.

Julia Gin Isn’t Just Poured, It’s Inherited

| By Donovan Alexander

Spirits always come with stories. Some lean on tradition, others on luxury. Julia Gin tells one rooted in the African diaspora.

Founded by Kofi Gyekye, Alamay Getachew, and Alexandria Stanley, the New York–distilled gin draws its botanicals from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas.

DJ in a blue jumpsuit mixing vinyl at a cozy bar with modern pendant lights, bottles of Júlia Gin and Amara on the counter, capturing a refined daytime music and cocktail scene.

More than a premium spirit, it reflects the influence of the diaspora across food, music, and art, carrying memory and culture into the glass.

It also pushes back on a spirits market that has long overlooked the very communities shaping global taste, carving out space for a new kind of premium story.

We sat down with co-founder Alexandria Stanley to talk about the women who inspired its name, the meaning behind its botanicals, and why representation in the spirits world is long overdue.

Tall glass of Julia Gin cocktail with pink grapefruit garnish on a brass coaster, featuring soft pastel tones and minimalist styling on marble surface.

Julia Gin carries the story of the diaspora. Where outside the spirits world do you most see that story belonging?

Music. From West Africa to the Caribbean to America, our rhythms became jazz, reggae, hip-hop, and Afrobeats. It is the same story as our botanicals: seeds of creativity planted across continents, taking root in new soil while keeping their essential pulse.

Founder of Júlia Gin smiling with a group wearing branded cream jackets featuring the Júlia logo and Swahili script, photographed in a warm, intimate setting celebrating community and craftsmanship.

Your botanicals each carry history as well as flavor. Which feels closest to you?

The Ethiopian white peppercorn. Ethiopia, one of the few African nations never fully colonized, became a beacon of hope for the diaspora. Its influence flowed into Jamaica, where my family is from, then into Black Power movements in America. That journey mirrors our people’s resilience,  rooted in African soil yet expressed differently everywhere it lands.

You’ve called gin an art form. If Julia Gin were expressed in another medium, what would capture its spirit best?

Something like a Tavares Strachan installation: bold, impossible to ignore, making the invisible visible in spaces that once excluded our narratives.

The spirits world has not always felt inclusive. What did you want Julia Gin to change? 

We wanted to shatter the myth that premium spirits aren’t for us. The diaspora has shaped every corner of culture yet has been treated as an afterthought. Julia Gin is for anyone who knows their heritage deserves premium recognition.

When someone pours Julia Gin, what kind of moment do you hope it creates?

Moments of celebration. Toasting achievements our ancestors only dreamed of. Sitting with chosen family, tasting excellence, and knowing you belong.

The brand draws from fearless women of the diaspora. Who comes to mind for you?

My grandmother, my Oma. Born in Jamaica in 1932, she is 93 and still thriving. When I was diagnosed with cancer at age two, she uprooted her life to care for my sister so my parents could focus on me. That kind of fearless love runs through Julia Gin: adapting without losing your essence.

If Julia Gin could live beyond the bottle, what would that look like?

A collaboration with Sade. Imagine experiences where each botanical’s story unfolds through soundscapes honoring the women who inspire us. Timeless, immediate, rooted in our past yet speaking to everyone.

Learn More about Julia Gin over on their website.