A YORK company whose founders live within walking distance of the old Terry's factory has launched a gin inspired by the original Chocolate Orange.

Award-winning York Gin has created a full-strength chocolate and orange gin in time for Christmas.

The Chocolate Orange was invented and manufactured in York’s Terry’s chocolate factory from 1932 until 2005.

York Gin use cocoa beans and fresh oranges in this homage to the chocolate orange. The cocoa nibs (dried, roasted and crushed cocoa beans) are sourced from the York Chocolate Story, the city's popular tourist attraction and chocolatier.

The Terry’s Chocolate Factory closed in 2005 when production of the Chocolate Orange moved to Poland. Today, all the world’s Chocolate Oranges are made by the Carambar company in France.

All four of the company’s founders live near the old Terry’s factory which has been converted into luxury flats.

York Gin’s motto is 'history in the tasting’.

Master distiller and co-founder Harry Cooke said: "We take inspiration from our ancient city’s incredible past.

"Our range already includes gins inspired by the Romans, Guy Fawkes and the city’s ghosts (York is Europe’s most haunted city). We’re delighted to have created a gin that pays homage to a major part of the city’s chocolate traditions."

Harry added: "We’ve had to alter our distilling technique for this gin. For the orange flavour, we add whole oranges into the mix of botanicals. The alcohol is heated up and the vapour is infused by all these botanicals. But we added the cocoa nibs into the alcohol itself in a technique called maceration. This brings out the chocolate flavour much more successfully than putting the nibs in the basket along with the other botanicals.

‘The result is rich and luxurious chocolate with distinct but more subtle zesty orange notes. These combine with the perfect blend of nine original botanicals that win our gins gold medals in international competitions.’

York Gin Chocolate & Orange goes on sale from yorkgin.com and York Gin shop from Monday 9 November.