Now that the weather is thawing a little, our minds can turn to al fresco drinks in sunny gardens. In Queenstown, the town's first boutique gin tasting garden has recently opened up, serving at the award-winning Broken Heart spirits.
Broken Heart make a range of spirits including rum, whisky and vodka, but gin is their calling card with a number of multiple award winners in the lineup (just recently the distillery has picked up another couple of awards in the World Spirit Awards – a silver for their namesake gin, and a bronze for the navy strength variety). The garden will be serving their drinks as simple mixers and as classic cocktails such as Tom Collins, negronis and gimlets. On the side, nibble from the distinctly international menu of clams, prawn toast, tarte flambee, whitebait okonomiyaki, rum babas, and squid pickled in gin spices.
Broken Heart owner Joerg Henkenhaf is a master distiller who hails from Germany, and has been based in New Zealand for 20 years. The botanicals he uses are all sourced locally, with some curious Kiwi twists such as hops from Nelson, South Island lavender, and a strong backbone of juniper.
You'll find the garden in Arthur's Point, a hotspot just outside Queenstown (you'll also find the delicious Canyon Brewing here, in a prime position overlooking the Shotover River, and Cargo, a fabulous craft beer and wine tasting spot, so be sure to make the time to visit all three). For those who can't stop, Broken Heart will serve as an off-licence as well, so you can grab a bottle and tonics to go.
