Gin Garden

Within easy reach of Coronet Peak ski area in popular food and drink precinct Arthurs Point, Gin Garden is Queenstown distiller Joerg Henkenhaf’s answer to the question: where to go for the perfect gin cocktail?

It's 10 minutes' drive away from Henkenhaf’s award-winning distillery Broken Heart Spirits and offers several ways to imbibe the full range of 12 spirits.

Order a cocktail, such as the Rhuby Rogers (rhubarb gin, lemon juice, ginger syrup, fresh mint and ginger ale) or spend an hour sampling the range with your own Gin Garden host. The venue’s name references Broken Heart’s flagship spirit but there are several other house-made spirits from bold, fruity quince liqueur to crisp, lemony vodka. You can also try a tasting flight of your choice, which includes three spirits and your preferred mixer or tonic, or just grab a bottle to go from the cellar door.

While the interior of the Gin Garden is fuss-free, dried flowers, a natural wooden bar and large windows embossed with botanical blooms give the bar a light, modern feel.

There’s an ever-changing lunch, dinner, grazing and takeaway menu, an ample juice, soda and mocktail range, as well as wine, cider and beer.

Broken Heart even brews its own Oktoberfest lager in homage to Henkenhaf’s German roots and his love of the perfect amber ale. Should you wish to sit outside, you can rug up in supplied blankets at shared tables under outdoor heaters.