Three To Try: The Best New Bars in Queenstown

Little Mez
The appetite for tequila and mezcal is exploding around the world and Queenstown has agave-based spirits covered with the recent opening of Little Mez. A speakeasy-style basement bar, the 42-seater is located directly below its Mexican sister restaurant, Margo’s. Co-founders James Ace and Bert Haines, together with site manager Stu Campbell, say they’re led by two principles: style and service.

The fit-out combines low lighting, plenty of artificial plants and distressed, handpainted interiors. Pull up a leather stool or slide onto the Aztec-inspired banquette, and highly trained staff will recommend the daily cocktail, a limited edition sipping tequila or a house-crafted infusion to suit your taste. There are more than 90 spirits to choose from, priced between $11 to $85 for 30mls, and the staff know them all. Prefer a perfectly balanced Margarita? You'll find that here too. You can also try mezcal served in a locally made clay cup for something more in line with a traditional Mexican experience.

Food-wise, snack on corn chips, various salsas and guacamole all made by chefs upstairs, or try the Coca-Cola barbeque pork ribs and market fish ceviche. Aside from spirits, there’s also a biodynamic and organic wine list.
26 Ballarat Street, The Mall, Queenstown

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? Henkenhaf’s award-winning distillery Broken Heart Spirits celebrated 10 years in business this year and Gin Garden is 10 minutes’ drive away, offering 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.
1 Powder Terrace, Arthurs Point, Queenstown

Queenstown Ice Bar
Part cocktail lounge, part entertainment space, the Queenstown Ice Bar is another new addition from Little Mez’s Ace and Haines. Cleverly playing with the rules of what a bar can be, the underground, refrigerated ice bar is built from 25 tonnes of handcarved ice and thrives on the unexpected. Don one of the fur-lined, hooded coats that hang upstairs, plus woollen gloves and fleecy boots, and escape downstairs to a frozen world of ice sculptures lit up by neon lights. Ice carver Victor Cagayat pops down regularly to adjust the set-up, so there’s often something new to see.

You’ll sit on frozen, fur-draped bar stools in temperatures ranging between -7 and -14 degrees Celsius. Cocktails (and mocktails) are served in glasses made from ice – try one of six kinds of espresso martini (reputedly the coldest ones you’ll ever drink), each of which starts with cold brew and coffee liqueur from Dunedin-based companies Harpoon and Quick Brown Fox respectively. A novel stop-off seven days a week, the bar runs guided sessions on the hour from midday until late.
35 Brecon Street, Upper Village, Queenstown