A very New Zealand gin: Using our native botanicals

We experiment with many New Zealand natives in the course our product development work, and indeed in our own practice. Their aromatics are often subtle and complex, though some can be dominating if you’re not careful. As always, balance is key.

We’ve developed gin recipes that use horopito, kawakawa, rimu, tarata, flax seeds and many other local plants, but not one with kanuka, until now.

So here’s our latest New Zealand native gin recipe—with kanuka and kawakawa—made for our Yin & Yang of Distillation workshop to showcase our two star botanicals. (And if you noticed that the image we’ve used is indeed manuka, not kanuka—well done!)

Kanuka and Kawakawa Gin

Botanicals                   1L       2L
Juniper                        12g     24g
Coriander                     6g      12g
Angelica                         2g      4g
Liquorice                       2g      4g
Cassia                             2g      4g
Lemon peel                  2g      4g
Bitter orange peel     2g       4g
Kawakawa (dried)    2g       4g
Kanuka (dried)*         1g       2g
Orris                                1g       2g

Total                            32g    64g

*If you’re using fresh kawakawa and/or kanuka then double the weight per litre. We also recommend using the kakwakawa cones (flowers) when they are in season, as they hold a lot of flavour and have especially delightful fruity-mango tones.

Tasting notes: This is a surprising gin, in a great way. The kanuka is well-balanced by the citrus, and the kawakawa addes a peppery, herbaceous dimension while the liqourice and cassia add sweetness and round out the mouthfeel. It’s very refreshing and well worth a run in your still.