FIRST JOURNEYS - 80 GINS AROUND THE WORLD - PIN 31 OF 80
THE SOURCE GIN, Cardrona Distillery, New Zealand
AROUND THE WORLD, ONE BOTTLE AT A TIME,
PHILEAS FOGG WOULD SURELY APPROVE
Follow me to the foothills of the Southern Alps on the South Island of New Zealand.
In the 1800s, Cardrona was the centre of the region's gold mining industry. Today it's a popular winter sport destination, but in the summer the visitors favour hiking and mountain biking. A popular spot with a bit of après-ski in winter is the historic Cardrona Hotel, but we need to step back to the history of the town and the 1860s gold rush for the inspiration for today's cocktail and the name given to one of the richest mines in the Cardrona Valley.
It was the owner's custom to shout "Gin & Raspberry!" whenever a bucket of pay-dirt yielded an ounce of gold, and the mine was so-called after this celebratory cry.
This story is best told by Martin Curtis, a singer-songwriter who lived in Cardrona from 1976 until 2022. So, at the time I originally wrote this, he was still living in the valley.
He wrote Gin & Raspberry, the song about the famous gold claim, and there is a recording on YouTube (the link is on this page so do listen to it, as it's a lovely tune, really sets the mood for this cocktail and gives a bit of background about the location.
One of New Zealand's fastest-growing super-premium distilleries is also situated in Cardrona Valley and was founded by husband-and-wife duo Desiree and Ash Whitaker. I understand they know Martin too, so there is a link to my story!
Desiree has had a lifelong romance with whisky and, after many years of study, research and planning, they founded the distillery in 2015 to make Single Malt Whisky, Gin, Single Malt Vodka and limited-edition liqueurs.
Not only have they sourced the very best equipment from all over the world, but they also use as many locally sourced ingredients as they can, as this gives their drinks a very unique flavour profile.
The Source Gin includes locally foraged rosehip, juniper, coriander seed, angelica root, lemon and orange zest and is vapour distilled into their single malt spirit. They don't chill-filter, so you get that lovely louche when you add ice and tonic.
It's not the cheapest of gins, but it's a real treat and I'm so happy it's part of my collection.
There is an update to this part of the story since I originally wrote it, though. In 2023, Cardrona Distillery was acquired by International Beverage. Desiree Reid remained as Managing Director, so whilst the distillery is no longer independently owned by the Whitakers, Desiree is still very much involved in the business and its future.
I've one last little titbit and no, it's not a pun! You may or may not have heard about the Cardrona Bra Fence, which became a controversial tourist attraction.
It started somewhere around 1998, with passers-by attaching bras to a section of fence alongside a public road near the Cardrona Distillery. There were several unsuccessful attempts at removing it, but when it was discovered that it was on a public road reserve, the local council ordered it to be removed.
However,
BraDrona remains, now repositioned on private land, and is a proud supporter of the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation.
"Where gold, gin, raspberries and a rather unusual fence meet in the Cardrona Valley."
The cocktail — well, of course it's a pair of Clover Clubs — what else would suit the story better?
Gin & raspberry, gold mining, a Cardrona distillery and a couple of pink cocktails.
And of course, a Clover Club needs a coupe. There is a rather lovely legend that the coupe's shape was modelled on a woman's breast — Marie Antoinette usually gets the credit, although there's no real evidence for it. Still, given where today's story has taken us, it seemed rather appropriate glassware!
Sometimes the cocktail really does write itself!
"Show me a bottle
and I'll tell you a story."