A rooftop bar in Melbourne, an igloo in Hobart and a distillery in Broken Hill
We’ve mastered coffee, food, wine – now add gin to the list with our round-up of bar oases.
Gin is everywhere – and perhaps no more so than here in Australia. With a wealth of native botanicals available right on our doorstep, it’s no surprise that we boast some of the most fascinating expressions of gin in the world. There are more than 300 currently operating Aussie distilleries around the country, adding up to an abundance of makers highlighting the variety of gin. Each producer tailors new ways to sip, savour and mix one of the world’s best spirits.
With the cooler months starting to settle in, there are few things that warm the soul more than a stiff drink, and a gin-based one is your perfect fire-starter.
Here are some of the best places around the country to experience the wide-ranging possibilities of gin.
Broken Hill Distillery, NSW
Regional towns are slowly becoming hubs for gin aficionados to venture out and enjoy an experience unable to be matched in the city. Paul Hanna from Broken Hill Distillery won the title for Visitor Attraction Manager of the Year at the 2023 Icon of Gin awards, and inside this unassuming building in the heart of the outback you’ll find some of the most inspiring expressions of gin. With a tasting experience that highlights the strengths of small-batch production, the young distillery has plenty of award-winners at its disposal, including a robust Gunpowder Gin and the classic Far West Gin. Well worth the journey.
Union Electric Bar, Melbourne, VIC
Victoria is officially Australia’s craft gin capital, boasting more than 100 distillers and producers dotted throughout the state – including arguably our country’s flagship producer, Four Pillars. Nothing highlights the eccentricity of the Melbourne gin scene more than the tiny cocktail bar Union Electric. Hidden behind the walls of neighbouring buildings in Chinatown, the unassuming gin oasis is teeming with myriad variations of the spirit. With a rotating cocktail menu that balances seasonality with the unique flavours of gins from Australia and beyond, it’s the place to go.
Old Young’s, Swan Valley, Perth, WA
Winners at the 2023 World Gin Awards for Innovator of the Year, Old Young’s started out in 2016 after founder James Young reclaimed an abandoned distillery that had been set up in a 36sq m tin shed. Since then, the experimental distiller has taken the spirit down his own route. With a tastings that include a range of gins using botanicals sourced from the nearby Swan Valley, Old Young’s is an homage to the wonder of Australian gin and the Noongar people indigenous to the Swan Valley. Alongside gin, there’s an equally experimental range of other spirits inspired by pavlova and coffee, to name a few.
Mt Uncle Distillery, outside Cairns, QLD
In the heat of tropical North Queensland, there’s nothing quite like a fresh gin to quench the thirst. Mt Uncle Distillery in the Atherton Tablelands doesn’t only produce world-class gin – the Botanic Australis Navy Strength Gin is one of only five gins ever to receive a 99 point score at the International Wine & Spirit Competition – the place is also a thriving regional hub of music, art, and culture. The monthly Music At The Mount offers the perfect soundtrack to sipping boutique spirits in one of Australia’s most pristine natural settings.
Institut Polaire, Hobart, TAS
In the wild and wondrous city of Hobart is this icy-white bar just near Salamanca Square. Inside, you could be inside an igloo – and ice-cold is how the gin is served. Inspired by the unforgiving cold climate of Tasmania, the sleek marble and grey leather interior is as much of an experience as is tasting the unique gin. The food menu, supported by a framework of wine and other spirits also sourced from Tasmania, continues to shine a light on the magic that is brewing in Hobart. The bar also hosts masterclasses, so you can learn the perfect balancing act in recreating the glacial cut and bracing might of an Antarctic dry martini.
