We all love our gin and tonic, whether it’s a classic London dry style over ice with lemon or a specialty craft gin with a subtly flavoured tonic. At this two-hour live gin-distilling masterclass, you will experience a live gin-distillation run and learn tips and tricks from local expert Ben Leggett, owner/distiller at Elemental Distillers and producer of award-winning Roots Marlborough Dry Gin.

These days there’s a lot more to gin than you might think and anyone who has visited Roots Gin Shack in Rapaura Road can attest to the vibrant and delicious flavours of small-batch, handcrafted gin. From their classic Roots Marlborough Dry Gin, produced in a crisp and robust London dry style featuring six seasonal botanicals including grapefruit, gorse flower and kawakawa berries, through to the delectable Roots Rosso Gin, featuring pinot noir, wild foraged juniper berries, angelica root and Motueka hops among others, there is a gin for everyone. Roots Gin sources its ingredients primarily through wild foraging, organic farms and Kiwi-owned businesses, and is produced in small batches on-site in a sustainably built container distillery.

At Ben’s informative workshop you will learn what goes into a traditional London dry gin as well as the importance of distilling choices and botanical selection. You will be gently guided through the process including the breakdown of key botanicals, understanding their origins and usage while also engaging with a live single-batch distillation of a classic gin.

The session concludes with an opportunity to sample the live distilled spirit in a classic G&T, sampling in real time the results of the gin masterclass. 

Refreshments are included. Workshop limited to 30 people.