Kāpiti coast distillery, the Bond Store, has created a limited-edition gin for the Friends of the Wellington Botanic Garden.
Featuring heritage roses from the Lady Norwood Rose Gardens and native kawakawa, sales of the gin will support the Friends Interpretation Centre located in the soon-to-be renovated Begonia House.
The Friends of the Botanic Garden has supported Wellington Botanic Garden for 32 years, fundraising and working to foster public interest in the gardens’ scientific, educational, and cultural work.
“Fundraising takes many forms, and this year we decided to branch out and add a special Friends gin to our repertoire,” says board member, Mazz Scannell.
The collaboration is believed to be the first of its kind in New Zealand, drawing inspiration from a similar collaboration created for Kew Gardens in the UK.
Named “Down the Garden Path”, the boutique gin pays homage to the Botanic Gardens, and alongside traditional botanicals, the infusion incorporates native kawakawa and rosehips specially harvested from the Lady Norwood Rose Gardens; including from a number of heritage roses, resulting in a distinctive aromatic gin that is a salute to both domestic gardens and the Rose Garden.
“Rosehip is difficult to work with – I have not used it before, so there was a lot of research and experimenting with different quantities, especially when the rosehips are all from different varieties,” says Bond Store Chief Distiller, Bec Kay.
The label on the bottle will also holds a special meaning.
“The Friends funded the ceramic stepping stones a number of years ago; the incorporation of the design as part of the label is a salute to the projects of past Friends,” says Scannell.
The limited-edition release is available to order here.
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