Raise a glass to the inaugural New Zealand Gin Day with a toast to our favourite juniper spirit from dish drinks editor Yvonne Lorkin. 

There’s actually a New Zealand National Gin Day? This Sunday? Excellent! Because let’s face it. If there were a national spirit here in Godzone, it’d be gin. A national cocktail? The G&T. That explosive hit of juniper that instantly spikes the senses. That clean, pure, soothing, mineral heat delivered in every sip? All that gloriousness should be celebrated! And here at dish, we can’t think of any better day than a hot, summer Sunday, in the closing week of January, to gather with fellow fans and embrace our local gin-dustry.

Today’s gins are so much more than something your Mum and Dad added cheap tonic water to. Today we’re making world-champion examples with complexity and charm all of their own, so cheers everybody! Bottoms up!

Keep an eye out for the dish line up of New Zealand's best gins in the soon-to-be-on-shelves dish issue 95!