Broken Heart Original Gin

A friendship between two German master distillers, Joerg and Bernd, lies behind Broken Heart. They met in Queenstown and spent three years perfecting a gin recipe together; when Bernd fell ill and died suddenly, Joerg decided to share the gin with the world and named it Broken Heart in his memory. The Original is the gin everything else in the range is built on, bottled at 40% ABV and made with glacial water from Queenstown.

Citrus · Dry · Spicy · Floral

Eleven botanicals go into it, and the distillery names several of them. Juniper leads strongly, with pine on the nose that recalls the Otago landscape in winter. Angelica root, Nelson-grown hops and malt bring an earthy, almost bready depth, while pimento and ginger drive the spice on the palate. Wild lavender from the South Island adds a delicate floral note that balances the heavier elements. Broken Heart sums up the profile as citrus, spicy, floral, fresh, dry and earthy, and calls the gin spectacularly dry, created with a Central Otago summer in mind.

It has collected a long list of medals, including Best New Zealand London DryLondon DryA style, not a place of origin: every flavour comes from distilling natural botanicals. After distillation only water and a trace of sugar may be added, with no flavouring or colouring.GlossarySee London Dry gins at the World Gin Awards in 2021 and 2022, gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2022 and gold at The Junipers in 2023 and 2024. The distillery's own advice is simple: a slice of fresh orange and your preferred tonic. Its dry juniper and spice also make a firm MartiniDry MartiniGin and a little dry vermouth, stirred over ice and served in a well-chilled stemmed glass, with an olive or a twist.Glossary or NegroniNegroniAn Italian cocktail of equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and red bitter (Campari), served over ice with orange peel. Born in Florence in 1919.Glossary. Hops and malt are the distillery's nod to fresh produce and good beer, two pillars of Kiwi life.

For the G&T, fill a balloon glassCopa glassA large stemmed balloon glass, popularised by the Spanish gin and tonic: it stays cold for longer and gathers the aromas above the drink.Glossary with clear iceClear iceIce without air bubbles, made by slow, directional freezing. Denser, it melts more slowly and dilutes less.Glossary and add 4 cl of Broken Heart Original Gin and 10 cl of 1724 Tonic Water. Stir gently, express a fresh orange twist over the drink and place it in the glass. The orange oil lifts the citrus, and the tonic's fine bitterness keeps the gin dry.