After a successful outing last year, Melbourne’s premiere celebration of all things gin, Juniperlooza will head to Federation Wharf this November for its second time in Australia. Across two days, the weekend riverside festival will bring in a huge range of Australian and internationally crafted gins to champion one of the most loved and adaptable spirits in the world, with the help of a who’s who list of distilleries keen to top last year’s comprehensive showcase.
Gin-inspired cocktails and classic G&Ts will be floating across the banks of the Yarra all weekend, served up by some of the best in the business as well as innovative producers relatively new to the game like Adelaide Hills Distillery who will for this weekend be replacing their awarded wines with their 78 Degrees Gin, a small batch that scored a gold medal at the 2016 San Fransisco World Spirits Competition earlier this year. Keeping them in good company will be VIC based Bass & Flinders distillery who will be showcasing their handcrafted gin which boasts a unique profile from the use of Shiraz grapes.
Usual suspects include the legendary Four Pillars Gin, SA’s Kangaroo Island Spirits with their all-Australian native botanicals, Melbourne Gin Company, Archie Rose Distilling Co, West Winds Gin, Husk Distillery, and more. Institutions like Gin Palace will also have a presence, bringing some of their signatures along.
A total of over 20 cocktails have been created for the festival, including the Amrosian Martini, a creation from Animus Distillery with fresh jasmine flower and a sliver of lime peel. Ounce Gin will be offering their Persian Spice creation, built with cardamom and coffee syrups; The Grove Experience will have their Gin Sting on show, a concoction that includes macadamia liqueur, cloudy apple juice and honey; Four Pillars will serve up their Who Shot Tom Collins? with lemon myrtle and cassia bark syrup, mixed with their Bloody Shiraz Gin.
The festival’s popular Talk + Taste sessions will also see a return, with this year’s program tasking the likes of Four Pillars, Adelaide Hills Distillery, West Winds, The Grove Experience, Archie Rose, and even Gin Palace’s Trish Brew with hosting insightful sessions aimed at imparting the behind the scenes secrets of everything gin.
Aside from all those drinks punters can expect food provided by hosts Riverland and Pilgrim bars, music, entertainment, a selection of wines, beers, and other spirits, and more to be announced closer to the date. You’d be forgiven for expecting some sort of gin-inspired foods to feature at some point (last year had gin-cocktail ice creams and G&T sorbets).
Juniperlooza 2016
Where: Vaults 1-9 Federation Wharf, Federation Square
When: Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th November; 12pm-6pm (food until 10pm)
Tickets: $25 before 31st October; $35 from 1st November from HERE.
Adelaide Hills Distillery
Archie Rose Distilling Co
Bass & Flinders Distillery
Blind Tiger
The West Winds Gin
The Botanist Gin
Four Pillars Gin
Gin Palace
East London Liquor Company
Rogue Society
Jensen’s
Dodo’s
Prohibition Liquor Co
Hayman Distillers
Kangaroo Island Spirits
The Grove Distillery
Gin Mare
The Melbourne Gin Company
Animus Distillery
Ounce Gin
Barossa Distilling Company
Distillery Botanica Gin
Husk Distillers
Hobart No. 4 Gin
Santamania
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