Underground Spirits' gin garden raises the bar at Floriade

The Floriade festivities are going beyond the flower beds and into bars around Canberra as local businesses jump on board to celebrate all things floral. Award-winning Kambah distillery Underground Spirits is again collaborating with Floriade with an on-site gin garden.

“Gin and flowers is my jam!” Underground Spirits CEO Claudia Roughley told Region.

“We’re talking about botanicals, flavours, aromas. It really talks to beauty. For me, sitting in a garden – whether it’s your garden or at Floriade – and sipping gin among the flowers is just a match made in heaven.”

The gin garden at Floriade will sell specialty Floriade-inspired cocktails like the fruity and fresh Watermelon Slide and the classic G&T with a floral twist. The drinks list is designed to celebrate the best of Spring with floral flavours.

In addition to the gin garden, Underground Spirits has also teamed up with Ostani Bar in Barton and The Alby in Woden to keep the good vibes flowing past sundown.

“The gin garden last year was great, but we’ve upped the ante again!

“I wanted to have cocktails that we could enjoy at Floriade, and if you want somewhere to keep the night going then you can come to Ostani or the Alby and enjoy Floriade about town,” explained Ms Roughley.

The Secret Gin Garden at Ostani has been decked out in florals in honour of Underground Spirits’ Spring Residency at the bar. The same Floriade cocktails will be available for purchase alongside Ostani’s regular bar menu.

Underground Spirits regularly collaborates with local businesses to create bespoke spirits. They have a longstanding collaboration with the Botanic Gardens, a POP Canberra Gin and a gin with the Women in STEM organisation, WiC. The distillery also produces smooth vodkas, achieved using their unique cryofiltration process. Their caramel vodka will grace their butterscotch apple vodka cocktail, and the vanilla-tinted vodka is paired with sweet lemonade.

In addition to their signature cocktails, the Underground Spirits team will offer a Gin Melody, where customers can taste and mix their own perfect G&T from a choice of four gins and garnishes. There will also be mixology classes on offer during the festival. These are best appreciated as a pair so bring a friend and learn all about the interplay between gin and cocktails.

Nightfest will bring a whole new flavour to the gin garden, with Ms Roughley teasing the possibility of a Popcorn Underground cocktail created specifically to complement the Wonderland Spiegeltent’s adults-only cabaret show of the same name. Expect notes of popcorn and caramel with an adults-only vodka twist!

The Underground Spirits Gin Garden is located at Floriade and will be open for the duration of the festival (Sunday, 15 October) in Commonwealth Park. Find out more on the Floriade website. Find out more information at the Underground Spirit’s website, or follow Underground Spirits on Facebook or Instagram. The Secret Gin Garden is located out the front of Ostani in Hotel Realm, 18 National Circuit, Barton.

Original Article published by Lucy Ridge on Riotact.