Gin & Food

Port Phillip Bay right on Melbourne's doorstep supplies oysters and scallops. They often end up in the city's bars right next to the gin shelf. With raw oysters and a squeeze of lemon, the Melbourne Dry Gin pairs well. Its soft sandalwood note doesn't mask the oyster's briny sharpness, it simply builds a frame around it.

Barramundi, a white-fleshed fish, appears on many menus across Victoria. It originally comes from warmer waters in northern Australia. In Melbourne, it's often grilled and served with a lemon myrtle vinaigrette, the same herb found in the Rare Dry Gin. A gin and tonic made with that very gin picks up the citrus note from the glass and mirrors it in the food, rather than simply repeating it.

The Bloody Shiraz Gin, already leaning toward wine through its grape maceration, pairs well with heartier food. One example is slow-cooked lamb from the surrounding countryside, as served in many Yarra Valley restaurants alongside the wineries. The gin's fruity sweetness and light tannin pull in the same direction as a full-bodied red wine, without reaching its alcohol content.

Anyone after something simpler will find a more unassuming combination in Melbourne's takeaway kitchens. Along St Kilda's beachfront promenade, fish and chips come paired with a cold gin and tonic. It's no culinary revelation, but exactly the casual way the city weaves gin into everyday life.

To finish, some restaurants serve a dessert with roasted wattleseed, whose coffee note ties a Rare Dry Gin together with espresso. It rounds off a menu that brings sea, bush, and vineyard together on one plate.