Dancing Sands Distillery has successfully bottled the nostalgic taste of summer with its award-winning, Sun-Kissed Gin.
With warmer weather and longer days on the horizon, Sun-Kissed Gin is a must-have for summer soirees, picnics and festivities, providing a refreshing, aromatic drop full of candied strawberry notes paired with a delicate balance of tart rhubarb.
The tart rhubarb and fresh strawberries are macerated in the original Dancing Sands Dry Gin, which contains spice-forward layers of cardamom, coriander and peppercorns.
The result: a fruitier and sweeter Gin that is extremely drinkable.
Founders and husband and wife duo Sarah and Ben Bonoma, started Dancing Sands Distillery in 2016 with a vision to make the best Gin on the market, wanting to create a naturally pink gin that didn’t compromise on flavour or freshness.
To do this, the pair turned to a classic Kiwi combination of strawberries and rhubarb – the perfect balance of sweet and sour. Both fresh and locally sourced ingredients were then candied and infused with Dancing Sands’ Dry Gin to create a delicious drop with just a hint of naturally occuring pink colouring.
Bottled at 37.5 per cent ABV, this is what the Dancing Sands team refer to as a ‘sippin’ gin’.
“Globally and locally, the popularity of pink gin has continued to grow, particularly during the summer months. We wanted to cater to our customers’ love of pink gin while also maintaining the high standard of quality and ingredient integrity which Dancing Sands is known and loved for,” says Sarah, the brand’s managing director.
“We stayed away from food colouring and artificial flavours and played around with a variety of real fruit flavours, sourced locally here in New Zealand. After a considerable amount of trial and error, we landed on a perfect blend that is aromatic, flavourful and deliciously unique,” says Ben, who is head of innovation.
“Our key to success was recognising that pink gin needs integrity beyond sweetness. We challenged ourselves to ensure the complexity of the Dry Gin would still shine underneath the summer infusion, as we know this is how Kiwis like it,” he adds.
The locally-crafted Gin has proven its brilliance and has quickly become a Kiwi favourite.
Sun-Kissed Gin has also been celebrated with several more awards, including; Silver at the SIP Awards (2019), Silver at the New Zealand Spirits Awards (2019) and Bronze at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2019).
Dancing Sands is on a journey to be a cleaner, more sustainable Distillery.
In an effort to minimise their overall environmental footprint, Dancing Sands repurposes the leftover strawberries from distilling Sun-Kissed Gin to create a deliciously different Sun-Kissed Gin Jam, available to purchase on the Dancing Sands website.
Careful craftsmanship and quality natural ingredients and flavours, coupled with an original and unique aesthetic are what makes Sun-Kissed Gin the ultimate Gin of choice this summer.
Kick-off the summer season right with a Sun-Kissed Spritz, simply add 30ml Sun-Kissed Gin, 60ml prosecco, top off your champagne flute with soda water and add frozen berries for garnish.
A simple, tasty and refreshing spritz ideal for all occasions.
Available online and in most good liquor stores – RRP $79.99.
