Say Hello to Hong Kong’s Only Locally Distilled Gin

Gin is having a bit of a moment in Hong Kong, and everywhere for that matter. “However, there’s not been a gin actually made and distilled in Hong Kong, until now. Largely, that is due to the incredibly strict laws here regulating the production of spirits. That didn’t stop New Zealander Steven Newton from dealing with local red tape for four years and finally acquiring all the necessary licences,” Douglas Parkes reports for Time Out magazine.

“The result of his hard work is Handover Gin, arguably the first ‘true’ Hong Kong gin. Produced in Tsuen Wan and twice a silver medal winner at Cathay Pacific International Wine and Spirit Competition, Handover uses 11 organic botanicals including ginseng, bitter orange, Chinese cinnamon and horny goat weed.

With permits and equipment in place, Newton has recently launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to help ramp up production to a commercial level. Minimum donations start from around HK$78 to help make this a reality.”

Original article by Douglas Parkes, Time Out, December 19, 2018.