appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Aydee Tie

GINSTR is a small German distillery that beat 600 different gin distillers from 90 countries to win the prestigious 2018 “World’s Best Gin for a Gin & Tonic” award against at the annual International Wine and Spirit Competition in London.
Most recently, it also won a double gold medal at the China Wine and Spirits Awards.












View this post on Instagram


















Ein tolles Jahr geht für uns zu Ende! Wir sagen Danke - für alles was passiert ist und freuen uns gemeinsam mit Euch auf 2019! Als Dankeschön gibt es unser persönliches Highlight jetzt auch als kleinen Videorückblick: #GINSTR gewinnt die "IWSC Gin & Tonic Trophy" in London - viel Spaß beim Anschauen und einen guten Rutsch! Euer Markus, Alexander und das gesamte GINSTR - Team stuttgartdrygin.com
A post shared by GINSTR - Stuttgart Dry Gin (@stuttgartdrygin) on Dec 30, 2018 at 7:56am PST



The Stuttgart distillery started life as the hobby of Alexander Franke, and Markus Escher, who dropped by to speak to STYLE in Hong Kong.
So who won the ‘World’s best gin for a G&T’ award?
Q: What’s new with GINSTR since you won the award in London?
Alex: We’re in Hong Kong! The main update is we’ve been receiving a lot of requests from all of Asia – [especially] China and Hong Kong. Now we are getting a little bit bigger and have a distributor in Hong Kong, and the Ritz-Carlton is the first hotel giving us a chance to be in their Ozone Bar. Which is great for us, because it is the world’s highest sky bar, and one of the best in Hong Kong.

We just won the a double gold medal at the China Wine and Spirits Awards, and at the moment our product is still unknown in Asia. Maybe some people will recognise it in London, but here, it’s the first time people have come into contact with GINSTR at the award, so that’s great.
Q: Tell us about your gin – how are you different from the other brands out there? 
Markus: [Our gin is] very fruity – we’re different because GINSTR is handcrafted in small batches in a small distillery. We’re different from big companies and big brands because this has stemmed from our hobby – it’s like our baby.

Q: What’s the best way to enjoy your gin?
Alex: With tonic – we won the award for the gin and tonic. You can taste it ‘pure’ – the gin is very mild, and has lime and other citrus notes. Many bartenders tell us that it works well with lime-based cocktails such as gin fizz or gimlets.
Eat, drink and be merry this Christmas in Hong Kong and Macau
Q: Which tonic goes best with your gin? What’s your personal favourite tonic?
Alex: Our favourite is Fever-Tree – the Ritz-Carlton has it. You can try any tonic water, but the flavour comes out better when the tonic is not too sweet. We won the award in London with Fever-Tree, since it was the sponsor of the award; every brand was tested with Fever-Tree. You can use any tonic, though, because in the end, the gin is the star.












View this post on Instagram


















Für alle, die keinen Bock mehr auf Schmuddelwetter haben: Unseren #GINSTR bekommt ihr mittlerweile auch an vielen Urlaubsorten an der Bar... Zum Beispiel auf den Malediven - bei 30 Grad im Schatten. Cheers! Und für alle Daheimgebliebenen gibt's unseren Onlineshop: stuttgartdrygin.com
A post shared by GINSTR - Stuttgart Dry Gin (@stuttgartdrygin) on Oct 29, 2018 at 3:13am PDT



Q: What’s your favourite gin (besides your own)?
Markus: We love a lot of gins. I have over 100 at home.
Alex: He has 100, I have 241 now. I like the smaller ones – the small batch gins, the hand-crafted gins. Even when we go to other countries, we take different gins back with us but not the big brands from the airport, those aren’t interesting to us. I like to go to the little liquor stores and watch out for original brands. There’s one from Belgium with a lobster-infused gin, which is pretty crazy.
Markus: The topic of gin is very interesting, because there are so many different tastes.
Happy World Sake Day: 6 of the best rice wine drinks around












View this post on Instagram


















Wir sind stolz, dass wir jetzt sogar die weltbekannte @jumeirahgroup mit unserem #GINSTR beliefern dürfen! Zu der berühmten Hotelkette von Scheich Mohammed gehört auch das weltbekannte Burj al Arab in Dubai! Das einzige Jumeirah Hotel in Deutschland ist übrigens das 5-Sterne-Luxushotel @jumeirahfrankfurt - hier gibt es unseren "World's best Gin for Gin Tonic" natürlich an der Hotelbar! stuttgartdrygin.com
A post shared by GINSTR - Stuttgart Dry Gin (@stuttgartdrygin) on Oct 26, 2018 at 5:58am PDT



Q: How are you planning on expanding in Asia?
Alex: We hope that the people love it here. We don’t have exact plans, but the Ritz-Carlton is a good address to start. We now have Chinese distributors who are interested, but it’s difficult because of customs. We started very small, but quality is important to us, versus quantity. It’s important to us that bar keepers that are serving our gin know that it’s a good gin.
Q: Is this your first time in Hong Kong? What’s your favourite place in Hong Kong to drink gin?
Alex: It’s our first time in Hong Kong – and we like the Ozone bar. We also like the very small bars on street corners. We were close to Ladies’ Market in Mong Kok, and it was nice, because people invited us to have a drink with them. We’re very happy to be here.
How spicy cocktails are heating up Hong Kong's drinking scene












View this post on Instagram


















Happy World Vegan Day! #GINSTR ist übrigens zu 100% vegan und ohne irgendwelche Zusatzstoffe oder künstliche Aromen We ship worldwide: stuttgartdrygin.com
A post shared by GINSTR - Stuttgart Dry Gin (@stuttgartdrygin) on Nov 1, 2018 at 5:44am PDT



For those who don’t know, GINSTR is pronounced “ginster”, not “gin street” or “gin S. T. R.” The STR comes from Stuttgart’s airport code, a cute nod to the brand’s origins.
Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter


Where to celebrate Negroni Week 2026 in Hong Kong, September 21–27

Is New York’s Bar Leone a copycat of Hong Kong’s ‘World’s Best’ original?

Young Malaysians brew goal for traditional tuak drink to become national success

Hidden Japanese omakase, ‘excellent’ Cantonese: a Hong Kong bartender’s restaurant picks

Wine and Spirits

GINSTR’s in town: ‘World’s Best Gin for a G&T’ goes sky high in Hong Kong’s Ozone bar

GINSTR, which boasts citrus notes, is best enjoyed with a tonic that’s not too sweet.

Citrus fruits from GINSTR

Alex & Markus from GINSTR with  Bar Manager Oscar Mena from the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Hong Kong. Photo: GINSTR

So who won the ‘World’s best gin for a G&T’ award?

GINSTR – Stuttgart Dry gin, which has been on the market for only about 18 months, has won the prize for the best gin for use in a gin and tonic at this year’s International Wine and Spirit Competition. Photo: GINSTR

Can Vindigo’s fruity blue Chardonnay ‘alcoholic drink’ ever rival red wine?

The Spanish alcoholic drink Vindigo is a fruity Chardonnay, with elements of cherry, passion fruit and blackberry, which French entrepreneur René Le Bail is bringing to France as a summer drink. Photo: Luxurylaunches

Magazines

Style

Leisure

News & Trends

German distillery GINSTR has just picked up a double gold at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London and is bringing its fine spirits to Hong Kong and China


Hong Kong innovators

Start-ups