If you're anything like the team at HUNTERhunter, gin has become your tipple of choice in recent years. We're fully behind the gin renaissance, and thankfully there's no shortage of well-crafted gin cocktails to be found in our city's bars and restaurants.

Need some ginspiration for your next drink order? Try our guide to the best gin cocktails in Newcastle and get sipping.

Corpse Reviver No. 2 from The Falcon

The Corpse Reviver No. 2 supposedly does exactly what it describes – rouses you from the dead. Save this one for those particularly hungover days, where even the most greasy of burgers won’t do. The combination of fresh, zesty, and aromatic ingredients like lillet blanc, triple sec, and cucumber is a classic for a reason.
Where: 10 Pacific St, Newcastle

Floating Market from Ginger Meg’s

Choosing a cocktail from the excellent list at Ginger Meg’s isn’t easy, but gin lovers should go for the Floating Market. It’s a sweet, fruity concoction that offers a nice contrast to the spice found across the pan-Asian food menu.
Where: 212 King St, Newcastle

Gin Fizz from Urban Deli and Bar

Made with Urban Deli and Bar’s very own gin, the Darby Street bar’s Gin Fizz is simple yet refreshing and balanced. It’s a great pairing for Urban Deli and Bar’s European-inspired fare, but be warned: you’ll want to keep ordering more as you sample your way through the menu.
Where: 143 Darby St, Cooks Hill

Gin Fruit Cup from Harbour Bar

When you’re perched at a table overlooking the water at Honeysuckle’s Harbour Bar, ordering a cocktail that matches the summery vibes is the only way to go. Enter: the Gin Fruit Cup. Made with gin, spiced orange liqueur, vermouth, bitters, ginger ale, and cola, this cocktail is the ultimate warm weather companion.
Where: Unit 18/1 Honeysuckle Dr, Newcastle

Gin of the month from FogHorn Brewery

FogHorn Brewery may be known for its award-winning beers, but the brewery is pretty passionate about gin too. There’s always a solid selection of gins at the bar, but we love trying Foghorn’s rotating gin of the month. The team whip up a few different cocktail specials with the month’s star gin, so repeat visits will have you trying gins you might never have tried before.
Where: 218 King St, Newcastle

Kawaii Cherry Sour from Rooftop at QT

Rooftop at QT is one of the most scenic spots for a drink in Newcastle, and there’s plenty of gin on offer to enjoy with the bar’s Japanese snacks. For lovers of a sour gin cocktail, order the Kawaii Cherry Sour, made with Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin, cherry sugar syrup, lemon, and egg whites.
Where: 185 Hunter St, Newcastle

Lemon Aspen Gimlet from Romberg’s

The cocktail list at Romberg’s is full of creative twists on the classics, including the bar’s own take on a gimlet. The Lemon Aspen Gimlet mixes Beefeater gin with Havana Club rum and cordial made from lemon aspen, a native fruit found in Queensland that tastes like a mix between lime and grapefruit.
Where: Level 9/282 King St, Newcastle

Light Fever from The Koutetsu

While the cocktail list at The Koutetsu is always evolving, the bar’s gin cocktail Light Fever is a winner. Featuring Bombay London dry gin, lemongrass-infused Pampelle, and lemon, it’s a zingy hit of citrus. The Koutetsu’s huge selection of gins (most of them Australian) mean Chris and the team can stir or shake you a gin cocktail to suit your tastes.
Where: 555 Hunter St, Newcastle

Minty Cucumber Spritz from Market St Basement

When gin is paired with mint and cucumber, something magic happens. This flavour combination mixed with gin and prosecco in Market St Basement’s Minty Cucumber Spritz makes for an energising, thirst-quenching cocktail that you’ll want to drink all night long.
Where: 2/2 Market St, Newcastle

Mediterranean Gin and Tonic from Earp Distilling Co.

Drinking gin in the distillery where it was made is always a treat. At Earp Distilling Co, you can experience the distillery’s signature range of gins and other spirits by taking a tour, doing a guided tasting, or simply having a drink at the bar. When the gin is this good, take it back to basics and order the Mediterranean gin and tonic, made with Earp’s No. 8 Dry Gin.
Where: 41 Darling St, Carrington

Milan from Parry Street Garage

If you like your cocktails fruity but not overly sweet, the Milan from Parry Street Garage is for you. Its blend of flavours – gin, rhubarb, grapefruit, lime, and ginger – is as sophisticated and interesting as its namesake city.
Where: 106 Parry St, Newcastle

Negroni from Coal and Cedar

A negroni is a classic gin cocktail, and where better to drink one than at Newcastle’s very own speakeasy. Stylish and sophisticated, Coal and Cedar is a fitting spot to sip this bold (and sometimes polarising) cocktail. Just choose your gin, and your bartender will get stirring.
Where: 380 Hunter St, Newcastle

Olive Martini from Flotilla

There are endless variations on the martini, and you’re sure to find more than one of them at every bar in Newcastle. If you’re a dirty martini fan, order the Olive Martini from Flotilla. It features Four Pillar’s Olive Leaf gin, a savoury gin that uses olive oil and olive leaf as botanicals.
Where: 9 Albert St, Wickham

Princess Pama from 5 Sawyers

It’s not all too common to find pomegranate as an ingredient on a cocktail menu, but 5 Sawyers is out to change that. Its Princess Pama combines pomegranate liqueur with Tanqueray gin, fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup, and egg whites to create a tart yet sweet cocktail.
Where: 115 Darby St, Cooks Hill

Sakura from Ape Yakitori Bar

Ape Yakitori Bar’s cocktail menu is crafted by Chris Wilson, the brains behind The Koutetsu, so you know the drinks are quality! Gin fan? Go for the Sakura – think Bombay Sapphire gin, sake, yuzu, honey, and orange blossom water. The combination of iconic Japanese ingredients with gin make it an ideal accompaniment to your yakitori feast.
Where: 16 The Boardwalk, 1 Honeysuckle Dr, Newcastle

Spiced Sour from Elementa

Do you like your sour cocktails more on the spiced side? Maryville’s waterside restaurant Elementa makes a Spiced Sour using house pear and lemon myrtle nectar paired with Earp No. 8 Dry Gin and lemon. It’s an easy drinking cocktail, perfect for long lunches outside while you watch the world go by.
Where: 76 The Ln, Maryville

Southside from Merewether Surfhouse Bar

Sitting upstairs at Merewether Surfhouse’s bar, overlooking the beach with a cocktail in hand is a fantastic way to spend a summer afternoon. The cocktail list features plenty of classics, but we love the Southside, a refreshing concoction similar to a mojito, but made with gin instead of rum. Merewether Surfhouse uses Ink Gin, which gives the drink a lovely purple hue.
Where: 5 Henderson Pde, Merewether

Sweetest Kiss from MEET

Come to MEET for the Brazilian churrasco, stay for the quality cocktails. Or just come for the cocktails! If you fancy gins that have more of a floral inclination, try MEET’s Sweetest Kiss, featuring East Coast Distillery gin, maraschino liqueur, rose syrup, lime, and angostura bitters.
Where: 9 Darby St, Newcastle

Turkish Delight from Light Years Asian Diner

Award-winning Byron Bay-based distiller Brookie’s recently released a Turkish Delight gin in partnership with Byron restaurant The Smoking Camel, and Light Years Asian Diner is putting it to good use in its Turkish Delight cocktail. The cocktail balances the sweetness of the gin with pomegranate and lime to create a moreish drink.
Where: 5-7 Darby St, Newcastle

Turn Me On from Oh My Papa

Oh My Papa has recently introduced teapot cocktails to accompany its yum cha and yakitori set menus for weekend lunch. Make sure you order one of these very aesthetically pleasing cocktails, all featuring tea-infused gin. The very cheekily-named Turn Me On combines butterfly pea tea, grape soda, and peach to delicious results.
Where: 169 Hunter St, Newcastle

Tom Collins from Thermidor

Sometimes, it’s best not to over complicate things when it comes to drinking gin. A Tom Collins is a classic because of its simplicity. Drink one at Thermidor, where the team uses Beefeater gin. Sip this fresh cocktail while you enjoy Thermidor’s seafood-focused menu and views of the harbour.
Where: Shop 1/7 Honeysuckle Dr, Newcastle

Winter Bramble from Bar Mellow

The Winter Bramble is a stand-out take on the Bramble made by the talented folks at Bar Mellow. With non-traditional additions of coconut and a red wine reduction alongside dry gin, blackberry, and lemon, this cocktail is a perfectly-balanced combination of sweet and tart.
Where: Ground Floor, 744 Hunter St, Newcastle

Note: The above information was valid at the time of publishing. Please contact individual venues for up-to-date information.