Award-winning craft gin distiller Saint Juniper is teaming up with Toki Bistro and Bar in North Sydney for a one-night-only five-course degustation and gin pairing on December 19.
Curated by Group Executive Head Chef Jacob Lee, the menu centres on premium Australian produce layered with modern Asian-fusion flavours, with each course designed to pair with a specific Saint Juniper gin. Across the evening, guests will be guided through the range by Saint Juniper founder Paul Walton, tasting expressions served neat and in carefully balanced cocktails.
Designed as an intimate dining experience, the event brings together food, flavour and storytelling, with Walton sharing the thinking behind each gin as it appears alongside the dishes.
Purity of the spirit
Saint Juniper is a contemporary Australian gin brand built around art, intention and small-batch production.
The name itself speaks to that philosophy. “Juniper is what makes a gin a gin,” Walton says. “Saint came from the idea of purity of spirit – the spirit in this instance being gin.”
The brand’s visual identity is inspired by perfume. “When it comes down to it, they (gin and perfume) are similar concepts. People can’t smell perfume online; they also can’t taste my gin online. So these unique blends of ethanol and botanicals need to have a premium visual draw that speaks to the brand as a whole.”
“People, including myself, usually have a whole heap of bottles in a cupboard at home. I wanted to create a brand that can sit on top of that heap and stand out. Something visually appealing and inoffensive,” he adds
The labels are a sleek, minimalistic black and white reminiscent of Le Labo, Jo Malone and the numbers read like a callback to a certain world-renowned No. 5.
Walton is a qualified sommelier who has conducted more than 18,000 wine and spirit tastings – he brings this knowledge and a curious nature to how he builds on feedback and balances his gin.
“Not everyone has to like all my gins,” he insists. “They’re all so different. I’ve met a few people who can’t stand the Mediterranean gin simply because they don’t like olives. Yet other people keep coming back for more.”
In 2025 alone, Saint Juniper received significant international recognition. The brand was named Spirit of the Year Australia at the London Spirits Competition and was awarded a 98-point score at the same awards. At a national level, Saint Juniper also took out Gold at the Australian Gin Awards in 2025.
All Saint Juniper gins are bottled at 43% ABV. “It gives the gin presence without it becoming heavy,” Walton explains.
Toki x Saint Juniper
The degustation at Toki is crafted around Saint Juniper’s numbered gins, but not in sequential order. Instead, each expression is matched to a dish where the pairing feels intuitive.
For instance, Chef Lee’s opening dish pairs Abrolhos scallop with the newly launched Saint Juniper 05 Red Lime Gin. The scallop’s natural sweetness and delicate texture play against the sharp, aromatic lift of red finger lime and sharper notes of kaffir lime and ginger. The apple and celery pickle add the freshness factor.
On its own, the new iteration very powerfully transports the palate to summer in Southeast Asia – just as Walton intended. He recommends the drink be enjoyed with a soda, particularly one with a lime infusion, rather than a tonic to preserve the integrity of the blend.
Also on the menu is stracciatella with smoked tomato pine nuts, tomato onion jam, nectarine and basil, paired with Saint Juniper 01 Original Dry Gin, followed by octopus with nduja vinaigrette, pomme purée, marinated paprika and olives alongside Saint Juniper 03 Raspberry Pink Gin presented in Paloma form.
Flat iron steak with celeriac purée, cherry, black garlic bouquet and red wine jus is matched with a Saint Juniper 04 Mediterranean Gin Martini, before chocolate lava cake with crème anglaise is served with Saint Juniper 02 Orange and Elderberry Gin.
What’s next for Saint Juniper
Looking ahead, Walton says his focus remains on deepening the brand’s connection with consumers. “I’d love to open a cellar door where people can come in, taste through the range and really understand how and why each gin exists,” he says.
“For me, it’s always been about slowing people down and getting them to engage with flavour.”
The Saint Juniper degustation takes place at Toki Bistro and Bar, North Sydney, on December 19. Tickets are priced at $115 per person.
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