About Us
Gingle Bells Floral Gin Baubles are lovingly hand made by Wild Hibiscus Distilling Co.
Family owned and run by 3 brothers Lee, Ben and Sam Etherington since 1998, Wild Hibiscus began by creating unique Australian Native Food condiments, spices and sauces which are still a cornerstone in our range today @ bushtuckershop.com .
This evolved into creating a range of gourmet edible flower products using hibiscus, Bulgarian roses and butterfly pea flowers. After 24 years, the products have been distributed and paired with food and cocktails in great establishments and homes all over the world. Our Wild Hibiscus Flowers were even served at Barrack Obama's inauguration ceremonies! Wild Hibiscus also source and supply dried flowers to other manufacturers making specialty tea, liquor and beverage products all around the world.
Founder Lee Etherington has travelled the world for decades sourcing unique ingredients, learning how to grow them and then teaching farmers and upscaling production. He lives on an 80 acre farm at Kurrajong Heights on the edge of the Blue Mountains. Here he has planted and nurtured 1,600 Finger Lime trees of various colours. He also grows the pepperberries, lemon myrtle, kaffir lime, tahitian lime and many other botanicals which are used in Gingle Bells Gin and the big bottles of gin. Unlike other distilleries who have a few herbs and a lemon tree planted in their garden and pretend they grow their own botanicals - We actually do!
Lee also has plantations of hibiscus flowers in Malaysia where around 100 small lot farmers are employed. In central Thailand he has plantations of Butterfly Pea Flowers in 2019 his Thai company Siam Hibiscus Limited exported 220,000,000 blue flowers. Siam Hibiscus is the worlds largest supplier of butterfly pea flowers and created the first liquid extracts and products introducing this amazing flower to the world outside Thailand in 2012.
Lee has been working in the food and cocktail circuits of Australia, USA, Canada and Europe, both on premise and in retail for more than 20 years and his products sell around 35,000 cocktails PER NIGHT in the USA.
He developed a deep love affair with food, fine wine, spirits and the craft cocktail industry and a keen sense of experimentation with unique ingredients.
He is often found in the his lab on the farm making spirit infusions and trial formulations or simply trying to get something weird perfect...