The Westin has become synonymous with their High Tea series (including the cult classic High Cheese), this iteration certainly won’t disappoint for seafood and gin lovers alike.

Returning on 17 January 2020 until the end of March, High Seas at The Westin will feature an abundance of creatively executed seafood dishes and bites that pair perfectly with gin, a summer favourite spirit.

The Westin Melbourne’s Executive Chef, Michael Greenlaw, has worked closely together with Creative Director of Four Pillars Made From Gin products, Matt Wilkinson, to create a delicious menu infusing different elements of the Four Pillars Gin DNA into each of the dishes, as well as three new and exciting gin cocktails.

The menu includes small bites such as oysters with Four Pillars Rare Dry gin and red snapper dressing and Port Phillip Bay scallops with Four Pillars orange and mustard glaze, dill and parsley.

Other delicious dishes include Balmain bug sandwiches with Barrel Aged Gin mayonnaise, yabby sesame toast with Bloody Shiraz Gin, sweet chilli and pepper berry sauce, and Humpty Doo barramundi scotch egg with lemon myrtle aioli - just to get you started.

To satisfy your sweet tooth, a gin botanicals ice cream sandwich will do the trick. It comprises of honey and oat cookie and is then dipped into Four Pillars orange marmalade and white chocolate.

“Developing these recipes with Matt and getting to work with ingredients like the spent botanicals has been a great experience. All the snacks have been created using native Australian seafood, all with incredible stories from the Murray cod to the hand dived scallops direct from Port Phillip Bay” says Michael Greenlaw.

To accompany the seafood smorgasbord, guests will be spoilt for choice with three new signature cocktails. ‘Our Favourite G&T’ is made from Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin, Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water and orange; the ‘Wave Racer’ mixes Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin, sour rhubarb, orange, bay leaf and fizz; and the ‘Downbound’, which combines Four Pillars Navy Strength Gin, fino, bergamot and finger lime.

High Seas will run at The Westin Melbourne, in the hotel’s signature restaurant, Allegro from 17 January until 31 March. High Seas is priced at $89 per person, which includes a Four Pillars Gin cocktail of your choice. You can experience it Monday to Sunday from 5.30pm and also in the Lobby Lounge on Saturday and Sunday from 11am -4pm.

Reservations are essential and bookings can be made by calling The Westin Melbourne on 03 9635 2222, via email to hightea@westin.com or visiting https://www.allegrorestaurant.com.au/highseas.

To celebrate the launch of High Seas 2020, guests can also attend a special launch night on Thursday 6 February to enjoy the new offering and hear from Matt Wilkinson and Director of Gin Drinks, Jimmy Irvine. Guests will also walk away with some Four Pillars goodies. To purchase tickets to this one-off event, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/high-seas-gin-dinner-with-four-pillars-tickets-88990636389

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For more information, media enquiries or image requests, please contact:

Caroline Pietrzak – caroline.pietrzak@westin.com/ 0404 880 692

About The Westin Melbourne

With its commanding Collins Street address, elegant accommodation and intuitive service, The Westin Melbourne is the city’s stylish centrepiece.

Offering the ideal setting to relax, revive and experience renewal, the hotel boasts 262 guest rooms and suites featuring the signature Westin Heavenly® Bed, luxurious marble bathrooms and sweeping views of Melbourne. Facilities include a 24-hour WestinWORKOUT® Fitness Centre, serene Wellness Centre with 20-metre lap pool, sauna and steam room, sophisticated dining at Allegro Restaurant and refined ambience in the Lobby Lounge bar.  Guests can immerse themselves in the city’s culture, enjoy the finest shopping and dining experiences and access Melbourne’s top attractions all from the hotel’s doorstep.

For more information, visit westinmelbourne.com. Stay connected to The Westin Melbourne on Instagram and Facebook.  

About Four Pillars Gin

Four Pillars is a small Australian distillery in the Yarra Valley. They want to elevate the craft of distilling and celebrate the craft of cocktail making. Using a copper pot and column still commissioned exclusively by CARL in Germany, they produce in small batches of 460 bottles.

Four Pillars launched their Rare Dry Gin in 2013, crafted in a truly modern Australian style to capture the flavours of both Asia and the Mediterranean. This gin was awarded a Double Gold medal at the 2014 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and they’ve since released limited editions of a Barrel Aged and a Navy Strength Gin to similar acclaim.