Martin Curtis

"Gin & Raspberry" is perhaps Martin's most renowned song. It is one of the most popular songs in New Zealand folk music of the last 40 years, and has been covered by many other musicians in NZ, Australia, USA, Canada and Britain.

The song tells the story of the "Gin and Raspberry" mine, which was reportedly one of the richest mines in the Cardrona Valley, and the wider region, during the 1860's gold rush. Legend has it that it got its name from the owner's custom of shouting gin and raspberry to all hands when they struck an ounce of gold per bucket of paydirt.

The song was first released in 1982 on Martin's debut album Gin & Raspberry and has since been rereleased on several other albums including Live at Greendale, Below the High Country, and Off to the Dry Cardrona, and is also featured on the Otago my Home DVD.

Listen / watch to Gin & Raspberry:

A short sample of the original album version (MP3 format) can be heard here

A 2022 re-recording of the full song (MP3 format) can be heard here

A live performance of the song by Martin can be viewed below, or from his YouTube channel