Australia’s love affair with gin has, by now, turned into a happy marriage. Beyond adding juniper – that piney, peppery berry that gives gin its defining character – distillers can be as creative as they like, and it’s a big factor in its appeal.
“Part of why gin is such a fabulous spirit is that it has so much width in the way you manufacture it,” says Vanessa Wilton, co-founder of Northern Beaches-based distiller Manly Spirits. “Gin has a wide flavour profile, whereas a lot of other spirits are a little bit more one-dimensional. Because of that, we have everything from gin liqueurs, to London dry styles, to sloe gins.”
If you were lucky enough to attend Vintage Cellars’ recent Gin Gala at Centennial Homestead in Sydney, you’d have been privy to an inside look at the breadth of Australian craft gin. For those who missed out, Wilton has handpicked a few of her favourites for you to seek out.
Manly Spirits Australian Dry gin
“Being a gin producer, I like to drink my gin as straight as possible, so I’m a Martini woman,” Wilton says. “If I’m going for my straight Martini, it’s with our first-born, as I call it, which is our Australian Dry gin.” Manly Spirits’ Australian Dry gin has a subtle umami flavour from foraged sea lettuce, a zippy addition of finger lime, and is rounded out with a hint of juniper. Follow Wilton’s lead with a Martini (“A waft of vermouth, a bit of a dilution of ice and I have my Martini”) or go a little taller in a Tom Collins.
Brookie’s Byron Slow gin
Modern gin is all about local ingredients, and Byron Bay distiller Brookie’s loves to highlight produce from northern NSW’s subtropical rainforests. “They use Davidson’s plums from around their area and macerate that with their normal gin,” Wilton says. “It’s like a gin liqueur with a nice Aussie twist.”
Wilton again prefers a Martini here, but this one has a significant difference. “They have a Wategos watermelon Martini recipe, which is appealing because I spent half my childhood living in Byron Bay,” says Wilton. Named after the famous beach, the Wategos Martini mixes the Brookie’s slow gin with watermelon juice and a touch of lemon.
Aviation American gin
“Aviation American gin has a little soft spot in my heart because before I started my own distillery, I actually visited Aviation in Portland before they became as huge as they are,” Wilton says. “There are elements in our distillery that were inspired by photos I took there, like our botanical displays.”
Co-owned by actor Ryan Reynolds and sporting an iconic flask-like bottle, Aviation is one of the biggest names in the craft gin game. Don’t be distracted, though – Aviation definitely has the flavour to match its profile. “It’s a well-balanced, solid gin,” Wilton says. “It’s got nice spicy notes to it.”
Wilton likes to throw the Aviation American gin into a cocktail called, simply, The Aviation: pour 45 millilitres of gin into a cocktail shaker with maraschino liqueur, lemon juice, simple syrup and a teaspoon of crème de violette, shake with ice, and then strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a brandied cherry. Easy.
Patient Wolf Melbourne Dry gin
“I chose Patient Wolf because they’re really nice guys that I meet at festivals and events,” Wilton says. “They’re very Melbourne, they’re very cool, they’re very inner-city.” Since upgrading from its original Brunswick warehouse, the Southbank distillery has added gins flavoured with thyme, sloe berries and pinot noir. Wilton, though, recommends the original Melbourne Dry gin with its signature flavour trio of aniseed myrtle, cubeb pepper, and tonka beans. “It’s bold, it’s complex, but it’s still smooth and balanced,” she says.
A gin and tonic with ruby grapefruit is customary for the Melbourne Dry, but Wilton also recommends a Hunted Negroni, with the gin briefly stirred with Maidenii sweet vermouth, Campari and ice, and then strained over a large block of ice and garnished with a ruby grapefruit twist.
Four Pillars Olive Leaf gin
The Healesville-based Four Pillars is known for some adventurous flavours, and this savoury-style gin is a great example. “They stuck to their terroir of the Yarra Valley and olives – they’ve used the olive leaf and olive oil in this gin,” says Wilton.
Wilton favours an Underground here (Olive Leaf gin, Strangelove dirty tonic, orange slice, Sicilian olives), but it works just as well in a more traditional gin and tonic garnished with some fresh rosemary. “Sometimes if you have a bit of a flame you can toast your rosemary so that the oils in the rosemary come out,” she says.
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