Drink Victorian: Best In Show
Our best and brightest from the Victorian drinks industry showcase
This past Monday I attended Drink Victorian’s annual industry showcase for local producers at Marvel stadium. In keeping with the booming independent beverage producers community in Victoria, it was an incredibly impressive event. I was struck by the scale of the operation, and just how many exhibitors were in attendance. In today’s newsletter I’m showcasing a few of the notable innovations I saw on the day, with a biased emphasis towards the spirit, beer and non-alcoholic categories. There’s some incredibly exciting products and fledgling producers here, and hopefully this will somewhat inform the coming trends in the drink industry. For those looking for more of a wine focus, check back next week for a more in-depth discussion on the current state of the wine industry.
Awesome Source
The non-alcoholic spritz arms race is hotly contested in Australia right now. As we become more acute to the issues with excessive alcohol consumption, brands are attempting to capture their slice of the market with appealing products that don’t alienate the abstinent. After a successful capital raise last year, market leader Naked Life announced a partnership with Bega, firmly establishing the startup as the preeminent non alcoholic cocktail brand in Australia. To my palate, and to many looking to replicate the full spectrum of flavour that fermented or distilled beverages offer, making an already alcohol free beverage sugar free as well is a bridge too far. I’m particularly reactive to the saccharine, hollow finish of sweeteners, which is why I was blown away by Awesome Source’s NA products.
Their “G&T” had a very crisp, refreshing finish, was extremely juniper-forward, and the defined presence of lemon myrtle really had me reaching for another sip. They use real cane sugar unashamedly, and the sweetness really aids in the mental leap from alco to non. A red grape, orange and pepperberry version no doubt riffs on Four Pillars’ successful Bloody Shiraz line, with a sweeter, jammy palate.
The Gins
Hailing from Yarra Glen, Mary Monica’s Yuzu Gin is notable because it actually does what it says on the marquee: taste of yuzu. Too often I find these “infused” gins are only faintly reminiscent of the thing they claim to be infused with, which doesn’t translate to the instant gratification you need to provide to break into an oversaturated market. Bitter grapefruit notes prop this one up - I can see it making a very agreeable martini- but the sweet mandarin flavour that zests forth when hit with good tonic is the real selling point.
Gindu is a distillery based in the Macedon Ranges. They produce spirits showcasing Australia’s unique flavours, strictly using native botanicals only in their products. Their coastal gin with rainforest lychee, sunrise lime, coastal rosemary and saltbush had a fragrant savoury note perfect for spirit forward drinks, and a syrupy “Billy Tea'' infusion brought honeysuckle, eucalypt and ginger to the tannins of the tea. This would be a great after-dinner drink, particularly in venues that like to showcase native flavours.
Upstart Mitcham distillery Dutch Rules put on an impressive offering of their various small batch products. Owner Danny Perrera taps into his Sri Lankan heritage to share the history of Dutch East Indies spice trade routes, their signature New World Dy Gin heavy with pink peppercorn and Indian coriander. A limited release Thai Gin jumped off the table with its bright, colourful packaging and unique flavour profile; makrut lime, lemongrass, thai basil, ginger and chilli. Given Melbourne’s current Thai obsession, this product should be popping up in Collins and Bloody Mary style drinks across town in the future.
Molly Rose Veraison
I’m an old soul. I like old world drinks, classic cocktails, and a good strong aperitif. I also eat licorice far too regularly; aniseed is one of my absolute favourite flavours in the world. So, imagine my surprise when I see one of my most highly regarded breweries, Molly Rose, with this beautiful bottle of local pastis, Veraison. A bottle of this will be making its way to my bar cart ASAP, and should become a staple point-of-difference offering on drinks lists across Melbourne; 14 botanicals and a heavy hit of fennel steer the ship.
Sweet & Sticky
Bendigo’s Noble Bootleggers are onto a couple of sure-fire hits in the local amaro stakes. The first, Terroso, had the sweet, spicy cola notes of Amaro Montenegro, lovely straight or spritzed. The second, Amarena, was like a spicy, juicy cherry Campari, and one of the best things I sampled on the day.
White Possum’s Amaretto goes some way to alleviating the bad reputation that poorly made amaretto sours have given the liqueur over the years. A low-waste product made with rescued apricot seed and native strawberry gum, this is to my knowledge the first locally produced version of the drink, and would be an eye-catching talking point for menus and bars everywhere.
The brainchild of coffee savant Tim Varney, with an assist from Ex Bar Liberty and Falco maverick Michael Bascetta, GRADA is an upstart disruptor to a market long dominated by Kahlua and latterly Mr. Black: the coffee liqueur. A hot extraction technique and focus on single-estate beans helps Grada retain characteristics that others in the market cannot, and while it’s sweet, it’s a complex, aromatic sweetness. I make no secret of my belief that espresso martinis are a terrible drink, no doubt informed by many awful nights spent making them en masse; the best compliment I can pay to GRADA is that it makes espresso martinis bearable.
The Beers
Aforementioned Molly Rose has launched their “Not Wasted” range, a line of special release beers that aims to minimise waste in the industry. Utilising upcycled Ribolla Gialla skins from nearby Little Brunswick Wine Co, this skin contact farmhouse ale has the zippy acidity of champagne, and the tropical clarity of a hazy pale ale. This would make an excellent aperitif or match for oysters and shellfish.
I’m biased towards Orbost’s Sailors Grave Brewing; I’ve been drinking their product for years, and everything about the brand resonates with me, from the art direction to their innovative special release program. I spent a lot of my childhood in Gippsland, and the purity of the region really shines through in their products: beers with terroir. However, even with my positive predisposition, this Bloody Caesar Tomato & Oyster Gose stopped me in my tracks. Salty, bright, briny, umami rich and tart, with the creamy finish of lacto-fermented tomatoes and Wapengo organic oysters. It's hard to explain without you having tried it, and I strongly recommend that you do.
Any visit to your local bottle-o at peak hour will reveal a curious trend; blokes in high-vis buying Hard Solo (since rebranded as Hard Rated) en masse. It’s no surprise that people of a certain demographic, shall we charitably call them “complexity adverse palates”, are snapping up these high sugar, high booze alcopops; they are the natural successor to the Bacardi Breezer. I’ve even noticed Hard Rated appearing on taps around venues. The market seems rife for innovation, and I noted Brick Lane Brewing’s entry to the fray with Nitro Cola. It shockingly did not taste terrible, actually retaining a fairly naturalistic nutty and herbal cola flavour. Not something I ever thought I’d enjoy, but perhaps a viable and interesting non-beer option for venue taps around town.
The Food
A special shout out to friend of the newsletter Victor Liong and the Lee Ho Fook team for the generous and excellent snack offering on the day; a splendid yum cha assortment of spring rolls, curry puffs, veggie dumplings and a truly superior prawn toast. As a prawn toast connoisseur, this was one of the best I’ve ever had, and reason enough to get me to any future events catered by the LHF team. Various cheese stations were dotted throughout the Medallion Club, and I was lucky enough to sit in on a beer tasting masterclass with The Crafty Pint’s James Smith. All in all a fabulous day, and one that left me excited about the future of Victorian booze.
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Later this week we have an exciting longform venue review lined up, featuring what I’m tentatively calling the best dessert of 2024. If you’re yet to, subscribe for free to receive it directly to your inbox. Jay