Karolina Partyka’s interest in herbal remedies and the remedial qualities of bitter drinks has lead to Australia’s first artisan tonic syrup. Made from the quinine-loaded bark of cinchona trees, with citrus, organic spices and botanicals, it’s a concentrated hit of tonic used to complement gins.

The fortifed wines of our wide, brown land, with their rich, sticky texture and dark, treacle-like intensity, are true icons of Australian winemaking. One of the best producers of these incredibly complex, old-school wine styles is Chambers and this muscat is simply yummy.

It’s a little mind-bending that
a beer could be made with real chocolate, but for Young’s, a UK brewery, it’s a no-brainer. The beer still retains great freshness, even with its dark colour, rich choc-malt hops character and gently sweet personality. An ideal match with milk chocolate.

A few years ago, a winemaker and a couple of bar types embarked on making Australia’s first vermouth using native botanicals. Pour this spicy, herbal, citrussy vermouth over ice in a large tumbler, zest some orange over the top, then sit
in a hammock, sip and enjoy.

James Adams is a cider
writer/ brewer/winemaker producing traditionally made brews with fruit sourced from Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley orchards. Made from corella pears from the Barossa, this has a cloudy, natural colour and upfront sweetness that finishes deliciously dry.