A gin cocktail for all seasons

gin-trio

While we like to think of our pure Snowy Mountains gin a hero of the winter months, we know that many gin aficionados are equally enthusiastic about serving gin cocktails to bookend more summery pursuits.

So we’ve asked our wildbrumby team to nominate their favourite year-round gin tipples so we can bring you the cream of the crop for creating at home regardless of the prevailing weather patterns.

But first, as a bit of backstory, here at wildbrumby, we’ve been distilling spirits for almost two decades.

From our London-style classic gin to our raspberry-infused rubus patch, we think we’ve got every season of the year pretty much covered. And for those after a higher ABV navy-style gin, we’re told our Stallion is quite the standout. (Find out more about our award-winning gin trio here).

Of course, we owe much of our success to the pristine Snowy Mountains water with its unique mineral trace elements and the native botanicals such as mountain pepper berry that grow wild in the Snowies, essential to creating our uniquely alpine distillations.

So scroll down to discover our pick of gin cocktail recipes for your year-round enjoyment.


Wildbrumby Negroni
This is a deliciously warming alpine twist on the classic Italian cocktail, which has its origins in early 20th-century Italy.

You can buy negroni ready-made from our online shop or create your own by blending our award-winning classic gin with our seasonal baked apple schnapps and then adding a dash of homemade Italian bitters. This spicy winter aperitif is ready to drink on ice and best served with a slice of orange to garnish.

Ingredients: 
Baked Apple Schnapps
wildbrumby gin
Bitters
Orange slice

Method: Blend Baked Apple Schnapps with your favourite gin (to taste), add a dash of bitters, and serve in a lowball glass with ice and a slice of orange to garnish.

See our distiller’s blog here for more wintery recipes


Alpine Vesper
Ian Fleming didn’t do us any favours when he decided James Bond would take his dry martini shaken, not stirred — given that most martinis are best when stirred, not shaken!

But if you consider the Vesper recipe we associate with Bond (3 parts gin, 1 part vodka and 1/2 part Kina Lillet) then it is understandable given that shaking a drink breaks the ice into smaller pieces, watering down his rather potent mix. Here is our own twist on this much-loved martini.

Ingredients:
30ml Classic Gin
30ml Kosciusko Vodka
30ml Apricot Schnapps

Method:
Add gin, vodka and schnapps to an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake until cold, double strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with an orange twist.

(Courtesy of Philip Jones aka The Martini Whisperer)

See our distiller’s blog here for more martini secrets

alpine vesper

Rubus, Limoncello & Tonic 
A celebration of spring time, this cocktail is pink, pretty and a little bit tart.

Our rubus patch gin is made using organic raspberries picked straight from our distillery gardens and makes a brilliant G&T combo with our wildbrumby limoncello. And it looks delectable too!

Ingredients:
20mL wildbrumby limoncello
30mL wildbrumby rubus patch gin
tonic
lemon
raspberries

Method:
Firstly, pack a wide, stemless glass to the brim with lemon wheels, whole raspberries and ice. Pour our rubus patch gin and wildbrumby limoncello into your glass and top with tonic water. We suggest fever tree’s refreshingly light tonic water. 

Serve your Rubus, Limoncello & Tonic with a vibrant paper straw and an extravagant cheese platter.

See our rubus gin blog here for more ways to enjoy pink gin.


Sour Apple Mojito 
Refreshing, sweet and a little bit tart, you’ll never want to make a mojito any other way again! 

This summery combination of our sour apple schnapps and classic gin brings a beautiful floral element to the drink. 

It’s also a great recipe to batch and serve at parties or an afternoon barbecue. Simply multiply your ingredients by six and build the drink in a pitcher. Now all your friends have to do is pour.

Ingredients:
30mL wildbrumby classic gin
30mL wildbrumby sour apple schnapps
mint
lime
ginger ale
granny smith apple

Method:
Muddle two lime wedges and four mint leaves in a tall glass before adding our sour apple schnapps and classic gin. Fill the glass with ice and place one thinly sliced half-moon of apple and a sprig of mint down the inside of the glass. Top with ginger ale. 

You can purchase our range of wildbrumby spirits from our online shop

sour-apple-mojito

Stone fruit cocktails for sunny days

stone-fruit-schnapps

Every year as the weather warms, rosy peaches and golden apricots deliver their glorious harvest. They’re delectable in desserts and (in our opinion) even better to drink!

These fruit varieties have also been popular with Austrian distillers since the very beginning of schnapps creation, so it is no wonder they continue to delight.

As the name suggests, stone fruit are harvested fruits with a stone-like seed encased in juicy flesh and soft skin. 

Apricots are king in Austria’s patisserie world. With treats like ‘sachertorte’ (a decadent chocolate cake filled with apricot jam) and powdered apricot dumplings gracing dinner tables across the Alps of Tyrol.

Our apricot schnapps brings a slice of that perfection to the Australian Snowies. This dessert style schnapps reveals hints of almond and marzipan, lending a beautiful mouthfeel and fragrant nose.

A harvest of blushing-orange, rival apricots picked fresh from the orchard are the key ingredient to our apricot schnapps, while our award-winning peach nectar schnapps is created from the juiciest peaches the Australian Southern Alps has to offer with a distinctive flavour and silky-smooth finish reminiscent of warm peach cobblers.

Both our apricot and peach nectar schnapps can be enjoyed neat, over ice, or poured on ice-cream for a sweet, spring dessert. But if your bar shakers are itching for some creativity – we’ve got some perfect, stone fruit inspired cocktails for you to try at home.


Bellini

If you’re a fan of our peach nectar schnapps you’re probably familiar with our twist on the perfect bellini cocktail. It’s a two-step, wildbrumby classic. The name ‘Bellini’ feels like an obvious choice for a heavenly cocktail.

In recent years the peach nectar or puree has been swapped out for quality peach schnapps. And whilst the Bellini has lost its notable pink hue, it has only improved in taste!

Ingredients:
20mL wildbrumby peach schnapps
130mL of wildbrumby Brut
One peach (preferably a white peach)

Method:
Take a fresh peach and slice out a thin wedge, keeping the skin on. Garnish your chilled champagne flute with the peach slice then add wildbrumby Peach Schnapps. Angle the champagne flute on a 45-degree angle and slowly fill the glass with wildbrumby Brut.

Make sure to keep the lip of your wildbrumby Brut bottle close to the champagne flute and straighten the glass as it fills. This will help control bubbles and the brut and schnapps will mix evenly. Ta da! Your bubbly peach treat is ready to be served.

Find out more about crafting the perfect Bellini here.

peach-bellini

Peachy Tea

Incorporating the vibrant flavours of juicy peach and floral earl grey tea, this is an easy-to-make cocktail you’ll want to impress your friends with.

Plus, it’s perfect to batch for sunny picnic parties and big dinner get-togethers. You’ll never want an iced tea served any other way.

Ingredients:
45mL wildbrumby peach nectar schnapps
Peaches in Syrup (15mL syrup, 2 peach slices)
130mL Iced English Breakfast Tea

Method:
Prepare your iced tea by brewing 60mL of English Breakfast tea. Transfer the teabag and tea into a container and add 70mL of cool water. Place in fridge for 5 minutes or till thoroughly mixed and chilled. Then discard the teabag.

Build your cocktail by adding wildbrumby peach nectar schnapps, peach syrup, and iced tea to a tall, ice filled glass. Mix with a bar spoon and garnish with 2 slices of peach.

Batching your Peachy Tea? Add 180mL of wildbrumby peach nectar schnapps, 60mL peach syrup, and 520 mL of iced tea to a large jug. Add ice and peach slices. Store in the fridge till you’re ready to enjoy!

You can find our wildbrumby peach nectar here.

Peachy-Tea

Apricot Collins

A Collins cocktail generally comprises a combination of gin, lemon juice and fizzy water all served up in a tall Collins glass over ice. Here, we’ve added a summery layer to the traditional Collins trio with the addition of our delectable apricot schnapps.

Ingredients:
30 mL wildbrumby apricot schnapps
30 mL wildbrumby classic gin
15 mL Lemon Juice
Soda Water
Maraschino Cherry and Apricot to garnish

Method:
Pull out those bar shakers – it’s shaking time! 
Add all ingredients to your ice filled bar shaker (excluding your soda water and garnishes). Once these ingredients have been fully incorporated and chilled, strain the contents into a tall, ice filled glass. You’ll know your shaker is ready when frost has formed on the outside of the tin. 

Now all you need to do is top your cocktail with soda water, and garnish with a slice of apricot and maraschino cherry!

You can find our wildbrumby apricot schnapps here.


Alpine Vesper

The Vesper Martini is the famous tipple we associate with James Bond. The classic recipe is 3 parts gin, 1 part vodka and 1/2 part Kina Lillet. And of course – unlike most other martinis, it is shaken, not stirred.

We’ve created our very own wildbrumby twist on this much-loved martini with our magnificent apricot schnapps stepping up in the starring role.

Ingredients:
30ml Classic Gin
30ml Kosciusko Vodka
30ml Apricot Schnapps

Method:
Add gin, vodka and schnapps to an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake until cold, double strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with an orange twist.

(Courtesy of Philip Jones aka The Martini Whisperer)

See our distiller’s blog here for more martini secrets

Glühwein to warm your soul

Wildbrumby-Gluhwein

You can’t have winter without a mug of piping hot glühwein.

This sweet, warming blend of red wine, herbs and winter spices will have you singing from the snow-capped mountaintops.

In fact, glühwein has been a traditional winter staple throughout western Europe for around 600 years. And it is not difficult to deduce why it has been popular for so long.

Glühwein is German for ‘glow wine’. As the name suggests, its warm temperature and boozy base will have you glowing with warmth from head to toe. 

This winter brew is both soul warming and simple to put together (with the right ingredients) and is as moreish as anything.

Now, we’re not usually ones to mess with a classic – Oh, who are we kidding? We love to shake things up! 

But we feel we’ve created the holy grail of glühwein recipes. So, what makes our wildbrumby glühwein so delectably different? 

It should come as no surprise that the secret behind our incredibly popular glühwein is one of our most loved schnapps – our pink lady apple schnapps!

The fruity, sweet elements of our pink lady apple mean two things: a little more booze in your mug. And a whole mouthful of sweet, apple flavour balanced with the delectably herbaceous and spiced red wine notes.

Whether you’re stuck at home or hitting the slopes this winter, our bottles of wildbrumby glühwein are ready to take you on a winter flavour journey. 

To make the most of it, we’ve put together pairing ideas and the perfect guide to serving up a warm mug of winter goodness.

How to Pair it  

Our wildbrumby glühwein is the ultimate glow up to any winter dinner party. Just making this delicious winter warmer will invite a scented dimension of spice and sweet wine into your home. 

If small après get-togethers are more your style, try serving this warm cocktail with a platter of soft cheeses and sliced cured meats. Our wildbrumby glühwein’s spiced and sweet fruit elements contrast perfectly with salty, meaty foods. 

Adding a few pink lady apple slices or orange marmalade to your grazing board will tie in all these elements flawlessly – Your friends will think you’re a flavour pairing extraordinaire!

This drink pairs a treat with hearty, traditional dishes too. Think a pork schnitzel the size of a dinner plate served with Keffler potatoes and cranberry sauce, or a big bowl of warm apple strudel slowly melting a dollop of fresh cream. All the while, you’re sipping on a warm mug of delectable glühwein.

Put it all together for Christmas in July celebrations, and you’ll feel as if you’re feasting in a remote chalet surrounded by snow-capped mountains in the Austrian Alps.

How’s that for a staycation?

How to perfect it

The whole warming process should take no longer than four minutes on low heat and will create around four generous servings.

You’ll need:

wildbrumby glühwein
star anise
cinnamon sticks
1 orange

Method:

Empty your 750mL bottle of wildbrumby glühwein into a pot. Add in two star anise, a cinnamon stick and four orange wheels before slowly heating over the stove.

Be careful not to bring your glühwein to a boil – doing so could reduce the wine’s potency and flavour. 

Once warmed, your wildbrumby glühwein is ready to be served in pre-warmed mugs. Garnish each warm mug of glühwein with an orange slice and cinnamon stick, and enjoy by a roaring fire.

Now, here’s a little trick. 

To keep any steaming cocktail piping hot for longer, you’ll want to pre-warm your mugs or heat resistant glasses. The process couldn’t be simpler, and it can be done whilst preparing your wildbrumby glühwein. Simply fill your vessel of choice with hot water and allow the heat to warm it up. Just remember to discard the water before serving. 

Enjoy!

Why vodka is the spirit of autumn

Vodka

We’re calling it. Autumn is for Australian vodka! 

Our Kosciuszko Vodka was born in the Snowy Mountains – just 22km from Australia’s highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko. And because it is blended with pristine snow melt, the mountains’ beautiful, yet volatile, nature lives in its DNA. 

So why is our vodka the perfect spirit for autumn? 

It combines a clean, crisp flavour profile with a smoothness that only premium vodka is known for – perfect for the in-between time of the year when you’ve retired your swimmers to the back of the cupboard, but you’re just not ready to pull out those winter sweaters. 

And if you’re anything like us, those wardrobe problems are mirrored in our choice of afternoon tipple – with fruity fixes packed with crushed up ice long gone, but hot toddies not yet on the horizon.

So for this weather-confused season we bring you four vodka-based cocktails that we think are ‘just-right’ for this in-betweeny time of year, so you can make best use of this versatile spirit!


Devil Mary

60mL Tomato juice ½ 
30mL Devil Tongue ¼ 
30mL Vodka ¼
15mL lemon juice
3 dashes Worcester sauce
2 dashes tabasco
Celery, lemon, olives, salt & pepper

Wow, that’s a lot of ingredients! But the Devil Mary couldn’t be simpler. Build this Sunday morning classic in a tall glass filled with ice, and garnish with a celery stick, lemon wedge, olives and a dusting of salt and pepper.


Sour Apple Martini

60ml Sour Apple Schnapps
30ml Kosciusko Vodka
Lemon twist 

Add all your schnapps and vodka to an ice-filled mixing glass and stir until very cold. Strain into a chilled Martini glass and garnish with a twist of organic lemon.


Autumn Highball

Vodka 45ml
Ginger ale
Macadamia syrup 20ml

To prepare the syrup, add the following ingredients to a mixing jug and allow to infuse as the mixture cools. Leave the mixture for 15 minutes before straining out the macadamia solids.

Brown sugar 1/3 cup
White sugar 1/3 cup
Finely chopped macadamia 1/3 cup
Hot water 1/3

Build drink over ice in a tall glass and garnish with an orange peel.

Visit the wildbrumby online shop to find all the ingredients (and more) for our Autumn cocktails.

Have yourself a schnappy Christmas

Schnappy Christmas Tree
christmas-packs-wildbrumby

We’ve got all the ingredients to add a dash of magic to your festivities this year.

Fine food and drink are the hallmarks of the silly season, and while we’ve never let a lack of snow get in the way of the great Australian Christmas, traditional mulled beverages just don’t cut it this time of the year.

For most of us, summertime celebrations are spent beside the pool or the barbie where ice-cold beer and cocktails are the stars of the show. 

So whether it’s a sparkling peach bellini, sour cherry martini, or a limited-edition pink gin & tonic that jingles your bells, we’ve got all the ingredients to make yours a magical one.

Here are four of our go-to cocktails for a schnappy, summertime Christmas.


Black Label Christmas Gin

Born through blending vibrant Christmas flavours with our award-winning Rubus Patch Gin, this is a gin you’ll wish someone would gift to you.

Our Black Label Gin has vivacious notes of festive fruits and elderflower paired with homegrown raspberries, juniper, and a trio of citrus. And like all our gins, this one is balanced with pristine alpine water and native botanicals found in our own backyard — the Snowy Mountains.

You can enjoy this lusciously pink gin over ice or with a quality tonic. But the best way to enjoy a festive fruit-forward gin? In a big glass of our Holy Hoity Toity cocktail while you lounge around in a sun-bathed beach chair. Heaven! 

Serve to your party guests or be the best gift-giver and surprise a loved one with a bottle under the Christmas tree. Just remember, you deserve one too.

christmas-gin-wildbrumby

Holy Hoity Toity

Like a classic gin and tonic but with a festive twist. Our wildbrumby Black Label Gin is the centrepiece of a cocktail with all the sleigh bells and whistles. Sweet, fruity and paired perfectly with a traditional pavlova – your Christmas party guests will be coming back for seconds.

Ingredients:
30mL wildbrumby Black Label Gin
Soda Water and Lemonade (or Elderflower Tonic)
Raspberries
Cucumber
Lemon

Method:
Steep raspberries in wildbrumby Black Label Gin for at least an hour before serving. Prepare garnishes by thinly slicing lemon wheels and cucumber strips.

Add ice, garnishes, soaked raspberries and wildbrumby Black Label Gin to a large wine glass. Top with either elderflower tonic, or soda water and a splash of lemonade. Shop for Black Label Gin here.


Cherry Sour

Nothing says Christmas quite like cherries and this luscious cocktail is no exception. 

Our Cherry Sour strikes the perfect balance between the sweet and sour elements of our seasonal Sour Cherry schnapps with cherry notes from our Christmas gin adding depth to this festive favourite.

Ingredients:
60mL wildbrumby Sour Cherry schnapps
30mL wildbrumby Christmas gin 
20mL fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon wildbrumby morello cherry syrup (or make your own syrup from cherry jam)
30mL aquafaba chickpea juice (or 1 fresh egg white if preferred)

Method: 
Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Shake dry (without ice) for 15 seconds, then add ice and shake until cold.
Double strain into an ice filled tumbler and garnish with morello cherries.


Peach Nectar Bellini

Inspired by 15th Century paintings of pink togas and holy garments – the Bellini is sophisticated in flavour and simple to create here for extravagant celebrations!

It’s been a long 2020 and we’re all itching to ring in a better New Year. So, pop the cork on our wildbrumby Brut and get those bubbles flowing.

All you need now is good company to share the special occasion and our award-winning wildbrumby Peach Nectar Schnapps.

You can find our Bellini Pack ready-to-go here.

Ingredients:
20mL wildbrumby Peach Nectar Schnapps
wildbrumby Brut
peach

Method:
First, garnish your chilled champagne flute with a slice of fresh peach. Pour wildbrumby Peach Nectar Schnapps into your glass and top with wildbrumby Brut.

Cheers from the wildbrumby team!

bellini-wildbrumby

Sour Cherry Martini

What would Christmas in Australia be without buckets of rich red cherries?

Our wildbrumby Sour Cherry Schnapps is a seasonal addition to our schnapps range —providing this martini with true tart, candied cherry notes.

Give the gift of good drinks to your martini-loving friend with our Sour Cherry Martini Pack here.

Ingredients:
60mL wildbrumby Sour Cherry Schnapps
30mL wildbrumby Kosciuszko Vodka
Maraschino Cherry

Method:
Add ice, wildbrumby Sour Cherry Schnapps and wildbrumby Kosciuszko Vodka to a mixing glass and stir for 15 rotations. Strain into a chilled martini glass and serve with a single maraschino cherry.