Bad news? It’s time to do your taxes. Good news? Making cocktails just got cheaper.
Lara is the Editor in Chief of Dan’s Daily. Each month, she scours the list of 300+ My Dan’s member offers to find her favourite deals – the bottles you’ll definitely want to grab while the price is right. Join My Dan’s for free to get low prices, exclusive offers and access to member-only events and experiences.
I’m fairly sure my accountant hates me. I’m famously late to lodge my taxes (every damn year) and I keep my scrunched-up receipts in a pile under my desk (if I’ve kept them at all). But you know who doesn’t hate me? Or you, for that matter? The icons who choose what bottles go on My Dan’s member offer each month. Now that we’re staring down the barrel of the end of the financial year, those same icons have worked hard to keep us in good spirits – literally and figuratively – with some very sexy savings.
Because it’s a time of year that’s all about stocking up on your favourite treats, I’m bringing you a list of banging cocktail essentials you should add to your cart today. Have a squiz below, then head in-store or online to score all of these at killer prices until 2 July, 2025. Maybe chuck in an extra bottle for your accountant.
Click image to shop
1. Noilly Prat Original French Dry Vermouth
Everywhere you look, it’s Martinis, Martinis, Martinis. When are we going to stop? Well hey, not today, because Noilly Prat is on member offer and this is a steal.
This dry French vermouth is one of my go-tos when I’m stirring up a batch, and it’s a staple in great bars for great reason. It’s got a woody, slightly salty, herbal flavour – almost sherry-like – thanks to the secret blend of 20 botanicals that includes chamomile, elderflower and cloves. And if I don’t have some in my fridge at all times, I get antsy.
Can’t be arsed making a Martini? (Even with the world’s easiest Martini recipe?) It’s also an excellent sip just served on the rocks. I love to cook with Noilly too – just use it in place of white wine.
Member price: $32 | Non-member price: $38.99
2. Hotel Starlino Rosso Vermouth
What? Two vermouths? Damn straight – because there’s a huge difference between dry vermouth and rosso (AKA sweet or Italian) vermouth.
The first big difference is the colour, duh, but what we’re really interested in is the sugar level. Where something like Noilly Prat (above) is really dry, herbal and slightly salty, rosso vermouth (like this fabulous Hotel Starlino) is sweet, fruity and spiced. It’s made in a traditional Italian style, but aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels, making it just a touch sweeter and more fruit-forward than some other rosso vermouths.
You can use it in cocktails like Negronis, Manhattans and Americanos – or again, it’s delicious on its own, over ice.
Member price: $39 | Non-member price: $44.99
Click image to shop
Click image to shop
3. Cointreau Orange Liqueur 1L
If we’re stocking up, we can’t go past the Cointreau. Essentially it’s the king of the triple sec liqueurs and it’s made with a mix of sweet and bitter orange peels, which give it that signature marmalade-y taste. The recipe we know and love today was created in 1871 and it’s as perfect now as it was then.
Cointreau also happens to be a key ingredient in, well, everything – Margaritas, Cosmos, Sidecars, Mai Tais, even Long Island Iced Teas. Basically, if you’re into cocktails, you’ll always want to have some on hand and this one-litre bottle is a bargain.
Member price: $87 | Non-member price: $101.99
4. Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin
No one has secured the cult-favourite title quite like Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin. Every year since launching it in 2015, they steep cool-climate shiraz grapes from the local Yarra Valley area in their Rare Dry Gin for eight long weeks. The resulting product has won them plenty of fans across the country, not to mention a wild slew of awards globally.
If you’re one of the three people in the country who haven’t fallen in love with it yet, let me enlighten you. The striking purple colour adds some intrigue to your G&T, but it’s the natural sweetness from those ripe, juicy grapes that we’re here for. It balances out the peppery spice from the gin perfectly. A total ripper and at a ripper price.
Member price: $68 | Non-member price: $84.99
Click image to shop
Click image to shop
5. 78 Degrees Australian Vodka
Despite popular belief, not all vodkas taste the same and what you choose to put into your cocktails makes a genuine difference. Does that mean you need to spend crazy money to get something good? Not today, my friends.
Hailing from the Adelaide Hills, 78 Degrees make one of the best vodkas going around. It’s made using the waste of the winemaking industry – AKA grape marc (skins, seeds, fruit and juice) – and charcoal filtered to ensure its purity. It’s beautifully neutral and smooth, with subtle floral and citrus notes. Try it in a simple two-ingredient Lychee Martini and you’ll see what I mean.
Member price: $55 | Non-member price: $65.99
