When it comes to harnessing the power of Indigenous ingredients, where it comes from is as critical as what you use and how.
If you were to peruse our library of cocktails, the hundreds of recipes across Dan’s Daily, you’d be able to make two observations: 1. Most cocktails were created overseas, and 2. Most ingredients, if not all, are not native to Australia. If we examine the maxim that fresh is best, or even what grows together goes together, it begs a couple of questions. Are we doing a disservice to our cocktails by not using Australia’s native flora? And why have we been ignoring more than 60,000 years of expertise from our Indigenous Australian produce masters for so long?
Australia is not a young country. In fact, it's one of the oldest countries in the world. That means our plants, animals and insects are super ancient, but also super unique. Because of this, you’d be hard-pressed not to find a fine-dining restaurant, cocktail bar or distillery on home shores that isn’t using at least a few native ingredients these days. Even looking overseas, gulalung (finger lime), the “caviar of citrus”, is being grown in places like Los Angeles due to high demand.
With exposure and knowledge of our native ingredients spreading globally, and their popularity rapidly increasing, how can we best support the original stewards of this produce? Evan Stroeve, CEO/Director of Pollen Hospitality and owner of Sydney bar The Waratah puts it this way: “If you’re using Indigenous produce, where it comes from and who it was bought from, is as important, if not more, than how it is being used.”
The menus across Evan’s many past and present venues read as a love letter to our ancient flora and fauna. At the front of The Waratah’s cocktail list, you’ll find a dedication: “Australia makes some of the best wines in the world, and The Hunter is her oldest grape-growing region. But it is home to so much more. The vineyards and wineries of the Hunter region broadly sit on the traditional lands of the Wonnarua and Geawegal people. This Country finds the Hunter River at its core, surrounded by the vast, mountainous woodlands of the Great Dividing Range. At the lower reaches of the Hunter Valley, closer to the coast, sit the traditional lands of the Awabakal Nation, centred around Lake Macquarie. What follows is a liquid dedication to the beautiful bounty of produce that calls the Hunter home, and our opportunity to tell the stories of the men and women who grow it.”
With this in mind, we chatted to Evan and the people behind two Indigenous Australian-owned and run businesses, Warndu and Indigiearth, about using these precious ingredients to seriously upgrade your cocktails.
Using native Australian ingredients in food and liquor, is nothing new – Indigenous communities have used them in this way forever. More recently, many producers and venues have been taking cues from these traditions in their own ways. Byron Bay’s Brookie’s Gin has been using the bright red ooray fruit (davidson plum) in their seasonal Slow Gin and Tasmania’s Hartshorn Distillery infuses strawberry gum in their whey vodka. In venues, we see ingredients like wattleseed bolster the Africola cocktail at Sydney’s PS40, girri girri (lemon myrtle) commonly added to their house sodas and gulalung (finger lime) as a popular garnish. But how do we use these rich and ancient ingredients in our cocktails at home?
Sharon Winsor, a Ngemba Weilwan woman from Western NSW, is the founder of Indigiearth, a 100% Indigenous Australian-owned and run supplier of native ingredients. “There are no particular special ways that they need to be prepared,” explains Sharon. “Just be careful with how much you use – too much can be overpowering, so small amounts go a long way… I suggest experimenting.” She would know – she works with other Indigenous Australian businesses across the country in the native food space, assisting with the growth of Indigenous Australian ownership in the industry.
The easiest way to incorporate native Aussie ingredients in your cocktails is to play around with your garnishes. Evan explains, “I think the best way to introduce anyone who is new to Indigenous produce via drinks is to use a garnish that is fresh, tactile, real. Things like girri girri (lemon myrtle), anise myrtle, strawberry gum, blue gum, Geraldton wax.” All are wonderfully fresh, but also very fragrant. Try pegging some girri girri leaves to the side of your gin drink (like a Gimlet), to complement those citrusy botanicals. Or tuck a sprig of native thyme beside your straw in your next Spritz, for some lovely herbaceous, minty aromas.
If you have freeze-dried fruit powders like ooray fruit (davidson plum), desert lime, quandong (native peach), or gubinge (Kakadu plum), combine them with a bit of sugar and/or salt. Moisten the rim of your glass with lime juice, then roll it in the mixture for a delightful native fruit rim. Just be sure to taste the mix first, as these fruits can be quite strong. This addition is especially good for Daiquiri and Margarita Daisy-style drinks.
Pepperberry can be used in the same way you would use household pepper, however it does pack a bigger punch. It has a nice woody cinnamon smell, but is also sharp and bitey, giving off an oily, mineral-like scent. So, adding it sparingly to your rich and savoury cocktails, like your Marys and Micheladas or even your Dirty Martinis, will give the drink a complex spiciness.
Remember when we said, “You can pretty much make syrups out of anything?” The same goes for our native ingredients. “They actually work really well made into sugar syrups and shrub bases,” says Indigiearth’s Sharon. You just need to be careful how much you use, so trial and error and experimentation are key here. To start you off on your journey, why not give wattleseed syrup a go? Harvested from the Flinders Ranges, wattleseed is very similar to coffee in bouquet with hints of sweet spices, raisins and chocolate. We suggest 1 cup water, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup orange juice, a pinch of salt and 15 grams of ground wattleseed. Bring it to the boil and simmer until reduced. Once cooled, this beautiful and flavourful syrup is a perfect addition to your coffee cocktails, and yes that means the Espresso Martini, but also all your big-flavoured chocolate and creamy cocktails. too.
Likewise goes for your infusions and shrubs. Because of the intense flavours of Australian native botanicals, a less-is-more approach is needed. So, if you choose to infuse a spirit (vodka is probably best) then be sure to use smaller amounts for less time. “I like desert lime,” explains Evan. “Our supplier, Naway Yila Buradja, has two types: one smaller and sharper, one larger and sweeter. Both are CSIRO hybrids developed to test the viability of citrus in arid climates – they’re great infused and distilled, but also pickled and pureed.”
Perhaps the simplest way to incorporate native ingredients into your cocktail is to invest in freeze-dried powdered fruits. Toss a little into your shaker for a fun but big and punchy twist on a Marg or Daiquiri. Rebecca Sullivan is one of the co-founders of Warndu alongside Damien Coulthard (Adnyamathanha and Dieri man of the Flinders Ranges), along with Siobhan O’Toole – Warndu is an Adnyamathanha word meaning ‘good’. “Our freeze-dried native fruits in particular are so AMAZING in cocktails because they look stunning – vibrant bold colours with a huge array of sensory feel goods,” she explains. “And they pack a massive punch so just a sprinkle will enhance any cocktail you make. Plus, it's such a rich point of conversation to speak about First Nations foods.” Working in collaboration with Indigenous communities, harvesters and growers throughout Australia, every Warndu product – ranging from loose-leaf lemon myrtle tea to freeze-dried finger lime – is carefully considered. Damien and Rebecca are also the award-winning authors of books First Nations Food Companion and Warndu Mai.
There are more than 6,500 documented native foods in Australia. Of that number, only 13 are certified for market locally and internationally by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). This means there is more and more to learn – over 60,000 years' worth. And as demand grows for native Aussie ingredients, it is important that we are getting the information from the right sources.
“First Nations culture is unique, should be celebrated because it is unique, should be financially supported because it is unique, and should be embraced, understood and never absorbed,” says Evan. “In a multimillion-dollar industry, less than 2% of business owners, financial beneficiaries, are Indigenous. That. Is. f#$*ed.” But Evan says it’s really easy for us to support First Nations businesses. “We’re not yet at the point where demand outstrips that supply. Do some research, and build connections and networks.”
