What to drink with chocolate
Stop! Put that bottle of shiraz down. Red wine is rarely chocolate's best friend, according to Max Allen.
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Top Drops: May 2017
From a bold Australian pale ale to a bitter and herbal chinato from Italy, here's what we'll be drinking this month.
Where to have a drink this Good Friday
If you’re not practicing Easter tradition this Good Friday, here’s our pick of bars remaining open across Australia.
Bar Rochford’s Gun Club
An all-season stunner to transport you to the tropics.
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Dung: gin’s final frontier
Archie Rose Distilling Co's latest release incorporates the droppings of our native animals. Is this a step too far?
Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden’s very own gin
Distillery Botanica’s head distiller was let loose in the garden to bottle its essence.
The World’s Best sommeliers are coming to Australia
For the first time, the world's top international sommeliers will take part in the World's 50 Best Awards too.
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Vermouth is having a moment
More and more adventurous local winemakers are embracing Vermouth's botanicals.
Mango, turmeric and ginger-lime nectar
Have this chilling in the fridge so it’s set to be served over ice when you’re ready. It’s great at brunch and it would also be excellent frozen in popsicle moulds.
Western Australia’s new wave of winemakers
Adventurous winemakers in the West are applying a distinct lo-fi approach to their craft, writes Max Allen.
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Top drops: March 2017
From a floral bottle of English bubble to a tangy gin perfect for a Dirty Martini, here's what we'll be drinking this month.
Archie Rose’s latest gin is inspired by autumn in Japan
Featuring botanicals of red miso, sansho pepper and burdock root.
Bennelong’s elderflower and cucumber smash
Reboot and refresh with this sweet and savoury non-alcoholic cocktail.
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Australia’s top 20 rieslings
We’re spoilt for variety – and value – in Australia when it comes to good riesling. Max Allen picks the top 20 from a fine crop.
Hot Plates: Avenue C Wine Co, Canberra
A wine bar with simple food to match.
Signature Drink: Sweetwater’s Basil Smash
A simple twist on a gin classic.
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Ten top vermouths to try
Vermouth is having a moment as adventurous local winemakers embrace the botanicals. Here are 10 of our top picks.
A guide to celebrating Peru’s National Pisco Sour Day
While it's not an Australian national holiday, why not take the excuse to celebrate?
Australia’s new crop of urban wineries
Get a taste of vintage as well as the vine with the new crop of urban wineries, writes Max Allen.
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The Rosita
We're calling this one the saucy cousin to the Negroni.
This summer’s best Australian wine label
Here's the story behind it.
Big Poppa’s Punching Above
A zesty riff on an après-ski pick-me-up.
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Nectarine Sgroppino
A classic Sgroppino is made with lemon sorbet and vodka, topped with sparkling wine. We've gone for a Bellini-style twist with a nectarine sorbet.
Tropical Swizzle
To mark our 50th anniversary, we collaborated with Patrón Tequila and Neil Perry to create a Mexican-themed birthday feast that included this pineapple tequila swizzle. Cheers. Combine 10 ml falernum (an almond and lime syrup; available from liquor shops), 15 ml pineapple juice, 15 ml lime juice and 50 ml Patrón Silver in a double rocks […]
Gibson cocktail
A simple twist on the Martini that's simply delicious.
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The Sabino cocktail
We owe Puglia-born wine distributor Sabino Matera for this simple and sublime sundowner. A fresh bottle of vermouth makes all the difference in The Sabino.
Seymour’s cocktail bar opens in Brisbane
Cocktails and oysters are on the menu at the new venture by the Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall team.
Toreador #2
To mark our 50th anniversary, we collaborated with Patrón Tequila and Neil Perry to create a Mexican-themed birthday feast.
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Handpicked Wines opens a cellar door in Sydney
Acting as an all-encompassing sensory and educational space, Handpicked Wines’ new flagship urban cellar door on Kensington Street in Sydney’s Chippendale is as strikingly designed as it is useful.
Top drops: December 2016
No eggnog here: this December, we're drinking a seven-apple cider blend, a spicy durif, and a luscious sweet Riesling.
50/50 Sazerac
Big in the '60s, the 50/50 Sazerac is a dry cocktail similar to an Old Fashioned, give or take a dash of bitter and a splash of absinthe.
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Royal Mail Hotel unveils $2.8 million cellar
Welcome to the largest private collection of Burgundy and Bordeaux in the southern hemisphere. You’re now allowed to step inside.
El Diablo
To mark our 50th anniversary, we collaborated with Patrón Tequila and Neil Perry to create a Mexican-themed birthday feast.
The Everleigh’s summer of cocktails
The Everleigh's Michael Mudrusan and Zara Young share their favourite cocktail for every summer occasion, from poolside afternoons to Christmas Day.
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50/50 Sazerac
The classic New Orleans cocktail, made with a half-and-half mix of cognac and rye whiskey.
Rum punch
Pineapple, orange, rum and bitters - what's not to love about this party-starting punch?
Top drops: November 2016
Whatever the cause for celebration, Max Allen has a juicy drop to enhance the festive spirit, from convivial red by the magnum to exuberant bubbles. Here’s to good times.
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Four Pillars’ Australian Christmas Gin
Have you ever tried distilled Christmas pudding? Christmas spirit redefined.
Dion Lee delves into wine bottle design
From dresses to wine bottles, what will Sydney designer Dion Lee do next?
The inside guide to sparkling wine
Vignerons around the world—yes, even outside the boundaries of Champagne, France—are now producing an exceptional offering of sparklings to unprecedented quality. Here, your guide to deciphering those in the market and best enjoying your drop of choice.
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Turning spit into brandy
Upcycling wine from spit buckets into brandy? Only at Rootstock.
Signature drink: La Buvette’s Calvados Sour
Another way to have your apple a day.
The world’s most oyster-friendly wine
Southern NSW oyster farmer Steve Feletti met his ideal wine match in the picpoul variety and now produces it here.
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A hotel dedicated to gin is opening in London
A modern-day gin palace, The Distillery, is set to open in the middle of London’s Portobello Market this year.
Our favourite wine lists of 2016
We don't have an official Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Wine List of the Year Hall of Fame. But if we did, it'd look a lot like this.
Top Drops: October
These are the drops we're savouring this month, from a tangy fortified wine to a refreshingly dry Australian rosé and a bargain bin riesling.
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Sydney’s Baxter Inn makes The World’s 50 Best Bars list
Two more Australian bars made the cut too.
Vaporetto’s Italian Stallion
A sunny orange tonic with sizzle.
Canberra’s new wave of great bars
Canberra just keeps getting cooler - and we're not talking about the weather.
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Top drops: September
These are the drops we've been drinking this month, from a Victorian shiraz to an apple brandy imported from Normandy.
Melbourne’s best late-night bars
As the shutters come down in other Australian capitals, Melbourne's vibrant nightlife is just hitting its stride. Michael Harden burns the midnight oil at the city's best late-night bars and diners.
Game up your G&Ts with a Distiller’s Strength Gin
Is this the year of gin going where no botanicals have gone before?
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Merlot redux
Long overlooked in favour of cabernet, Australian merlot looks set to enjoy its time in the sun, writes Max Allen.
On the House: Bar Rochford in four drinks
In On the House, the tenders of our favourite bars talk us through their spiritual homes, glass by glass. Here's Bar Rochford’s Nick Smith, starting things with easy-slinging sweet and dark vermouth (and vinyl to match).
Top drops: August
From an extra hoppy IPA to a nicely bitter Australian vermouth, these are the drops that are getting us through that final winter month.
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Signature Drink: The Baxter Inn’s Charlestown
Grab the mink and the fedora – this Baxter cocktail means business.
The new wave of whisky
New World whiskies are making a splash with unique flavours cooking in the barrel.
Cachaça, the spirit of Brazil
Cachaça is as bold as Brazil, best expressed in the boisterous and joyful Caipirinha, writes Max Allen.
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Mandarin and Pink Peppercorn Caipirinha
“This is a drink found in good bars and also one you’d knock up for friends at dinner parties,” says ex-Garagistes chef Luke Burgess.
Signature Drink: The Lobo Plantation’s Rum & Rye
An update of the classic Old Fashioned with a bit of island flair.
Top Drops: July 2016
Our top ten alcoholic picks for the month.
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The bar at Dinner by Heston goes public
No dinner booking at Dinner? No problem, there’s a newly available seat at the bar.
Bloody Shiraz Gin
A Victorian region best known for its wine is producing a gin with a difference.
Drinks for Dry July at PS40
We head down to Sydney bar PS40 for some tips (and recipes) for dialing back the booze while still quenching your thirst this Dry July.
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Highball Express’s Jack Rose Fizz
This liberated classic is your passport to good times.
Working the flor
Local winemakers are using a centuries-old technique to produce excitingly complex wines.
The Huon Valley Mid-Winter Festival
The Apple Islanders celebrate cider with a mid-winter festival and have a wassail of a time.
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Smalls’ East India
A smooth and easy-drinking apéritif bound to bring on the good times.
Top drinks of the month: June 2016
What we're drinking this month, including cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir and more, writes Max Allen.
Watch the lights of Vivid Sydney from these bars
Escape the crowds with these bars with a view.
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Late Night Valentine’s Late Night Crusta
A new way to enjoy an old favourite.
Beechworth’s new winemakers
An energetic and accomplished new crop of wine talent is taking Beechworth to the next level.
On the house: Bar Brosé in four drinks
Ed Loveday, co-owner and co-sommelier at Sydney’s Bar Brosé, walks us through the line-up.
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Hot 100: What’s new in drinks
From luxury tea to smashable Aussie reds and cocktails in tins, these are the biggest trends in drink-land right now.
Top drinks of the month: May 2016
What we're drinking this month, including pinot meunier, sugarcane rum and more.
Bar Rochford opens in Canberra
Canberra gains a new bar, with top-notch bar snacks and a touch of jazz.
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Craft beer bouquets
Sydney’s Brewquets delivers thank you gifts for craft-beer enthusiasts.
New cocktail bar and soda factory to open in Sydney’s CBD
Sydney's CBD is in for quite the (fizzy) shake-up when PS40, a combined bar and soda factory, opens this month on King Street.
Seven new Sydney bars opening soon
Fear not, Sydney. Melbourne might have its wine bar crawl sorted, but this year a host of new Sydney bars will keep the good times rolling in the city. Here are our top picks of Sydney bars to watch.
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Prince Wine Store to open a bar in Sydney
The Prince Wine Store set up shop in Sydney’s Zetland more than a year ago and now, just like its South Melbourne mothership, it’s getting its own wine bar where punters get to drink wines from one of the best independent wine shops in the country at retail prices. Danielle Rensonnet, head chef of Bellota, […]
On the house: The Beaufort in three drinks
In On the House, the tenders of our favourite bars talk us through their spiritual homes, glass by glass. Here's The Beaufort's Dave Kerr, starting things with a Martini.
Earl’s Juke Joint team to open new tiki bar
David Lynch and tiki culture are the inspiration for Jacoby’s, a brand-new bar by a top-notch Sydney team.
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A return to sauvignon blanc
A radical return to old winemaking methods is rehabilitating sauvingnon blanc, writes Max Allen.
Big Poppa’s to open on Oxford Street
Lewis Jaffrey and Jared Merlino are taking over the Hello Sailor site and turning it into an Italian restaurant/hip-hop bar.
Melbourne wine bars
Melbourne has a fresh crop of wine bars as notable for their kitchens as their cellars. Join us for a crawl?
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Raising the bar: a Melbourne wine bar crawl
An array of trendy new wine bars have cropped up in Melbourne that are as notable for their food as they are for their cellars.
Cocktails by the batch
Did the cocktail game just get easier? We look at why more and more cocktails are being served straight from the bottle and not the shaker.
A new bar with 400 gins
Lee Ho Fook's sommelier is set to open his very own gin bar in Melbourne, this spring.
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On the House: Bar Liberty in four drinks
Welcome to our new series On the House, in which the tenders of our favourite bars talk us through their spiritual homes, glass by glass. First up, Bar Liberty's Banjo Harris Plane.
Sydney’s Cake Wines to open a permanent cellar door
Don’t expect a dog, a truck or a winemaker named Brian to greet you at Cake Wines’ new cellar door. It’s right in the middle of Sydney.
Pink Moon Saloon’s Sugar Pea Southside
A zesty autumnal sipper balancing light and bright with Southern charm.
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Super-choc milkshake
The secret is the carmelised chocolate syrup - make a batch and add a decadent chocolate hit to your next baking project.
The rise of saison beers
Local craft brewers are discovering saison, a style of Belgian ale just made for summer, writes Max Allen.
Dead Ringer’s Blackstone Bramble
A summery cherry-powered treat that’ll leave you feeling as fresh as it tastes.
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Cerise
Charlie Ainsbury and Luke Ashton cocktail recipe for the Cerise from This Must be the Place in Sydney.
Wildlife
Charlie Ainsbury and Luke Ashton cocktail recipe for the Wildlife from This Must be the Place in Sydney.
Chambéry
Charlie Ainsbury and Luke Ashton cocktail recipe for the Chambéry from This Must be the Place in Sydney.
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Afterglow
Charlie Ainsbury and Luke Ashton cocktail recipe for the Afterglow from This Must be the Place in Sydney.
Evergreen
Charlie Ainsbury and Luke Ashton cocktail recipe for the Evergreen from This Must be the Place in Sydney.