Sip bush-tucker cocktails with exotic local syrups from The Native Collection
We’re (finally) in an era where sustainability is cool and local produce rules, and as a result we’re seeing more and more native Australian ingredients making their way into the kitchens and onto the menus of some of the region’s most renowned establishments. Lucky for us serial sippers, these native ingredients are now able to be woven into cocktail menus as well, thanks to a newly launched series of exotic native syrups called The Native Collection.
Local duo Katie and James Geralds, the brains behind The Native Collection, are taking native fruits and nuts and turning them into a collection of natural syrups from their glorious 105-acre sustainable farm in Tyalgum. The ingredients are kept in their purest form with no extracts used – yep, there’s a real bush-to-bar vibe going on here and we’re digging it. The collection features seven botanically diverse syrups, spanning from familiar fruits like Davidson plum and finger lime, to the more exotic riberry, pepperberry, quandong, sunrise lime and bunya nut varieties.
Local mixologists are getting on board with the bold native flavours – at The North Room you’ll find a breakfast martini with Ink Gin, sweet vermouth and The Native Collection’s sunrise lime syrup, which gives off a distinct marmalade-like taste. The bars at Taverna, The Bombay Cricketers Club, Osteria, Fu Manchu, Lucky Bao and Cocotte now have The Native Collection syrups infused into their cocktail lists. For now, we’ll see The Native Collection in bars and restaurants only – sale to the public is expected down the track … along with the release of a series of native jams, chutneys and sauces (yum!). Watch this space. Jump online for more info.
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