What’s On This Weekend: Food and Drink

Looking for something to do this weekend? Find out what’s happening in food and drink in your local area. Words by Hannah Sparks Beer and Merch Fest This Saturday, Beer Cartel is opening up its Artarmon warehouse to members of the public to come and scavenger through the mammoth collection of beer merchandise it has…

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Five Great Wine and Spirits Disasters

Many years ago, a mate of mine ducked down to the local to pick up a couple of bottles. It happened to be a young gewurz wine as he and his wife were off to the Chinese at the end of the street for dinner and a bottle of Château Pétrus (from Bordeaux, and one of…

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The Ancient Fermented Tonic: Kombucha

Once the elixir of hippies and health nuts, kombucha has been thrust into the limelight of the mainstream in recent years. The fermented tea drink is fast surpassing soft drink sales, with the kombucha market poised to grow by 25% each year through to 2020. But where did this functional beverage come from and why…

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Four Great Whiskies to Try

Did you celebrate International Whisk(e)y Day (March 27) this week? By the way, the brackets around that all important “e” are necessary as we do not wish to exclude those not Scottish. It is, of course, not to be confused with World Whisky Day (WWD, the third Saturday of May). Seriously, quite why this great spirit needs…

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Discover Victoria’s Hidden Gem: The Moorabool Valley Wine Region

A burgeoning food and wine region in a pocket of Victoria many people have probably never heard of is the state’s newest tourist trail. Word by Kirstie Bedford The Moorabool Valley, tucked away north-west of Geelong, is one of Australia’s finest cool climate wine regions and has been creating quality wines for decades but has…

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So Good It Would Be a Crime Not to Go: Alibi

Forget needing an excuse to go out, we’ve got you an Alibi. Sydney’s new cocktail bar in the hot waterfront destination of Woolloomooloo has got everyone talking. Words by Hannah Sparks While it might not be the first thing we’d think to mention about a venue, it’s Alibi’s 100% plant-based food offering that has ‘transpired’…

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An Effervescent Future: House of Arras

Ondenc and ugni blanc – most wine lovers will have no idea of just what they are, but a few might recognise these as the names of rather obscure French varieties. There was a time when they, and other lesser grapes, played a major role in the Australian wine industry, as key to sparkling wine….

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How To: Refreshing Cucumber & Elderflower Collins

Makes 4 drinks GLASS: Tall glass (plus jug) INGREDIENTS: 180ml Gin 60ml Elderflower cordial 80ml Fresh lemon juice 360ml Soda water METHOD: Add ample ice to a jug. Add gin and elderflower cordial to the jug. Squeesh the fresh lemon juice and add to the jug. Add soda water. Add fresh mint and slices of…

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Ten Minutes by Tractor

News of a fire causing significant damage at Mornington Peninsula winery, Ten Minutes by Tractor, hit the airwaves a couple of weeks ago. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Sadly, a significant portion of its museum collection of wine – valued at around half a million dollars – was destroyed, as were several vintage tractors (a 1928…

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A Spirited Tale from Ireland

Irish whisk(e)y was once an export powerhouse. From the late 18th century, the Irish distillers controlled 90% of global whiskey exports. That’s until the Scots started to expand their industry and make their export assault in the second half of the 19th century. Would you believe that back then Australia was Britain’s largest export market…

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Toast to St Patrick’s Day

St Patrick’s Day – a religious tribute to Ireland’s most famous saint or an excuse to drink until you turn green? Well, they are not mutually exclusive. Having done the overseas thing seemingly many years ago, I was always a bit surprised to find that the day meant more to Americans – who certainly celebrated…

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