Improved macadamia orgeat limeade is a seasonal Australian lime and macadamia twist on Jerry Thomas’ Orgeat Lemonade featuring macadamia orgeat syrup, fresh lime juice and macadamia and wattleseed liqueur. Orgeat Lemonade appears in the Temperance Drinks section of Thomas’ 1862 ­Bar-tender’s Guide and calls for orgeat syrup – an old fashioned type of almond cordial, in which almond milk is preserved with sugar, often flavoured with orange flower or rose water – here mixed with lemon juice, water and ice, garnished with berries in season. Improved macadamia orgeat limeade uses readily available in season limes rather than lemons and swaps out almond orgeat for a from scratch macadamia orgeat syrup and is improved with macadamia and wattleseed liqueur which adds rich nutty and chocolate notes. 

Autumn grape silver sour features an Autumn grape shrub syrup, paired with oaked gin and spicy honey liqueur, honey syrup and a real free range organic egg white, garnished with a sprinkle of cinnamon, a single red grape and an edible nasturtium flower. Autumn grape silver sour is a warming and spicy Autumn cocktail marking the change of season, colder weather and celebrating the most delicious red sweet Autumn grapes. 

Lime lightening dark ‘n stormy is a seasonal pickle lime twist on a classic dark and stormy Bermudan rum highball cocktail where the ginger beer is given a bespoke lime kick by infusion with kaffir lime leaves and lime zest and cold fermentation of raw lime juice. Kaffir lime and lime fermented ginger beer is paired with fresh lime juice and black Bermudan rum for a refreshing rum, ginger, lime highball cocktail served over ice in a tall glass garnished with a lime wheel and a flamed kaffir lime leaf representing the fire resulting from a strike of lime lightening. 

Honey Rhubarb Silver Sour: Drought Relief Dream is a Gin Sour using McDonough’s 1883 Silver Sour recipe, with a Tasmanian honey and seasonal pickle rhubarb twist, using leatherwood honey syrup and leatherwood mead combined with a jammy rhubarb shrub syrup, real free range organic egg white and pepper berry infused oaked gin, garnished with Angostura bitters and a rain drop on a nasturtium leaf. 

Cherry shrub brandy daisy is a pickle twist on a vintage brandy daisy recipe appearing in the revised 1887 edition of Jerry Thomas’ Bar-tender’s Guide where the lemon and sugar are swapped out for a raw cacao and vanilla cherry shrub syrup and honey syrup enriched with bee pollen and nutmeg geranium. 

Rhubarb shrub gin fix cocktail is a pickle twist on Jerry Thomas’ 1862 Gin Fix where sugar, lemon and water are swapped out for agave syrup and rhubarb shrub syrup spiced with lemon and cinnamon myrtle and strawberry gum for flavours of zesty lemon, sweet cinnamon and delicate strawberry. 

Blueberry shrub pisco sour cocktail is a pickle twist on the classic Peruvian pisco brandy sour cocktail using a blueberry shrub syrup drinking vinegar infused with fresh lemon, thyme, coriander and cinnamon, flavoured with low GI cane sugar and preserved with coconut vinegar. This is a gorgeous mauve coloured dessert cocktail that uses a real free range organic egg to add a rich smooth creamy texture and mouthfeel and a Blue Mountains Ironbark honey syrup. The blueberry shrub pisco sour cocktail is garnished with a sprig of fresh thyme in flower with light purple flowers and Amargo Chuncho Peruvian bitters. 

Blueberry shrub syrup preserves fresh in season blueberries in coconut vinegar, flavoured with low GI cane sugar, thyme, lemon, coriander and cinnamon for a refreshing and healthy drink with soda water. Blueberry shrub syrup with soda water can be improved with a port float for a flavoursome low alcohol cocktail and used in desserts and cocktails such as a blueberry pickle pisco sour cocktail. 

Rose lavender dry martini uses a cold infused homemade gin featuring a blend of botanicals including juniper, coriander, rose, lavender and orange peel for a fresh and floral dry gin that works wonderfully with Dry Vermouth, orange bitters and a blood orange twist. 

Pickle blood orange Americano cocktail is a pickle twist on the Americano highball cocktail. The pickle blood orange Americano swaps out the usual soda water for a fermented blood orange soda, flavoured with cinnamon, made with a ginger bug starter, paired with equal parts of Campari and Sweet Vermouth served over ice and garnished with fresh blood orange, for a flavourful low alcohol cocktail. 

Pickle Gin Buck Cocktail is a pickle twist on Buck cocktail recipes, such as that of Harry Craddock (1930), using a homemade fermented ginger beer paired with gin, fresh lemon juice and a dash of limoncello.

Pickle La Paloma Cocktail is a pickle grapefruit twist on a classic Mexican La Paloma – meaning ‘the dove’ in Spanish – using a from scratch fermented grapefruit soda paired with ginger, strawberry, hibiscus, cinnamon, fresh lime and grapefruit juice, blanco tequila and a grapefruit, cinnamon, salt rim garnished with a pink grapefruit segment. The Pickle La Paloma Cocktail combines sweet sour pink grapefruit and lime with sweet spice cinnamon and sea salt along with the vegetal notes of tequila for a sweet, sour, salty and spicy very refreshing spring highball cocktail. 

Lemon myrtle ginger beer spiders with macadamia aquafaba ice cream are a delicious Australian Christmas drink using a homemade fermented ginger beer flavoured with lemon myrtle and cinnamon made from scratch with a ginger bug starter and macadamia aquafaba ice cream with lemon myrtle, cinnamon and vanilla. 

Strawberry ginger beer Chilcano de pisco is a seasonal pickle variation on the Chilcano de pisco cocktail usually made with Peruvian grape brandy Pisco, lime juice, bitters and ginger ale, in this pickle twist the ginger ale is swapped out for a home brewed fermented strawberry ginger beer with cinnamon, rose petals and hibiscus and the lime juice is changed up to pink grapefruit juice. The Strawberry ginger beer Chilcano de pisco cocktail is a refreshing and zingy ginger, strawberry and grapefruit cocktail with depth and complexity of flavour from the addition of delicate rose petals, tart hibiscus and sweet cinnamon, dashed with grapefruit bitters. 

Improved strawberry shrub is a seasonal twist on Jerry Thomas’ 1862 recipe for ‘222. Lemonade.’ which is made by the glass calling for lemon juice, sugar, strawberry or raspberry syrup, orange slices, water in a large bar glass of crushed ice dashed with port, using a strawberry blood orange and cinnamon shrub syrup. 

Quince Wattleseed Alexander Cocktail is a seasonal quince twist on Harry Craddock’s 1930 Alexander Cocktail. (No. 2.) recipe appearing in The Savoy Cocktail Book using a homemade vintage style quince cordial with a brandy base infused with fresh quinces and spices including wattleseed, crème de cocoa, coconut cream, garnished with crushed wattleseed. 

Improved blood orangeade is a seasonal blood orange twist on Jerry Thomas’ 1862 recipe for fine lemonade or orangeade for parties using blood oranges infused with cinnamon, sherry and egg white for a refreshing and complex citrus spice flavoured drink.

Pineapple shrub gin fix cocktail is a pickle pineapple twist on gin Fix recipes using pineapple syrup, such as that found in the Official Hand-book and Guide of the Bartender’s Association of New York City (1895: 24). This pineapple style Fix is a fancy variation on the Fix, which sweetens the drink with a pineapple syrup and sours it with lemon juice, adding a fancy fruit garnish and straws. I have swapped out the pineapple syrup and lemon juice for a pineapple shrub spiced with cinnamon, coriander and ginger and preserved with coconut vinegar for a seasonal pickle twist on this classic pineapple Fix variation. 

Carrot shrub daisy cocktail uses a carrot shrub syrup drinking vinegar made from sweet winter baby carrots spiced with cinnamon, pepper berries and rosemary and sweetened with low GI cane sugar, preserved in apple cider vinegar, to flavour and sour a Jerry Thomas (1876: 88) Daisy style cocktail with a difference. The carrot shrub daisy cocktail is made with spiced carrot shrub and a base of coconut palm arrack, a dash of orange bitters, agave syrup and soda water, served over crushed ice, garnished with a whole carrot, orange slices and a rosemary sprig. 

Apple shrub gin fizz cocktail is a crisp refreshing gin apple cocktail using a pink lady apple shrub syrup drinking vinegar, gin and agave syrup shaken with ice and topped with soda water. The pink lady apple shrub syrup drinking vinegar is made with in season pink lady apples, apple cider vinegar, low GI cane sugar, star anise and Australian indigenous spices strawberry gum and cinnamon myrtle. 

Cumquat brandy: cardamom, star anise preserves whole in season cumquats in brandy flavoured with cardamom, star anise and demerara sugar and creates a flavourful spiced cumquat liqueur. The preserved cumquats and the spiced cumquat liqueur can be used in desserts and cocktails and make wonderful gifts. 

Fancy quince brandy champagne cocktail is a modern seasonal twist on Jerry Thomas’ (1862: 157) recipe for a fancy brandy cocktail appearing in his Bar-tender’s Guide using homemade vintage quince cordial flavoured with ginger and rose, curacao, orange bitters, topped with champagne and garnished with a lemon, a demerara sugar rim and lemon twist. 

Blood orange pomegranate gin Daisy cocktail is a modern seasonal twist on a classic fancier style Daisy cocktail using in season blood oranges and homemade grenadine syrup from fresh pomegranates.

Quince pickle brandy sour cocktail is a seasonal pickle twist on Jerry Thomas’ Brandy Sour recipe appearing in the 1887 edition of his Bar-tender’s Guide (Thomas 1887: 890), using quince pickle brine as the souring agent instead of lemon juice, which imparts a sour-sweet note from the apple cider vinegar based brine, as well as a punch of quince and spice flavour. 

Harry’s pick me up cocktail with homemade grenadine is a seasonal variation on Harry’s pick me up cocktail appearing in Harry Craddock’s 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book using a homemade from scratch grenadine flavoured with fresh in season pomegranate juice, homemade pomegranate molasses and rose water. 

Rustic quince apple jam uses quinces with the skins on to retain the most quince flavour, paired with a blend of spices; coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla bean. 

Rustic quince apple jam uses quinces with the skins on to retain the most quince flavour, paired with a blend of spices; coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla bean. 

Quince apple jam gin sour cocktail is a tart, fresh, fruity, floral and spicy gin cocktail that uses rustic quince apple jam as a sweetener and flavouring agent to balance tart lemon juice, finished with an orange twist garnish. 

Homemade grenadine, also known as pomegranate syrup, is made from fresh in season pomegranates flavoured with low GI cane sugar, homemade pomegranate molasses featuring lemon and heat reduction to create complex sugars and rose water. 

Spiced pickled quinces are a delicious way to preserve in season quinces in brine using apple cider vinegar, coconut lsugar and spices including cinnamon, star anise, coriander and indigenous Australian spice strawberry gum.