Australian Cocktails: 6 Drinks with Native & Local Flavours
From Lemon Myrtle to Bush Lemon — Bringing Australian Character into the Cocktail Glass
What makes a cocktail taste Australian?
It doesn't need a miniature flag on the garnish.
For us, it starts with the flavours.
Lemon myrtle. Bush lemon. Native botanicals. Herbs. Citrus.
Ingredients with a connection to the Australian landscape can take familiar cocktail structures — a Sour, Spritz or Martini — and send them in a completely different direction.
At Tamborine Mountain Distillery, we've spent years experimenting with Australian ingredients across our spirits and liqueurs.
Here are six cocktails that put some of those flavours to work.
Three Bottles, Plenty of Possibilities
You don't need an enormous cocktail cabinet to start experimenting.
Three bottles featured heavily in these recipes:
Lemon Myrtle Vodka
Lemon Myrtle Vodka brings the unmistakable aromatic citrus character of lemon myrtle into a clean vodka base.
It's particularly useful anywhere you would normally reach for citrus — Sours, Martinis and simple soda serves are a good place to begin.
Australian Herbal Liqueur
Australian Herbal Liqueur takes things in a more herbal and botanical direction.
Rather than using it as the dominant ingredient in every drink, it can be particularly interesting in smaller amounts alongside citrus and other spirits.
Bush Limoncello
Bush Limoncello brings Australian bush lemon character to the familiar cello style of citrus liqueur.
Try it chilled first.
Then put it to work in Spritzes, long drinks and citrus-led cocktails.
The interesting part comes when you start combining the three.
1. Lemon Myrtle Sour |
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The classic Sour structure gives you spirit, citrus and sweetness. Our Lemon Myrtle Sour builds on that familiar idea with Lemon Myrtle Vodka and Australian Herbal Liqueur. Fresh lemon reinforces the citrus character while the herbal liqueur introduces another botanical layer. It's a good starting point if you're new to Australian botanical flavours because the cocktail structure itself remains reassuringly familiar. |
2. Green & Gold |
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Some cocktail names don't require much explanation. The Green & Gold combines Bush Limoncello with Australian Herbal Liqueur, creating both a visual contrast and an interaction between citrus and herbal flavours. It's one of those drinks where presentation is part of the fun. |
3. Bush Limoncello Spritz |
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4. Down Under Zest |
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If you want to see all three bottles working together, this is the one. The Down Under Zest combines Australian Herbal Liqueur, Lemon Myrtle Vodka and Bush Limoncello with fresh lime and soda. Citrus leads the drink, but the herbal character underneath keeps it from becoming simply another lemon cocktail.
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5. Lemon Sherbet |
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Two lemon-inspired spirits. One very easy drink. The Lemon Sherbet combines Bush Limoncello and Lemon Myrtle Vodka with soda water for a bright, sparkling long drink. What's interesting is that the two lemon characters aren't identical. Bush lemon and lemon myrtle bring different aromas and flavours to the glass, which makes the combination more interesting than its short ingredient list might suggest.
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6. Lemon Myrtle Vodka Martini |
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Sometimes the best way to understand an unusual spirit is not to surround it with lots of ingredients. The Lemon Myrtle Vodka Martini keeps things deliberately restrained: Lemon Myrtle Vodka and vermouth, served cold. That simplicity gives the lemon myrtle room to show what it brings to the vodka. ► MAKE THE LEMON MYRTLE VODKA MARTINI
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How Do You Use Australian Botanicals in Cocktails?
You don't necessarily need to invent a cocktail from scratch.
Start with a drink you already understand.
A Sour gives you spirit, citrus and sweetness.
A Spritz gives you liqueur, bubbles and dilution.
A Martini gives a botanical spirit plenty of room to be noticed.
A Highball lets you lengthen a distinctive spirit with soda or another simple mixer.
Then change one element.
Swap ordinary vodka for Lemon Myrtle Vodka.
Try Bush Limoncello where you might otherwise use a conventional citrus liqueur.
Introduce a small measure of Australian Herbal Liqueur into a citrus-led drink.
Taste it.
Then decide what the cocktail needs next.
That's usually a better way to experiment than putting every interesting Australian ingredient you own into the same shaker.
Want to Learn More About Australian Native Botanicals?
The cocktail is only half the story.
Ingredients such as lemon myrtle and other Australian native botanicals have distinctive histories, aromas and flavour characteristics long before they reach a bottle.
We've explored some of those ingredients — and the ways we use them at Tamborine Mountain Distillery — in our guide to Australian botanicals.
► DISCOVER AUSTRALIAN NATIVE BOTANICALS
Start with the Flavour, Not the Flag
An Australian cocktail doesn't need to look like a novelty.
It can be as simple as taking a familiar drink and introducing an ingredient that gives it a stronger sense of place.
A Martini with lemon myrtle.
A Spritz built around bush lemon.
A Sour with Australian botanical character.
The cocktail remains recognisable.
But something about it has changed.
And that's where things get interesting.
► EXPLORE OUR AUSTRALIAN BOTANICAL FLAVOURS
► DISCOVER MORE COCKTAIL RECIPES
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Australian botanical cocktails?
Australian botanical cocktails use spirits, liqueurs or ingredients featuring botanicals associated with Australia, including native ingredients such as lemon myrtle. They can range from simple highballs and Spritzes to Sours and Martinis.
What does lemon myrtle taste like in a cocktail?
Lemon myrtle has a highly aromatic citrus character. In cocktails it can introduce a distinctly lemony aroma and flavour without simply behaving like fresh lemon juice, making it particularly interesting in drinks such as Martinis and Sours.
What cocktails can you make with Lemon Myrtle Vodka?
Lemon Myrtle Vodka works well in simple cocktails where its aromatic character has room to show. Try it in a Vodka Martini, Sour or long drink with soda, or combine it with other citrus and botanical flavours.
Can you use Bush Limoncello in a Spritz?
Yes. Bush Limoncello can be used in a Spritz with sparkling wine and soda, giving the familiar Limoncello Spritz structure an Australian bush lemon direction.
How do I start making cocktails with unusual botanicals?
Start with a cocktail structure you already know, such as a Sour, Martini, Spritz or Highball, and change one ingredient. This makes it much easier to understand what the new botanical is contributing to the drink.
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