Good Australia Day cocktails are simple, cold and built on Australian spirits: a gin and tonic with 5Nines Wild Citrus, a Lemon Myrtle Collins and a Finger Lime Gimlet lead our eight. Each comes in millilitres with its bottle, for Tuesday 26 January 2027, using native ingredients such as lemon myrtle, finger lime and wattleseed.
Quick picks
- 5Nines Wild Citrus Gin: Adelaide Hills gin with mandarin, lime and orange, for a gin and tonic.
- Ambrosia Lemon Myrtle Vodka: a vodka from the ACT with creamy lemon and lime, for a Collins.
- Three Foxes Sunny Arvo Limoncello: organic lemons and a hint of lemon myrtle, from Victoria, for a long drink with tonic.
A standard drink in Australia is 10 g of pure alcohol. Each recipe shows its own figure, worked out from label strengths. Australia Day falls on a Tuesday in 2027, with a working Wednesday to follow for most people, so we have kept the preparation short and the shopping list small.
Eight Australia Day cocktails
Every bottle below is made in Australia, and this is where each one is from:
| Drink | Australian bottle | Made in | Standard drinks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gin and Tonic | 5Nines Wild Citrus Gin | Adelaide Hills, SA | 1.1 |
| Lemon Myrtle Collins | Ambrosia Lemon Myrtle Vodka | Fyshwick, ACT | About 1.4 at 40% |
| Finger Lime Gimlet | Never Never Triple Juniper Gin | McLaren Vale, SA | 1.5 |
| Pavlova Gin Spritz | Giselle Pavlova Gin | Brisbane, Qld | 1.3 |
| All-Australian Negroni | Never Never, Maidenii Sweet and White Possum Scarletta | SA and Victoria | 2.0 |
| LoCello | Three Foxes Sunny Arvo Limoncello | Heidelberg West, Vic | 0.9 |
| Wattleseed Coffee Tonic | White Possum Coffee Liqueur | Melbourne, Vic | 0.5 |
| Fig Amaro and Soda | Pot & Still Fig Amaro | South Australia | 0.9 |
1. Australian Gin and Tonic
Spec (ours). 30 ml gin and 100 ml tonic in a tall glass of ice, with a slice of orange, or finger lime pearls if you have them. About 1.1 standard drinks with 5Nines.
5Nines Wild Citrus is hand-peeled South Australian mandarin, lime and orange, with coriander seed, cloves and star anise. At 48.3 per cent it is the strongest gin here, which is why the pour is 30 ml. The AU Review enjoyed it with light tonic and a slice of orange, and we agree.
For a drier glass, Archie Rose Dry Gin comes from Sydney with Sunrise lime, Geraldton waxflower, Dorrigo pepperleaf and strawberry gum. Archie Rose suggests a dry tonic or soda. Canberra Distillery Summer Gin at 40 per cent has fruit and native botanicals, and the distillery suggests a fruit garnish.
2. Lemon Myrtle Collins
Spec (ours, on the IBA John Collins ratio). 45 ml lemon myrtle vodka, 30 ml fresh lemon juice, 15 ml sugar syrup and 60 ml soda, poured straight into a tall glass of ice and stirred gently. Garnish with a slice of lemon, and a lemon myrtle leaf if you can get one.
Ambrosia Lemon Myrtle Vodka comes from a small distillery in Fyshwick, ACT. We could not confirm its strength, so read the label: at 40 per cent this drink is about 1.4 standard drinks. Our own gin Collins is in summer cocktails.
3. Finger Lime Gimlet
Spec (ours). 45 ml gin, 20 ml fresh lime juice and 15 ml sugar syrup, shaken hard with ice and strained into a chilled coupe, with the pearls of one finger lime spooned in. About 1.5 standard drinks with Never Never.
Never Never Triple Juniper at 43 per cent, from McLaren Vale, has bright citrus up front and strong juniper behind it. That backbone suits the sharp lime. No finger limes? Hartshorn Finger Lime Vodka at 40 per cent is distilled with the fruit, and the Tasmanian distillery's own serve is the simplest drink here: 45 ml with 120 ml soda and fresh lime, about 1.4 standard drinks. The measure is ours.
4. Pavlova Gin Spritz
Spec (measures ours, serve from the producer). 45 ml Giselle Pavlova Gin and 100 ml light tonic or soda over ice, with a fresh strawberry and a squeeze of lemon. About 1.3 standard drinks.
Giselle at 37.5 per cent is Nosferatu's dessert gin from Brisbane, infused after distilling with vanilla, burnt sugar and a double cream essence. It leans sweet, which is why the fresh acidity matters. Nosferatu suggests a light tonic and a strawberry, with soda as the alternative.
5. All-Australian Negroni
Spec (the IBA's equal parts, with Australian bottles). 30 ml gin, 30 ml Australian sweet vermouth and 30 ml Australian bitter, poured over ice in a chilled old fashioned glass, stirred gently, with half an orange slice. About 2.0 standard drinks, the strongest here. If the bitter dominates, drop it to 20 ml, which comes to about 1.8.
Never Never is the gin. Maidenii Sweet at 16 per cent, made in Victoria, has strawberry gum, wattleseed and river mint on a Cabernet Sauvignon base and was designed with the Negroni in mind. Three Foxes Ruby Vermouth at 17 per cent swaps in rosella and toasted wattleseed. White Possum Scarletta at 26 per cent is the bitter, with local citrus peel and lemon myrtle.
The classic version is in our Christmas cocktails, and our guide to the best vermouth for a Negroni compares the vermouths.
6. LoCello
Spec (Three Foxes). 60 ml Sunny Arvo Limoncello and 90 ml tonic, over ice, with a slice of lemon and a sprig of rosemary. About 0.9 standard drinks.
Sunny Arvo at 20 per cent is made with organic lemons and a hint of lemon myrtle, and the tonic gives it a bitter edge. If you would rather use prosecco, our limoncello spritz recipe has the measures and the Australian background is in Limoncello Explained.
7. Wattleseed Coffee Tonic
Spec (ours). 30 ml coffee liqueur and 120 ml tonic in a tall glass of ice, with a strip of orange peel. About 0.5 standard drinks, the lowest of the eight.
White Possum Coffee Liqueur at 20 per cent infuses fresh and spent coffee from a Melbourne roaster with dried wattleseed, for a nutty, slightly cacao-like note. If you want an Espresso Martini instead, the recipe is in our Christmas cocktails.
8. Fig Amaro and Soda
Spec (ours). 45 ml fig amaro and 120 ml soda in a tall glass of ice, with a slice of orange. About 0.9 standard drinks.
Pot & Still South Australian Fig Amaro at 26 per cent is built on figs poached over three weeks, with fig leaf on the nose and a bitter citrus finish. Pot & Still suggests it over ice or in a Negroni, and soda simply makes that longer.
Native Australian ingredients: what do they taste like?
These ingredients are new to many bar menus, not to this country. Tourism Australia's guide notes that Aboriginal communities have traditionally eaten wattleseed and used lemon myrtle. Here is what to expect from five you may meet in a bottle:
| Ingredient | What it tastes like | Where you will find it |
|---|---|---|
| Lemon myrtle | A fresh lemon-lime flavour | Ambrosia, Three Foxes Limoncello, White Possum Scarletta |
| Finger lime | Zesty lime, full of caviar-like jewels of juice | Hartshorn Finger Lime Vodka |
| Wattleseed | Flavours of nuts, coffee, spice and chocolate | White Possum Coffee Liqueur, Maidenii Sweet, Three Foxes Ruby |
| Strawberry gum | Fruity and sweet, with mint, myrtle and a bitter edge | Hartshorn Strawberry Gum Vodka, Archie Rose Dry, Maidenii Sweet |
| Davidson plum | A sharp, sour flavour | Not in these eight |
Which Australian spirits should you buy?
If you want one bottle of each, this is where we would start. All four are in our Australian Spirits range.
- Gin: Archie Rose Dry Gin, from Sydney, for dry citrus and native botanicals. Our gin gift guide has more.
- Vodka: Hartshorn Sheep Whey Vodka, from Tasmania, double distilled and unfiltered. See Vodka Explained.
- Whisky: Archie Rose Single Malt at 46 per cent, from six malts, matured largely in Australian apera casks. See Australian Whisky Explained and our Australian Whisky range.
- Rum: Canberra Distillery OGR Rum, made from light and dark brown sugar, with dried fruit and butterscotch.
If you have wondered how much of an Australian bottle goes to the government, our guide to alcohol tax sets out how excise works.
How do you make these for a crowd?
Mix the still parts ahead, keep them cold, and add anything fizzy when you pour. The Lemon Myrtle Collins suits this best. For eight glasses, mix 360 ml lemon myrtle vodka, 240 ml lemon juice squeezed that day and 120 ml sugar syrup in a jug and refrigerate. Pour 90 ml over ice in each glass and top with 60 ml soda.
Every glass stays at the same strength if you measure it, about 1.4 standard drinks at 40 per cent. The LoCello and Fig Amaro and Soda are simpler still because they have only two ingredients, and they are among the lower-strength drinks here. Keep water and food on the table. For other drinks through the season, see our summer cocktails.
Australia Day cocktails FAQ
What is a good cocktail for Australia Day?
A long, cold drink built on an Australian spirit, such as a gin and tonic with 5Nines Wild Citrus or a Lemon Myrtle Collins. Both take a few minutes and use ingredients you can buy easily. For a lower-strength glass, the LoCello and the Fig Amaro and Soda are under one standard drink.
Where can I buy finger limes?
Look at specialist greengrocers and native food shops, either fresh or as frozen pearls. Fresh fruit lasts only two to three weeks, while frozen seedless pearls keep for about 12 months, according to Australian Food News. If you cannot find any, use fresh lime with Hartshorn Finger Lime Vodka for the same idea.
What does lemon myrtle taste like?
Lemon myrtle tastes bright and citrusy, with notes of lemon and lime, and it smells strongly of lemon. SBS Food describes a fresh lemon-lime flavour. In a drink it reads as a more perfumed lemon than the fruit itself, which is why it suits vodka, gin and limoncello so well.
Which Australian gin should I buy?
For a gin and tonic, start with 5Nines Wild Citrus for citrus and spice, or Archie Rose Dry for a drier glass with Sunrise lime and strawberry gum. Never Never Triple Juniper suits a Gimlet or a Negroni, where the juniper has to hold up against lime or bitter. All three are made in Australia.
Is there a classic Australian cocktail?
The Japanese Slipper has a strong claim. Broadsheet credits it to Jean-Paul Bourguignon at Mietta's in Melbourne in 1984, made with equal parts melon liqueur, orange liqueur and lemon juice. It is not built on Australian spirits, so it sits outside this list, but its origin is plainly local.
Where to start
- The easy one: 5Nines Wild Citrus Gin and tonic.
- The native one: Ambrosia Lemon Myrtle Vodka in a Collins.
- The bitter one: White Possum Scarletta with Maidenii Sweet.
- The lower-strength one: Three Foxes Sunny Arvo Limoncello and tonic.
The bottles for these Australia Day cocktails are in our Australian Spirits, Gin and Vodka ranges.