This drink is a retro take on the Highball, according to its creator Reuben Beasley-Palmer.
“Based around the rise of Japanese Konbini and Suntory Whisky Highballs in the 70’s,
The dirty Martini seems to be having a moment, but the habit of overloading the drink with regular old olive brine and a million olives is one to be avoided.
“It’s like a traditional Paloma but with a riff on a fruity side and more gentle to drink taking apart the bitterness from classic grapefruits,” says Eduardo.
Sanchez Paloma
The talented comp-winning bartender, Tom Opie, moved this year from The Waratah in Sydney to the Canberra group behind the award-winning and hatted restaurant, Pilot.
“Raspberry and Miso is first
Beneath the award-winning Canberra restaurant, Onzieme, you’ll find its wine bar, 11e Cave. The wines on offer are great, of course, but it’s the short but sharp cocktail
The Negroni proves ever-popular, and this riff — a collaboration using Pepe Saya Butter, by the way — shows just what makes the drink so interesting.
“From Lana’s Spill The Tea
In Newtown, owner and bartender Swan Kanongataa is making some approachable, flavour-forward drinks — cocktails like this Pandan Express.
“I was playing around with making tepache and wanted to get little
This drink — one of the Boothby Top 50 Drinks of the Year in 2025 — comes from Melbourne bar Waxflower and its bar manager, Margot Michat.
Milk Punch
Ingredients:
200 g
This drink comes from Darren Leaney and Kitty Gardner at Caretaker’s Cottage in Melbourne.
As Leaney says, the drink is “inspired by The French Laundry’s iconic dessert Coffee
