Drink Of The Year

• Drink Of The Year

PS40’s Grape Expectations is maximum grape

Here’s a drink that starts on the grill. “The drink revolves around roasting grapes at an extremely high temperature,” says the drink’s creator, Michael Chiem. “Blistering, caramelising and

By Boothby Staff

/ 26 Oct 2026

• Drink Of The Year

James Irvine’s Patio Pounder at Hotel Centennial is built for summer

Here’s a drink built for hot afternoons. “It was summer time, the Ashes were on and it was hot — real hot!” says the drink’s creator, James Irvine. “This

By Boothby Staff

/ 26 Oct 2026

• Drink Of The Year

Get the recipe for Maybe Sammy’s Ocean Martini

At Maybe Sammy you can find a Martini made with the ocean in mind. “We wanted to bring the documentary series of Our Planet to life,” says Maybe Sammy’s

By Boothby Staff

/ 26 Oct 2026

• Drink Of The Year

Bar Allora’s Ragno is a boozy spider made Italian

At Bar Allora, they’re making an Australian classic, Italian-style. “At this point, it seems every bar in Australia has its own version of the Sgroppino,” says the drink’

By Boothby Staff

/ 26 Oct 2026

• Drink Of The Year

Wax Blossom is Deadwax’s freezer Martini is made with a custom gin

Here’s a freezer Martini built on a gin you can only find at Enmore Road bar, Deadwax. “Deadwax is heavily inspired by Japanese listening bars and that comes through

By Boothby Staff

/ 26 Oct 2026

• Drink Of The Year

Get the recipe for Coal and Cedar’s “ridiculously crushable” Lychee Crush

Sometimes it pays to give the people what they want. “This drink was built entirely with the customer in mind,” says the drink’s creator, Ryan Hawthorne. “I wasn’t

By Boothby Staff

/ 26 Oct 2026

• Drink Of The Year

Don’t Worry Be Sake is Matt Whiley’s savoury Martini at Cho Cho San

Here’s a Martini that leans savoury. “Sake lees and fig leaf work perfectly,” says the drink’s creator, Matt Whiley. “And I use a little vinegar and salt to

By Boothby Staff

/ 26 Oct 2026

• Drink Of The Year

The Herbs Cosmo brings the Cosmopolitan right up to date

Here’s a Cosmo brought right up to date. “The modern Cosmo recipe was written by Toby Cecchini,” says Bar Herbs’ Lucy Finlayson of their riff on the drink, which

By Boothby Staff

/ 26 Oct 2026

• Drink Of The Year

Get the recipe for the Demo Martini, Bar Demo’s number one seller

At Bar Demo in Newtown, they’re making Martinis we love. “This is our number one seller, made my favourite way to drink Martinis — two to one, syrupy cold, with

By Boothby Staff

/ 26 Oct 2026

• Drink Of The Year

Bar Demo’s Daberu Yuzu Sour is an RTD made fancy

This is a lemon sour, but not as you know it. “A very twisted take on a Suntory -196 — a classic ‘lemon sour’,” says the drink’s creator, Oliver Churcher.

By Boothby Staff

/ 26 Oct 2026

• Drink Of The Year

Six takeaways from five years of Drink of the Year entries

What 1,000 cocktails tell us about how Australia drinks now.

By Sam Bygrave

/ 21 Oct 2026

• Drink Of The Year

Entries into the Drink of the Year Awards close this week

With two new categories for Non-Alc and Martinis, more drinks will be recognised this year.

By Sam Bygrave

/ 14 Oct 2026