GOURMET

5 Must Try Aussie Summer Drinks

drinks

WORDS: Peter Minkoff PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied

Australian summers are often hell on Earth, so it’s crucial to stay hydrated. While the best hydration beverage is water, H2O is not fun at all! Therefore, if you’re ever thirsty in Australia and want to make summer days and nights a little more pleasant, here are five drinks you must try: 

Ginger beer

Bundaberg Ginger Beer is probably the top Australian drink famous all over the country. If you ever get a chance to try Aussie ginger beer, choose this traditionally brewed kind. The process of production is very simple in theory: dried ginger is ground up (always locally grown), mixed with sugarcane and water, and heated until the ginger releases all the spice. The mixture is fermented with special yeast, passed through craft filters and bottled for a special aroma. When chilled, ginger beer is perfect summer refreshment. 

Archie Rose

When talking about summer drinks, most of us automatically think alcohol, so naturally, Archie Rose drinks take the second position on our list. Handcrafted Archie Rose gin is smooth, fresh and playful with many different aromas. Archie Rose gin is best served with ginger beer or soda, but you can go crazy and make various summer cocktails with orange, mango, pineapple and cranberry. And Archie Rose also produces other spirits you must taste when in Australia. 

Craft beer

Australians are huge beer lovers. When you read “huge” it really means “huge”, more precisely, with 304 beer servings per person every year, Aussies take second place in beer consumption, right after champions Czechs. There are countless craft breweries all over Australia and the craft beer industry in the country is valued at more than 150 million dollars (increasing a few percent every year). Whichever craft beer you try, you’ll be smacked with flavor, but make sure to grab any juicy hazy IPA, a true Aussie trademark. If you’re not taking alcohol, you can still drink top-notch alcohol free beer and enjoy amazing aromas and recognizable smells. Non-alcoholic local beer will give you all the fun and enjoyment without the hangover. 

Espresso martini

Even though this drink originated in the UK, Australians really took it and made it authentic. And since there are two things Aussies love the most—coffee and alcohol—it’s logical that it’s going to become the local favorite. This coffee cocktail is made with top-notch coffee, vodka and chocolate and is best consumed without ice to best taste the luscious taste of strong coffee and vodka. However, this is almost strictly a summer day cocktail since espresso can seriously mess with your sleep. According to many, Melbourne sells the best espresso martini so make sure to order one when in Om Nom, Mr Miyagi, Milk The Cow or Longplay. 

Local wine

Australia is one of the biggest and most famous wine regions in the world. Some parts of the country have so much wine that the ground can be soaked with it. When visiting the Land Down Under, don’t hesitate to get your class on and slowly sip on some elegant reds on a hot summer evening. Some of the most famous red wine varieties from Australia are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Grenache, but it certainly has almost any red wine you can think of. On the other hand, white wines are even more present in Australia, so expect to see everything from Sauvignon Blanc, Verdelho, Semillon, Chardonnay and Riesling to many white varieties of Pinot. 

After a long day of sightseeing or enjoying beach sports, it’s best to relax and cool off with a nice glass of your preferred drink. And Australia has so many to choose from—it’s impossible to feel thirst on this dry continent. Be sure to consume everything in moderation, and you’ll going to have a blast in Australia with a perfect drink in hand.