There’s a fine line between passion and pure defiance – and Trish Brew has no interest in staying on the polite side of it.
Honestly… rage, and I stand by that as a very valid motivator!
Every time I judged a spirits competition, I’d get the flavoured gin category. It felt like punishment. Fluorescent pinks, cloying flavours, and this ongoing narrative from brands that women want something sweet, frankly, it’s patronising.
It wasn’t just one moment that pushed me to create Bellicose Pink Gin. It was years of watching the category not be taken seriously, despite the gin boom.
The final nail in the coffin was hearing a distiller joke about slapping together a pink gin for a “Mother’s Day special” – no thought behind it, just a cash-cow mentality – I hit the point where I thought, enough!
So, I said stuff it, let’s make a pink gin I actually want to drink and that bartenders want to use. Something with integrity. Something that earns its place on a back bar. Something unapologetically bold, and a note to that particular distiller, because when I think about mothers and Mother’s Day, I think about fierce women who make the biggest sacrifices. There’s nothing more powerful than that, and Bellicose reflects it.
When did it stop feeling like a concept and start feeling like a real business?
I don’t know if I’ve fully hit that point yet, to be honest. There’s still a level of imposter syndrome that creeps in. It’s the messages from people saying, “I’m sitting at a bar in X state and they have your gin!” – those moments are unreal.
The support from some of the best bars and bartenders in Australia has been overwhelming, proper pinch-me moments! Sometimes I feel like a deer in headlights, thinking is this actually happening?
It feels like a real business when I’m chasing invoices but emotionally, it feels real when a bartender is excited to show me what they’ve created with my gin. When they’re inspired and making something magical, and I’m thinking – wait, this is my product? Those moments get me every time.
What did those first months actually look like behind the scenes?
The reality is it took five years from idea to bottle, so the grind started long before there was even a product.
It was knocking on doors, asking people to take me seriously, and pushing through the naysayers. “Too risky,” “too expensive,” “wrong category” – you hear it all.
But what really stood out were the people who said yes. The Gospel Whisky and Reed & Co. opening their distilleries and expertise to me – you really don’t get better than these guys! Marionette helping source incredible fruit, and Jason Chan lending me a rotovap so I could actually bring the raspberry component to life.
And then the bars, the ones who backed it from day one. Friends who bought bottles immediately. And not just random bars, some of the best bars and restaurants in Australia. The places big brands pay to be in.
What part of building the business tested you the most?
The product, without question. I wasn’t willing to cut corners. No artificial flavours and no fake colours make things exponentially harder and more expensive. Heritage raspberries from the Derwent Valley in Tasmania, vacuum distillation, building a proper London Dry base, it’s a lot.
But honestly, the back end was the most obscene. The paperwork, the licensing, dealing with council, navigating all of that without even owning a distillery or having any business partners to help, it was a steep learning curve!
The saving grace has been working with people who are genuinely generous with their knowledge. That’s something really special about this industry. People want to see you succeed, and often, it’s the most successful people who are the most generous.
How many iterations did it take before you were confident?
Years. There were years of on-and-off R&D. Working with natural ingredients is incredibly challenging. I completely understand why brands go artificial – it’s easier, cheaper, more consistent. But it wasn’t what I wanted.
Andrew Fitzgerald from The Gospel said something to me that stuck, “Integrity costs”. And it really does.
I made the decision to absorb that cost both financially and emotionally. It means I’ll probably never be sitting on a yacht, but I can sleep at night knowing I created exactly what I set out to. And that’s why Bellicose is what it is – uncompromising. And honestly, probably a bit stupid to attempt, but here we are.
What’s the financial reality people might not know about or comprehend?
Excise tax. Every distiller will complain about it and there’s good reason for it – it is crippling. You’re paying a huge amount upfront just to get your product out of bond. Then add everything else: ingredients, rent, bottles, labels.
The raspberries alone cost more than my first car, which still makes me laugh/cry.
And then there’s cash flow, going direct to keep pricing fair, venues that don’t always pay on time, you carry a lot of that risk yourself.
Starting a liquor company in Australia right now is not something you do lightly. You must believe in it so deeply that you’re willing to wear all of that. And I am.
Was there anything you wish you had been warned about?
I was warned, heavily, but alongside that, I had people backing me and believing in me, and that balance is powerful.
The best thing someone said to me was: “If not you, then who?” And I agree, if you see a gap and believe you can do it better, or differently, or first, then that could be your calling.
I want people to understand – especially younger bartenders – that you already have access to an incredible network. You’re not alone in this industry.
Also, you absolutely cannot do this alone, so talk to people, lean on them, and make it happen! You are in control of your own destiny so go out and slay it!
How different is being a founder compared to working in hospitality?
If you’re good at hospitality, the world really is your oyster. People still give me the time of day now because of how I treated them years ago at Gin Palace. That carries through. The shift is that I’m still in service, but now it’s to the trade. I’m thinking about how I can support venues, make their lives easier, create something that actually works for them. Yes, there’s more commercial pressure, but at its core, it’s the same philosophy: give people what they need, give them a great experience, be authentic, and they’ll stick with you.
How do you know when to push on?
There were definitely moments when I thought I should quit. But you need time and pressure to create diamonds. Most people quit right when it gets hard, and that’s exactly when you need to keep going. Also, seeing cheaply made products succeed pushed me even harder. It made me want to prove that you can do it properly, and that people deserve better. Even if this doesn’t work out long-term, I know I’ve done everything I can to raise the standard. Better to build something you fully believe in and have it fail, than chase something you don’t stand behind. You become what you do, so you should always try to do the very best you can!
What advice would you give to someone starting out?
If I can pass anything on, it’s this: you’re not just working in hospitality, you’re part of a community. And that community will carry you further than you realise. No interaction is ever too small. Be kind to everyone!! You genuinely don’t know where people will end up, and it always comes back around.
Know your “why” and make sure it’s strong enough to carry you through the hard parts. If you’re in it for a quick win or to sell out to a conglomerate, it’s probably not going to work. If you genuinely want to contribute something meaningful and long-term to a category, then go all in.
I wouldn’t be here without people backing me, so I’ll always pay that forward. If you ever need anything, even just a sounding board for your idea, I’m here. Reach out anytime. 