Building your own rum brand means selling your house, says Illegal Tender’s Codie Palmer

“Consumers are wanting to find a unique spirit or drink now, they want to be taken on a journey from the initial brewing stage to the final stage of having the beverage in their hand, and that’s something we strive to achieve.” Codie Palmer from Illegal Tender Rum Co talks about the rise of craft spirits in Australia.

Johnson Boogie recipe by Steve McDermott

This refreshing long drink — the Johnson Boogie — is adapted from a recipe by Steve McDermott, from The Duke of Clarence, Sydney.

Ale Sangaree at The Duke of Clarence. Photo: Christopher Pearce

Ale Sangaree, The Duke of Clarence

Recipe by Steve McDermott, The Duke of Clarence. This is an old, old drink, one that goes back before the invention of the Cocktail.

From industrial distilling to making award-winning gin; here’s how Ironbark got started

Master Alchemist and Ironbark Distillery Director is Reg Papps who opened the distillery with his wife Greta just three years ago. Their vision is to produce high-end spirits with a distinctly Australian twist. Reg honed his craft over a career spanning 26 years in industrial distillation, but when he was made redundant from Shell, he took the opportunity to transfer the skills learned to a much smaller scale and Ironbark Distillery was born.