For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, nature is our clock, the stars are our calendar, and changes in the winds, plants and animals tell us the new season has arrived.
Dragonflies announce the dry season and fruiting of native cherries. The green tree frog tells us the big wet is coming. And when the bum gets fat on the green bush ant, we know its ripe with jucy, citrus pop.
Sevon seasons heroes native Australian ingredients. Following the sustainable lores of the land, and using what is bountiful in nature, they make sure those ingredients are there again next year, and the year after that.
While certain ingredients and botanicals, like juniper, come from far-flung sources, much of the produce for Seven Seasons’ spirits is sourced only from Aboriginal communities who employ Aboriginal harvesters. They take only what is bountiful to ensure a plentiful return.
green ant gin
Unique Australian Native Ingredients:
Inspired by a traditional cold remedy, green ants are added before and after distillation, to give the gin a citrusy pop. Each bottle contains 8-10 green ants. Boobialla (native Australian juniper) is a coastal plant that brings floral notes with a hint of sweetness.
Strawberry gum adds a touch of warm spice with eucalyptus on the nose.
Lemon myrtle and pepper berry add depth to the base citrus profile.
Sustainable Harvesting:
Using a secret traditional method, ant nests are carefully chilled at a specific temperature so excess worker ants can be carefully removed from the nest. Only worker ants are harvested – we steer clear of breeding times or taking queen ants from their nest, so life is plentiful next season.
bush apple gin
Unique Australian Native Ingredients:
Inspired by the fruit Motlop ate as he walked to school, bush apples have long been values for the medicinal properties. A tart fruit that resembles a pomegranate, its colour provides the blush hue for the gin.
We also use boobialla, pepper berry, lemon myrtle and finger lime. These botanicals balance the requisite juniper with flavours of gently spiced orange blossom and jammy forest berries.
Sustainable Harvesting:
When the heavy rains start, bush apples are collected from the tree tops and placed in harvesting buckets in Maningrida through Bawinanga, and from the Darwin area from the Motlop family.
native yam vodka
Unique Australian Native Ingredients:
Rainy days were spent pulling yams from the soft ground and throwing them straight onto a fire so the skins would peel off easily.
These memories led Motlop to create Native Yam Vodka. the only botanical present, we have used two types of yams: the ones Daniel grew up eating, and another from Maningrida in Arnhem Land.
Sustainable Harvesting:
Native yams are located on the root of a long vine that is characterised by a distinctive bell-shaped flower at the vine’s end. The vibrant flower blossoming is a sign that the yams are ready to be pulled from the earth. Local harvesters carefully dig the yams from the ground, ensuring a minimal footprint is left of the earth.
