Hearts Sapiir & Ginger

Spice led, which is unusual in a category that mostly defaults to citrus. Hearts is built on cassia bark and ginger, with star anise, juniper, zesty citrus and native Australian wattleseed filling in around them. It drinks warm and rich where the Diamonds can drinks sharp, and the ginger in the mix pushes it further that way, closer to a spiced highball than a gin and tonic. Brunswick Aces distils every botanical individually at their Brunswick East distillery in Melbourne and blends afterwards, which is why the cassia and ginger stay distinct instead of merging into generic warmth. The company began in 2017 as a neighbourhood project and now runs a non-alcoholic bar and bottle shop in the same suburb. Check the can before you buy, because this drink exists in both a 0.0% non-alcoholic version and an 8% ABV one. Serve the 0.0% over plenty of ice with a wide strip of orange peel, or a star anise pod if you want the spice louder.