Maidenii

Maidenii is the boutique Australian vermouth that turns up on the back bar of nearly every good room in the country. It came together when former Gin Palace bartender Shaun Byrne met French winemaker Gilles Lapalus, and the two set about fusing native botanicals like strawberry gum, wattle seed and river mint with quality Victorian wine. They even wrote the book on it, literally, with The Book of Vermouth.

Their Sweet Vermouth, built with the Negroni in mind, anchors two drinks: the Negroni Down Under, an orange led, bittersweet all Australian negroni, and the Mountinez, a smooth and dry take on the Martinez.

A bartender and a winemaker chasing the same thing from two directions. That meeting of craft and produce is exactly what gets us excited.