Brookie's Byron Dry Gin & Tonic

Brookie’s Byron Dry Gin & Tonic with Native Finger Lime (review)

9.3

Here we go again – an inebriated journalist at GadgetGuy reviewing more booze. Well, Brookie’s Byron Dry Gin & Tonic with Native Finger Lime comes from our favourite Australian distillers – Cape Byron. And there is quite a lot of tech to producing it with 50% less sugar than most other Gin premixes.

Brookie’s Byron Dry Gin & Tonic with Native Finger Lime starts with Brookie’s Bryon Dry Gin (here $75/700ml) distilled using 25 rainforest botanicals – 17 native to the NSW Northern Rivers. These include Sunrise Finger Limes, Aniseed Myrtle, Cinnamon Myrtle, Macadamia, Native River Mint, Native Raspberry & many more…

Now that may put some gin purists off but it should not. It is still a pot-distilled Gin with juniper berries, coriander with neutral grain (wheat or barley) spirit.

Byron Dry Gin is fresh with a lovely cleansing ‘limeish’ top palette and a nice semi-dry gin (not as heavy as English gins). I would say it enhances mixers like tonic water, and that is where this mixer excels. Overall – refreshing and lower sugar (45 calories per 100ml) – Gordons G&T is about 90.

Brookie's Byron Dry Gin & Tonic

Review: Brookie’s Byron Dry Gin & Tonic with Native Finger Lime

Brookie's Byron Dry Gin & Tonic
  • Website here
  • What is it: Small batch Artisanal Gin and low-calorie Tonic
  • Price: $27.99 for a 4-pack x 275mm bottles (inc 10c bottle deposit)
  • From: Cape Byron online and BWS
  • Alcohol: 5.6% or 1.2 standard drinks per bottle
  • Features: Preservative-free, gluten-free and vegan friendly
  • Option: Serve with ice – you don’t need a slice of lime
  • Trivia: Just over thirty years ago, it was a denuded dairy farm when Pam and Martin Brook and son Eddie (hence the name Brookie’s) started to grow macadamias and regenerating their part of the ‘Big Scrub’. Over the years, the Brooks have planted 35,000 native trees. Inadvertently they’ve grown a pantry for award-winning gin: Brookie’s Byron Dry Gin
  • Awards: More Gold and Silver than you can poke a stick at, including Best Contemporary Gin
  • You can read more Gadget Cape Byron articles here

Method

It all happens in George – Australia’s largest copper still.

Gin still needs heavy aromatics, so the base is still Juniper and Coriander. But they add finger lime, blood lime and macadamia for a smooth mouthfeel. Then they add hanging muslin bags with the more subtle flavours – White Aspen, Native raspberries, riberries, Native River Mint, Dorrigo Pepper, Cinnamon myrtle and native ginger… When distilled pure Mt Warning, spring water brings it back to 46% alcohol.

Brookie's Byron Dry Gin & Tonic

So how does Brookie’s Byron Dry Gin & Tonic with Native Finger Lime taste?

Refreshing with a hint of lime – not overpowering – on the inside top of the mouth. A seasoned G&T will detect the crisper taste and lower sugar – yet it uses no artificial sweeteners. Overall, it’s a fun drink and my new preference for a G&T premix.

Brookie’s Byron Dry Gin & Tonic with Native Finger Lime
Overall, it's a fun drink and my new preference for a G&T premix.
Taste
9
Value for money
9
Low Calories and all natural ingredients
10
Positives
All natural botanics artisanal crafted gin and low calorie tonic
Very refreshing, cleansing with a hint of lime
Support Australian made spirits - Cape Byron
Negatives
None really
9.3