Southward Distilling

Southward Distilling is a local craft distillery on Cuba street in the heart of Wellington producing gin, vodka and soon whiskey.

Southward started as a whiskey fueled dream and led to a passion for distilling, Frankie the founder and distiller, wanted to create spirits that told a story. From the name being inspired by Frankie’s Grandpa’s boat, The Southward Ho, to the still being names after her grandma. It was about taking the idea of sharing a drink with someone you love and the memories that experience can create. Taking an approach to gin that considers different palettes and tastes, Southward is all about experiencing something familiar but a bit different.

Making gins in Kay, their 300L hybrid still, The Mountain Gin is bold and full and made to go with and compliment any tonic whether it be fever tree or Schweppes. Alternatively its sister gin, Wave, is a cocktail style gin that is more classic and dry with a twist of Ecklonia Seaweed used to add that dryness and hint of brine and salt. The Seaweed is even harvested from our south coast after storms when it washes up on the beach.

Each October we make our seasonal release of New Zealand Blood Orange Gin. They hand peel and juice every orange that goes into the gin to give it a beautiful bittersweet flavour.

You can visit Southward inside Heyday Brewery on Cuba Street and even have a flight of their in house gins which rotate seasonally.

They have now started production on Whiskey, but, don’t expect it any time soon. A blend of unique casks and a love of whiskey is sure to fuel something truly special to the Wellington Region.

Recipe shared by Brianne McLean & Freya Atkins
for Moore Wilson's 2021 Calendar

Seashore Cabaret
The Esplanade, Petone
www.facebook.com/SeashoreCabaret/

Alexia Urban Winery

Alexia Urban Winery in Greytown is owned and operated by Jane Cooper and wife Lesley Reidy. Jane makes the wine while Lesley is the cellar hand and general winery dogsbody.

Alexia represents the strength and beauty of their family matriarchy - the quiet, understated women who established their family values and held them together.

The couple built the winery from the ground up with the goal of showcasing a range of new wines, varieties and styles in a setting that allows visitors to experience the whole winemaking process up close.

After years of making wine for others, opening a winery in their home town was an opportunity to make wines that are personal to them, while being rich in character, full of texture, and delicious to drink.

Grapes are sourced from grower partners Julie Collins and Simon Dawson’s Manuka Flats vineyard in West Taratahi, north of Carterton. From there everything is done on-site at Alexia.

The winery produces two wine ranges: Alexia - which includes Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, and Tangent by Alexia - lo-fi wines made in tiny quantities using varieties not widely grown in New Zealand - Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Gamay.

Alexia is on West Street in Greytown, tucked in behind the lawnmower shop, one street back from the Main Road and is open Fri – Sun between October – March.

School Holiday Colouring Competition Winners & Runners Up

Recipe shared by Roger Young & Kaydin Hemara
for Moore Wilson's 2021 Calendar

Fidel's Cafe
Cuba Street, Te Aro
www.fidelscafe.com

This recipe is from the Edmonds Cookery book. You can find the book instore or online.

Honeysticks

Honeysticks is a New Zealand crayon company best known for their sustainability and use of 100% natural ingredients. Their crayons are made from pure New Zealand beeswax and are suitable for children of all ages.

Honeysticks took off when the world went into lockdown due to COVID-19. As people spent more time at home, Honeysticks started to notice a rise in demand from countries all over the world. They are now one of the top results when you search 'natural crayons' on Amazon.

Honeysticks are very focused on being better for both the planet and for the kids who use their product. They don't use any plastic in the production of their crayons and all their packaging is recyclable and reusable. Although they do not recommend eating their crayons, the ingredients they use meet food grade standards so will not be harmful to your children in anyway.

The beeswax in the crayons gives them a wonderful honey-scent and they are made to be big so they are easier for little children to use and harder for them to break. All Honeysticks' products are made right here in New Zealand.

A cocktail shrub, a.k.a a vinegar cordial, drinking vinegar or acidulated beverage, is a non-alcoholic syrup made of a combination of concentrated fruits, sugar, vinegar, and occasionally spices. This sweet, yet acidic mixer can be enjoyed on its own, with soda or tonic water, or as part of a cocktail.

The word shrub is derived from the Arabic word sharab, which means “to drink.” These syrups, common in colonial America, were used to make delightful drinks. Home shrub makers would combine fruit or juice with sugar and vinegar, let that mixture steep for a week or so, then mix the resulting syrup with cool water to create a refreshingly tart beverage.

The syrups were a common method of preserving fruit, but when industrially produced foods and at-home refrigeration became the norm, shrubs dropped off.

Now they’re back, trailing the cocktail revolution and adding a whole new world of flavor to cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks across the country. They have a dominant fruit flavor which brings a perfect balance of sweet and tart to drinks. The bright flavor of the fruit is balanced by the acidity of the vinegar, which works much like citrus in cocktails.

Don't be put off by the vinegar component though. The vinegar provides a distinct tangy bite that works wonderfully with the sweetness of fresh fruit. It cleanses the palate, quenches thirst, and is very refreshing. There are so many different flavors you can put into it, so it opens up a ton of possibilities.

Rhubarb and Hibiscus Shrub Recipe

1 cup Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 stalks of fresh rhubarb, cut into 1cm pieces
2 tbsp Tio Pablo dried hibiscus leaves

1. In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar and sugar and come to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, turn heat down to low and add in the rhubarb.

2. Let simmer for 10 minutes or until the rhubarb has softened and is starting to break down. Turn off heat, add in the hibiscus leaves, cover, and let steep for 10 minutes.

3. Strain out the rhubarb and hibiscus leaves through a fine mesh strainer so that only the syrup remains (discard the solids).

4. Let the syrup cool completely and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

5. When ready to drink, enjoy straight or add a few tablespoons to sparkling water or cocktails.

Recipe shared by Dash Potaka-Able
for Moore Wilson's 2021 Calendar

Midnight Espresso
Cuba Street, Te Aro
Midnight Espresso

Dicey Wines

Dicey Wines was started by two brothers in Bannockburn, Central Otago. Bannockburn is not an easy place to grow vines, with the winds, frost, bitter cold & dry heat. The land is unforgiving, and the wines express that struggle.

The two brothers, James and Matt Dicey, have made sure the wines tell a story of the region at the time it was made, the colours on the bottles representing the seasons. The elements needed to craft a Dicey wine are the vineyards plus the heat, rain and wind. The amounts of these vary from year to year, so each year the wines tell a different story of the region. The grapes endure the fury of nature and then are harvested by hand.

Each vineyard is unique. They have three: Swansong, Black Rabbit and Inlet. Swansong is steep - the vines 'clawing their way along the terraces of eroded gravel and clay'. Black Rabbit sits on ancient bedrock with vines nestled into windblown soil. Inlet's vines drape over a terrace of deep river gravel.

The Dicey Pinot Noir has aromas of dark berry, savoury & floral. The Dicey Chenin Blanc has aromas of kumquat, stone fruit and floral. You can find both of these wines in our Wine Beer & Spirits stores and online.