Box-tails and keggers and goon bags, oh my!
Whether it’s the influence of the picnic bonanza of '21, the fact we have been more inclined (or required by law) to party at home in recent years, or just because it's fun to shake up the status quo, players in Australia's alcohol industry both big and small are giving glass the elbow in favour of more practical packaging solutions.
It's not so much that these are revolutionary technologies, but rather a jumbling up of the usual suspects. Pre-mixed cans of spirits and mixers have been a staple at the bottle shop for years, but now you'll also find canned wine, including sparkling, angling for a spot in your chilly bin. Meanwhile, cocktails are coming for vino's gig, with boxed goon bags of Margs, Cosmos and more. And what was once the sole dominion of the pub-pulled forthy has truly lost its mind with the release of kegs of Fireball whiskey, should you want to make the best/worst party decision of your life.
Casques have long been considered a signifier of quality – or lack thereof – when it comes to wine, but now, independent winemakers are opting for pouches (affectionately known as 'bagnums') as a sustainable option compared to the typical glass bottles, which take more resources to make, transport and recycle.
We've rounded up a list of some of the Aussie brands that are embracing new ways to package their grog. These are our favourite unconventional Aussie quaffers for your next backyard bash.
The team at Sophisticated Cocktail Co. have teamed up with Wild Spirit Distillery in Brookvale to bring you a range of seven bagged cocktails made using all Australian ingredients. The range includes pouches of Margaritas, Cosmos, Piña Coladas, Espresso Martinis, Old Fashioneds and Negronis. This is a decidedly elegant take on arguably Australia's greatest gift to drinking, the goon bag.
There is a double edged sword when it comes to popping open a bottle of bubbles in that, unless you can find that elusive Champagne stopper in the junk drawer, you'd best polish the bottle off in one sitting. The geniuses at Brown Brothers considered this perilous adventure when they decided to put prosecco into a can and Sunday's throbbing head thanks them for it. These clever 250ml cans of fizz mean you can set up in the park and enjoy a drop without the peril. The cans come in a light and refreshing non-vintage as well as a Spritz version for those afternoons that seem to slip into night far too quickly.
One of the best things to come out of social media in the last few years is that we’re finally free to really lean into being basic bitches. Hot girl summers are a mainstay and a free-for-all of female empowerment and positivity, with a fun drink in hand. Enter Basic Babe, the Aussie booze company that is going hard on the 'woo-girl' energy with their ‘boxtails’ – two-litre casks of pre-mixed cocktails. Varieties include a raspberry and lime Margarita, a passionfruit Martini as well as the pink gin Daiquiri; a spin on the classic Daiquiri with strawberry, lime and pink gin.
While many of us have one or two fuzzy memories of drinking cask wine at a high school party, some of those memories involving a Hillshoist, things have become a little more elevated since the Fruity Lexia glory days. The folks at Accolade Wines have created the Cupio bagnums (that's a magnum, in a bag, get it?), 1.5 litres of rosé or pinot noir in an environmentally friendly recyclable pouch. The winery has also produced a series of wine spritzers in a can with grapefruit and orange flavours.
There are few flavours more whimsical and summery than elderflower and when you chuck a little wine into the mix you've got yourself a drink worthy of any garden party going. The Spritz range by Sofi is the ultimate in convenience but our personal favourite is the lemon and elderflower. The team also has a blood orange version and if you happen to be catching a Qantas flight any time soon, there is even an exlusive Davidson plum and finger lime Spritz to sip on sky high.
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