The Archive

A wealth of knowledge at your fingertips

From basic introductory principles, through formulations and blend recipes, to the deep-dives into specialist areas. The Archive is our repository of distilling knowledge, collected and organised for easy reference.

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Simple recipes for complex flavour: Crimson Cacao Liqueur

Here's a recipe for a breathtakingly delicious liqueur made with eau de vie we've double-distilled…

What’s so special about Cask Hood stills?

We love cask hoods—here's why In our free introductory course on Types of Stills we…

Ruby Red Hibiscus Flower Tea

Hibiscus flower, rosella, roselle... Whatever name it goes by (and there many, across many languages)…

Press Clippings: Capturing Elusive Scents (IJPHA Summer 2023)

How do you capture elusive scents? Coupling them to other mediums is one way. Distiller…

Make it: Green Tea and Yuzu Dry Gin

Here's the latest in our winter citrus adventures—a Japanese-inspired blend with yuzu and green tea…

Yuzu herbal citrus sherbet

This recipe is one that we use as a 'herbal vermouth' in botanical martinis using…

Yuzu vinegar = bottled sunshine

A fragrant flavour kick When we harvest our yuzu in the early winter we use…

Press Clippings: ‘Buliding a life in aroma and flavour’ in Aromatherapy Today

Glassware tips: Get better results with the right tools

Choosing the right accessories for your distilling will help you achieve the best results. Accurate…

Press Clippings: Kawakawa Deep Dive in Avena Autumn 2024

Personal and professional explorations of botanicals beyond the Encyclopedia Botanica. Today it's a deep dive…

Juniper-led: Macedonian or Himalayan, what’s the difference?

When Jill Mulvaney began working with Himalayan juniper (Juniperis recurva) she was so struck by…

Distilling in Australia – what you need to know

Distillation is a growth industry in Australia, here’s how to get started Distilling at home…

Make it: Late summer lavender gin blend

Late summer blends Here's the latest in our seasonal gin recipes, it's a blend created…

All about elixirs

Our new favourite flavours Jill Mulvaney tells us about her latest aromatic product—honey elixirs—and why…

Roots, stems and all—parsley hydrosol

At the height of summer all the parsley here on the island is coming to…

Make it: Rose, pink peppercorn and bitter orange gin

A beautiful seasonal blend Here's our latest seasonal gin blend and cocktail recipe—just in time…

Still Stories: The 100L Column at the heart of Blue Mountains Lavender

What is it like to work with the biggest column alembics? We spoke with Louise…

Extracting flavour: Ecology & Co on the challenge of working with water

When Di and Will Miller decided to found one of the world’s first alcohol-free distilleries…

Still Stories: Gin-making with Mt Fyffe Distillery

When you’re starting out in the gin-making business, there are several different types of stills…

Still Stories ‘How we distil our lavender essential oil’

Lavender grower Dan Zinsli on distilling lavender with his 40L alembic column Choosing a…

Make it: kawakawa botanical martinis

Aromatic hydrosols are incredibly versatile—a fact many people don't appreciate until they start making and…

Press Clippings: Waiheke Weekender ‘Botanical Martinis’

How Jill Mulvaney got into distilling, and her latest obsession: botanical martinis

Press Clippings: Restaurant & Café ‘Meet Jill Mulvaney’

Make it: Layering aroma for a yuzu body balm

Yuzu fruit has an intriguing complexity—our local fruit is perfumed and fragrant with a hint…

Make it: Green citrus, basil and chamomile gin

An early winter gin blend We love making seasonal gins, because whenever you open up…

Make it: Quick limoncello

Limoncello is a quick and easy aromatic treat that can be made with any clear…

Make it: Quince Dubonnet

Remember Dubonnet on ice? Although it has an old fashioned reputation, the taste, colour and…

Make it: Spring citrus blossom gin

As we mention in our Gin Immersion Course, one of the best things about making…

Press Clippings: Avena Summer 2022 Understanding Ethanol

A discussion on the uses of ethanol and why you should learn to make it…

Make it: Orange liqueur

Making an orange liqueur is easy and rewarding—especially if you already distil the main ingredient…

Press Clippings: Avena Spring 2022 on Hydrosol

An in-depth discussion of what is hydrosol, by Jill Mulvaney. Courtesy of Avena Spring issue…

There are no essential oils in plants. Wait, what?

Yes, you read that correctly, there are no essential oils in plants. That's because essential…

What is hydrosol?

Let's take a closer look at the hydrosol. Any aspiring chemists out there will love…

How to taste a botanical

We often start off workshops and individual distillations by tasting the botanicals we’re using. Why?…

A wealth of knowledge at your fingertips

From basic introductory principles, through formulations and blend recipes, to the deep-dives into specialist areas. The Archive is our repository of distilling knowledge, collected and organised for easy reference.

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