So, you bought a bottle of Banks & Solander Limoncello or Limecello and overtime you notice murky or cloudy particulates clumping together in the liquid. “Oh no! I’ve received a contaminated batch!” you gasp and immediately go to throw it away or write to us in a panic. However, you don’t need to be alarmed. The batch has not been contaminated, algae is not growing in your bottle, and you don’t need to worry about being poisoned by this. What you are seeing is a phenomenon called Flocculation.
Read MoreMeet the Team
Meet the Banks & Solander Team
The Team
Marty - Owner/Head Distiller : has a Ph D in bio-medical science and loves experimenting with recipes and techniques in the Distillery.
Sam - Productions Manager and Distiller : Bachelor of Science in Fermentation and runs the day to day operations of the Distillery.
Ed - Owner/Head of Marketing : Social media, admin and all the behind the scenes operations required to run a Distillery.
Lucas - Sales : new to the Team and brings a wealth of Cocktail knowledge to his role in wholesale Sales. Please reach out and welcome him on sales@banksandsolander.com
Frank the Distillery Dog and Lucas!
Frank - Distillery Dog: Customer greeter and Staff Moral support.
Banksia Leaves artwork by Natalie Ryan
The Beautiful Banksia leaves artwork created by Natalie Ryan
Read MoreSustainability & Accountability
At Banks & Solander, we are committed to being as sustainable as possible. Everything from sourcing our ingredients through to packaging our final product has been done with sustainability at the forefront.
Sustainability at Banks & Solander:
1. Back in 2020 we made the decision to switch to solar to power the entire distillery and home.
2. We source our ingredients as locally as possible and from environmentally conscious suppliers. Additionally, all our native botanicals are purchased from Indigenous owned businesses.
3. Our bottles are clear glass which makes them easy to recycle.
4. All our boxes and inserts are made locally from corrugated cardboard which is 100% recyclable and biodegradable.
5. 100% of any extra padding we have ever used in our shipping boxes (paper, bubble wrap, etc.) has been reused from boxes we have received at the distillery or homes.
6. All botanical waste goes to compost.
7. Minimal water output from condenser.
8. Most of our Sydney deliveries are made using public transport instead of a car to reduce our carbon emissions.
9. With the distillery just being steps outside the back door of our home, we do not need to use a car to get to work which is great for reducing our carbon impact.
10. Our bottle and recipe cards are all printed on eco-friendly recycled paper from a local printer.
11. The tasting cups we use at markets are biodegradable.
12. Unbleached paper bags for bottle sales and tote available for more sustainable shopping (fully reusable).
13. We buy supplies and botanicals in bulk to reduce carbon emissions from shipping, as well as excess packaging.
We are continuously looking for ways to reduce our impact on the environment and have already initiated a few plans to do so including:
1. Switching to eco-friendly/ biodegradable neck sleeves for the bottles
2. Switching to cork stoppers. Cork is one of the most sustainable materials in existence.
3. Switching to paper-based tape for our boxes.
Introducing Lady Banks, our 500L spirits still.
Frank the Distillery dog with Lady Banks
After much deliberation we have finally decided on a name for our 500L spirits still- Lady Banks. “Lady Banks” is named after Sir Joseph Banks’s sister Sarah Sophia Banks, who not unlike our still, was a bit on the rotund side!
Sarah Sophia Banks was very influential when it came to her brother’s writings and was an avid collector of antiques, coins, and ephemera. Sarah wrote many letters to her brother while he was on his scientific voyage around the Pacific and helped him to organize and catalogue his specimens upon return to England.
Unfortunately, like many great women of her time, Sarah’s collection and works were often dismissed and ridiculed. The people of her day often mocked her “lack of femininity” and studious nature, something that would have been praised had she been born a man. Upon her death, Sarah’s collection was donated to the British Museum. It was “the largest and most varied collection of printed ephemera the museum had ever accepted”. This along with the fact that it was a woman’s collection made the donation even more extraordinary.
Christmas Cocktail Recipes
Not sure what cocktails to serve this Christmas? We have some ideas that are sure to please and simple to make! For easy entertaining why not make in a jug or punch bowl?
Blackcurrant Gin Fiz
A festive and refreshing cocktail with our Signature Gin and a Blackcurrant Liqueur!
30 mL Banks and Solander Signature Gin,
15 mL Blackcurrant Liqueur
60 mL Soda
Mix the gin and blackcurrant liqueur into a glass with ice and stir until cold.
Top with the soda
Garnish with blackberries and raspberries.
Name this Cocktail
This delicious and refreshing cocktail using our Endeavour Gin and Noir not only will be a hit at Christmas time but it also needs a name! Best name suggested will win a 200 ml bottle of Noir!
30 mL Banks and Solander Endeavour Gin
30 mL Noir
Soda or Ginger Ale
Pour the gin and Noir into a glass with ice and stir until cold.
Top with the soda or ginger ale and garnish with a dried orange wheel and cinnamon quill
Can Too Foundation
At Banks & Solander we believe it's our responsibility to aide local initiatives and charities, especially during these difficult times. Throughout the month of September we will be donating $2 from the sale of every bottle to the Can Too Foundation.
"The Can Too Foundation is an independent health promotion charity committed to funding cancer research and cancer prevention". "Beginners and experienced people alike are given professional coaching as part of a team to run or swim in events – including ocean swims and marathon, half marathon and 10km runs. In return, participants raise valuable funds that go towards funding brilliant, innovative cancer researchers."
The Can Too foundation has raised millions of dollars over the years and supported over 17,000 members of the community.
It is a privilege to work with such a great local charity and we look forward to seeing our amazing supporters help fund their cause. Please go check out the Can Too Foundation's socials listed below!
What is Limoncello?
A question we get asked a lot by people who try Limoncello for the first time is “So what exactly is Limoncello and how do you serve it?”. Many people who have never tried or heard of this spirit think it’s a gin or a vodka, but it is actually a traditional Italian liqueur.
Limoncello is primarily associated with and produced along the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, and the island of Capri in Italy. We know that this drop has been around for at least 100 years, but some historians have even suggested an unrefined version was being drunk during the Middle Ages. Although the origins and timeline of limoncello differ among Italians in the region, the only corroborated story of its roots in popularity start with a woman named Maria Antonia Farace.
During the 20th century, Maria owned a small inn and citrus orchard on the island of Capri. Maria had developed this lemon liqueur and would often serve it to her guests at the inn as an after dinner digestif. Growing in popularity with her guests and neighbours, her son had the idea to sell her liqueur to a local restaurant. Maria’s liqueur thrilled diners until 1988 whereupon her grandson decided to trademark her recipe. This would be the first time limoncello was mass produced. Although limoncello holds its roots in Italian homes and restaurants, it has quickly become one of the most popular drinks in the world.
But how is it made? Simply put, limoncello is made from lemons, sugar, alcohol, and water. Opinions differ on the type of lemon and alcohol that must be used, the amount of time it takes to make, if only the lemon peel should be used or the juice as well, and how to serve it. At Banks & Solander, we like incorporating tradition with modernism.
Our limoncello is made using organic lemons we collect from around the neighbourhood or grown on the family farm, similarly to how Maria would have sourced her lemons. We steep the lemon peel in a neutral grain spirit, as opposed to grappa, for a few weeks to extract all the bright, lemon flavours and oils before adding in lemon myrtle leaves for an Australian twist. After the lemon peels and, in our case, lemon myrtle has infused we blend the infusion with sugar, water, and lemon juice. Many limoncello recipes do not call for adding lemon juice, but we like the sourness that comes from the juice, as well as, reducing waste.
Traditionally, limoncello was served at room temperature, but nowadays when you order a limoncello it’s usually served chilled in a small glass after dinner. We recommend keeping our limoncello in the fridge/freezer and serving it neat, over ice, or enjoying it in a cocktail such as a limoncello spritz, margarita, or martini. Whichever way you prefer to drink it, this zesty spirit will transport you to a sunny day nestled among a citrus orchard, overlooking a dramatic coastline, with perhaps even, a small inn in the distance.
Garnishes
Choosing a garnish for your drink is as important as choosing the right tonic, soda, or mixer.
While some garnishes are chosen only for their visual impact, we believe it’s essential to choose a garnish that will enhance the flavour of your cocktail. When deciding on a garnish for your drink of choice, it’s important to understand the flavours in the spirit, as well as, the flavours of any mixes and garnishes you add. You need to choose something that will enhance the taste of your cocktail; not overpower it or take away from it. Most importantly, it must be something you like!
While a garnish of rosemary might go well with a gin that has a prominent savoury or earthy flavour, it won’t necessarily go well with a gin like ours that has a lot of citrus overtones. Hendricks gin, for example, goes well with cucumbers because they use cucumber as one of the 12 botanicals in their gin.
A few of the botanicals we use to flavour our Signature Gin include juniper, orange, Tasmanian pepper berry, and lemon myrtle. Garnishes that enhance the taste of our gin include citrus, berries, and pomegranates.
Why not try adding one or more of the following to your Banks and Solander G&T or cocktail?
a segment, squeeze, or twist of rind from a lemon, orange, blood orange, grapefruit, or kumquat
raspberries, either muddled and strained or whole
blackberries
pomegranate seeds
dehydrated lemon or orange wheel
We've named our Still
We have named our Gin Still Lizzy after Dr. Daniel Solander’s only love Elisabeth Christina von Linné. Elisabeth was the daughter of Solander’s first mentor and whose hand he was promised in marriage.
It’s a sad love story for both Elisabeth and Daniel Solander as it is reported that she wanted to marry Solander, but when he didn’t return to Sweden after his expedition, she instead married Carl Fredrik Bergencrantz and Solander became a confirmed bachelor for life. After having two children with Bergencratz, Elisabeth moved back to her parent’s home due to spousal abuse and died at the age of 39.
A scientist in her own right, Elisabeth is considered one of the first female botanists in Sweden despite never receiving a formal education. She is best known for observing and publishing her findings on the “flashing” Tropaeolum majus, or Indian Cress, flowers in Uppsala, Sweden. This optic phenomenon, which causes the flowers to appear as if they are sending out small bursts of electricity, has now been named after her- the Elizabeth Linnaeus Phenomenon.