Three Little Birds Distillery

Recipes

Gin Cocktails from the Clare Valley

What will you make tonight? All our gins. Endless possibilities. Start here.

Every one of these started life on the wrong side of our bar — scribbled on a docket, argued over, poured three different ways until somebody said that's the one. They're the drinks we actually make for people who wander in off Jeanneret Rd, built around gin we ferment and distil ourselves, with thirteen Australian native botanicals doing the heavy lifting.

So the measures here are real measures. No hand-waving, no "to taste" where a number belongs. Shake them at home, or come let us do it properly — we're open Thursday to Sunday among the gum trees at Sevenhill, and there's a wood oven going. Bring your friends. The good glassware is already out.

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A Bramble Sour cocktail in a coupe glass garnished with a dehydrated blood orange wheel

Bramble Sour

A silky blackberry gin sour made with our Silver award-winning Bramble Gin, lemon and egg white. The bramble cocktail we are known for at our Clare Valley cellar door.

The gin: Bramble Gin

Glass: Cocktail glass

You'll need

  • 60ml (2 shots) Bramble Gin
  • 15ml lemon juice
  • 15ml sugar syrup
  • 1 egg white
  • Ice
  • Dehydrated blood orange wheel, to garnish

Make it

  1. 1.Into a shaker add 1 egg white, 60ml (2 shots) Bramble Gin, 15ml lemon juice and 15ml sugar syrup.
  2. 2.Fill with ice, add the lid and shake hard.
  3. 3.Strain into a cocktail glass.
  4. 4.Garnish with a dehydrated blood orange wheel.
A Bramble Bush Mojito in a tall glass with lime and fresh mint

Bramble Bush Mojito

A long bramble cocktail built with fresh lime, mint and wild blackberry gin, topped with soda. The easy-drinking version of our bestseller.

The gin: Bramble Gin

Glass: Tall glass, plenty of ice

You'll need

  • 60ml Bramble Gin
  • 15ml sugar syrup
  • Fresh lime wedges
  • Fresh mint leaves
  • Soda water (optional)
  • Ice
  • Lime wedge and mint sprig, to garnish

Make it

  1. 1.Muddle fresh lime wedges and mint leaves in the base of a tall glass.
  2. 2.Add 60ml Bramble Gin and 15ml sugar syrup.
  3. 3.Fill the glass with ice and top with soda if desired.
  4. 4.Garnish with a lime wedge and a fresh mint sprig.
Three Little Birds Signature Gin bottle with its pink label

The Classic G&T

The perfect gin and tonic made with our Silver award-winning Signature Gin, premium tonic, lime and thyme. The cocktail you'll make most often.

The gin: Signature Gin

Glass: Tall glass or balloon, plenty of ice

You'll need

  • 60ml Signature Gin
  • 150ml premium tonic water
  • Slice of lime
  • Sprig of thyme (optional)
  • Plenty of ice

Make it

  1. 1.Fill a tall glass right to the top with ice — more than feels reasonable. Half-empty glasses make warm gin.
  2. 2.Pour over 60ml Signature Gin.
  3. 3.Top slowly with 150ml premium tonic, poured down the side of the glass to keep the bubbles.
  4. 4.Stir once, gently. Garnish with a slice of lime and a sprig of thyme.
A Strawberry Myrtle cocktail in a coupe glass garnished with pansies and fresh berries

Strawberry Myrtle

Our lemon myrtle gin cocktail — fresh strawberries muddled with Signature Gin and lemon myrtle syrup. Sweet, bright and unmistakably Australian.

The gin: Signature Gin

Glass: Short glass, plenty of ice

You'll need

  • 60ml (2 shots) Signature Gin
  • 30ml (1 shot) lemon myrtle sugar syrup
  • ½ lime
  • 4 strawberries
  • Ice
  • Sprig of lemon thyme and a dehydrated lemon wheel, to garnish

Make it

  1. 1.Muddle half a lime and 4 strawberries in the base of a shaker.
  2. 2.Add 60ml (2 shots) Signature Gin and 30ml (1 shot) lemon myrtle sugar syrup.
  3. 3.Shake well and pour over ice.
  4. 4.Garnish with a sprig of lemon thyme and a dehydrated lemon wheel.
A Shiraz Sour cocktail in a martini coupe glass garnished with edible flowers

Shiraz Sour

The shiraz gin cocktail we get asked for by name. SG23 Shiraz Gin, lemon, sugar syrup and egg white, shaken into a velvety sour.

The gin: SG23 Shiraz Gin

Glass: Martini coupe glass

You'll need

  • 60ml (2 shots) Shiraz Gin
  • 15ml lemon juice
  • 15ml sugar syrup
  • 1 egg white
  • Ice
  • Edible flowers, to garnish

Make it

  1. 1.Into a shaker add 1 egg white, 60ml (2 shots) Shiraz Gin, 15ml lemon juice and 15ml sugar syrup.
  2. 2.Fill with ice, add the lid and shake hard.
  3. 3.Strain into a cocktail glass.
  4. 4.Garnish with edible flowers.
A Moonlight cocktail in a coupe glass with a cream float and cinnamon dusting

Moonlight

Our answer to the gin espresso martini. Blackbird Coffee Gin meets tequila, chocolate liqueur and agave, finished with cream and cinnamon.

The gin: Blackbird Coffee Gin

Glass: Martini coupe glass

You'll need

  • 30ml Blackbird Coffee Gin
  • 15ml tequila
  • 15ml chocolate liqueur
  • 15ml agave syrup
  • Ice
  • Cream float and cinnamon dusting, to garnish

Make it

  1. 1.Into a shaker add 30ml Blackbird Coffee Gin, 15ml tequila, 15ml chocolate liqueur and 15ml agave syrup.
  2. 2.Fill with ice and shake hard.
  3. 3.Strain into a cocktail glass.
  4. 4.Garnish with a cream float and a dusting of cinnamon.
Want a straight gin espresso martini? Swap the tequila and chocolate liqueur for 30ml fresh espresso and 15ml coffee liqueur, keep the Blackbird and the agave, and shake until the shaker hurts to hold. Three coffee beans on top instead of the cream.
A Chuckles cocktail in a tall glass with lime, mint and ginger beer

Chuckles

A navy strength gin cocktail built tall with ginger beer, lime and lemon myrtle syrup. Bold, refreshing, and made for long afternoons on the lawn.

The gin: Navy Strength Gin

Glass: Tall glass, plenty of ice

You'll need

  • 60ml Navy Strength Gin
  • 15ml lemon myrtle syrup
  • Fresh lime
  • Ginger beer, to top
  • Ice
  • Lime wedge and a bunch of fresh mint, to garnish

Make it

  1. 1.Build the cocktail in a tall glass over plenty of ice.
  2. 2.Add 60ml Navy Strength Gin, fresh lime, and 15ml lemon myrtle syrup.
  3. 3.Top with ginger beer and stir gently.
  4. 4.Garnish with a lime wedge and a bunch of fresh mint.
A Creme de Gin cocktail in a coupe glass with a brûléed lemon wheel on top

Creme de Gin

A creamy, citrus-kissed dessert cocktail made with RG23 Riesling Gin, limoncello, fresh lemon and cream, finished with a brûléed lemon wheel.

The gin: RG23 Riesling Gin

Glass: Martini glass

You'll need

  • 30ml limoncello
  • 30ml RG23 Riesling Gin
  • 20ml cream
  • 15ml lemon juice
  • Ice
  • Burnt sugar disc, to garnish

Make it

  1. 1.Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice, shake hard and strain into a martini glass.
  2. 2.Float a burnt sugar disc on top and serve.

The best tonic for gin

The best tonic for gin is a dry, lightly carbonated one with real quinine and not much sugar — it should get out of the way of the botanicals rather than compete with them. With Signature, a plain premium Indian tonic is the safest bet: the gin is already doing the floral work, so a floral or elderflower tonic just muddles it. Save the Mediterranean-style tonics for Navy Strength, where there's enough spice and citrus backbone to hold its own. And keep the tonic cold — warm tonic in a cold glass is the fastest way to a flat G&T.

Gin and tonic garnish

The rule we stick to: your gin and tonic garnish should echo something already in the bottle, never introduce a new argument.

  • Signature Gin — lime and a sprig of thyme. Lemon thyme if you have it, to nod to the lemon myrtle.
  • Navy Strength — a wide strip of orange peel. There's orange peel, lavender and cassia in there already; give them something to talk to.
  • Bramble — a single blackberry and a twist of lemon. That's it.
  • SG23 Shiraz Gin — a slice of orange, always.

Three things to skip: a fruit salad, a sprig of anything woody you found in the garden, and a straw that stops you smelling the drink.

Come and let us pour

Reading recipes is fine. Having one put in front of you is better.

Our cellar door sits among the gum trees at 22 Jeanneret Rd, Sevenhill, Clare Valley SA — cocktails from this list, tasting flights at $25 for three gins with tonic or soda, and wood-fired pizza out of the oven beside you.

  • Thursday 12pm – 5pm
  • Friday 11am – 9pm
  • Saturday 11am – 9pm
  • Sunday 11am – 5pm
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Peace, love, unity, and a very cold glass.

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