As far as first impressions go, Green Ant Gin certainly has wow factor with a small colony of green ants floating around in the bottom of the bottle. But don’t for a minute think the ants are just there for the novelty. Not only do they deliver a vibrant and unexpected citrusy pop to the spirit, they point to a wider story about native Australian foods and one man’s quest to share the rhythms of Country.
Daniel Motlop is a Larrakia man from Darwin and a former AFL footballer who founded Seven Seasons distillery, with the aim of producing spirits that are rooted in Indigenous culture.
Larrakia calendar
“For the Larrakia people, sustainable harvesting isn’t a trend,” he said. “I want people to pick up a bottle of Seven Seasons and ask questions — about the green ants, about the Larrakia seasons, and about the land these ingredients come from.”
Motlop played more than 130 AFL games before returning to the Northern Territory to champion Australian native ingredients and cultural storytelling. Through his family business, Something Wild, he has helped lead ethical wild harvesting and supply of native foods across Australia. As founder and director of Seven Seasons, he transforms traditional knowledge into contemporary spirits that honour the Larrakia calendar.
Drawing inspiration from the Seven Seasons of Gulumoerrgin, the traditional calendar of the Larrakia people, Seven Seasons follows the lores of the land, guided by changes in the stars, winds, plants, animals, and traditional foods.
From the abundance of Bush Fruit Season to the stillness of Heavy Dew Season, and the renewal of the Monsoon, each season signals a different chapter in the land’s natural cycle. It is this deep, generational knowledge — not a production schedule — that guides when Seven Seasons’ harvesters venture out.
The hero ingredient in the Green Ant Gin is harvested during Windy Season, when ant nests are freshly formed and the ants are at their most vibrant and flavoursome. Using a closely guarded traditional method, nests are chilled at a specific temperature so worker ants can be gently separated, with queen ants and breeding cycles left undisturbed, ensuring the colony thrives season after season.
Green Ant Gin is the distillery’s most talked about pour, with a complex, layered and unmistakably Australian flavour. It is zesty and refreshing and distinctly different from anything you are likely to have had before. While the green ants deliver the citrusy pop, boobialla brings coastal floral notes with a hint of sweetness, strawberry gum adds a touch of warm spice on the nose, and lemon myrtle and pepper berry deepen the citrus base.
More than three tonnes of native ingredients are sustainably wild-harvested by Seven Seasons each year, with the approval of Traditional Owners and the Australian Government. By employing Aboriginal harvesters throughout the Top End, the money flows directly back into local communities.
Launched nationally through the Amber Beverage Group, Seven Seasons Green Ant Gin is available now at Dan Murphy’s and BWS (rrp $99).
The distillery also produces a Bush Apple Gin, Native Yam Vodka, and Bush Honey & Wattleseed Coffee Liqueur. We haven’t tasted these but they can be purchased online from Seven Seasons if you are interested in trying them.
With thanks to Seven Seasons for providing us with a bottle of Green Ant Gin to sample.
