May 2026 | Moonshiner Pomelo & Macadamia Gin

Moonshiner has always been about collaboration. At its core, it embodies friendship, inclusion and the love of all things gin. It is not a slick corporate operation or a warehouse-scale facility, it is a co-operative built around people who genuinely enjoy making and sharing spirits together.

The name itself tells you how it began. Long before there was a bar or a medal to their name, most of the distilling and experimentation happened at night, after full-time jobs were done for the day. Stepping outside after a run and seeing a huge full moon overhead became part of the ritual – and “Moonshiner” felt fitting.

Before there was a formal distillery, there was a kitchen bench and a determination to understand distillation from the ground up. Head distiller Tim began by fermenting his own alcohol and creating each distillate from scratch, carefully building individual flavour components and combining them until he struck balance with what would become Margaret Street Gin. Early batches were poured at neighbourhood gatherings, refined through conversation and feedback.

They describe themselves as an experimental gin distillery, most passionate about creating gins with strong, distinct flavours. With their trio of stills, they produce small batches that allow for bold ideas and careful refinement. The result is a growing portfolio of ten gins, two liqueurs, two bottled cocktails and a vodka, each street-named in tribute to their Newtown roots.

Recognition has followed without altering their scale or spirit. Margaret Street Signature Gin – one we’ve seen here at Garden Street – has collected two silvers and a bronze across the IWCC, London Gin Awards and Australian Gin Awards. Commodore Navy Strength Gin has secured silver and bronze medals, Ferndale Street Maple Barrel Rested Gin boasts two silvers and a bronze, and Clara Street Kumquat Gin claimed silver in Australia along with the title of Best Infused Gin in NSW. Serious accolades for a distillery that still operates from a room no bigger than a single car parking space.

Fresh from the stills and not yet publicly released, Golden Grove Street: Pomelo & Macadamia Gin makes its debut here first in the gin club!

As is often the way in the Moonshiner world, this release was born from friendship. A mate with a pomelo tree on his property – on the southern outskirts of Sydney – was looking for a way to use his fruit. The team tasted the refreshing, gently bitter citrus and were immediately sold. Before long, their freezer was filled with pomelo peel, ready for trial runs through the still.

At the same time, Tim and Andrew had been experimenting with recipes that featured macadamias. It is not an easy botanical to handle. Macadamia carries a distinctive, buttery richness that can easily dominate a spirit if not balanced carefully. “These nuts have such a strong flavour all their own, it needed to be matched with a solid citrus flavour.” Pomelo, with its fragrant oils and clean bitterness, proved the perfect counterpart.

Moonshiner’s gin bar is tiny but mighty. Tucked beneath TIM Products – the iconic Greek bakery in Marrickville – it feels more like an underground neighbourhood haunt than a traditional distillery cellar door. Inside, it has a standing capacity of around 35 guests, with another 15 spilling onto the pavement when the afternoon sun hits just right. The entrance is framed by astro turf walls and a psychedelic door design painted by a local artist – a bold splash of colour that hints at their experimental nature and signals you’re firmly in Sydney’s inner west. It’s also proudly pet friendly, so four-legged regulars are just as welcome as their owners.

Open Saturdays from 2pm to 8pm, the early hours are perfect for a quiet G&T and a chat with the team. By late afternoon, the room hums with energy as cocktails shake and laughter rises. There’s often a gin cocktail of the day, and a list that keeps growing.

For those wanting to dive deeper, the Gin Experience offerings are as playful as they are educational. Larger groups can book tailored events – from private bar openings for film screenings to hands-on sessions crafting your own gin. There’s the Gin-lightenment tasting, deconstructed G&Ts that reveal the importance of tonic and garnish, and even a dedicated tonic teaser session to explore how mixers transform flavour. It’s immersive, inclusive, and very much in the Moonshiner spirit.