Sydney’s Mobius Distilling Co has shared its tips for delivering all the festive feels this Christmas, with cocktails created using its cult Moreau Apple Pie Liqueur and The Company You Keep Gin.

Founded by Philip Crossley and Alex Hardie, the inner-west outfit is one of Sydney’s most innovative distilleries.

Moreau Apple Pie Liqueur is made from apples sourced from the family-owned Bellevue Orchard in Victoria. Each 700ml bottle contains pressed cold juice from 12 apples, all preservative and concentrate-free. Vanilla is sourced from Tonga and adds a subtle creamy flavour, while the spiciness of cinnamon provides balance, resulting in a smooth, lingering finish – in essence, a warm pastry flavour reminiscent of ‘Grandma’s home-made apple pie’ – in a glass. 

Crossley said: “The Moreau Apple Pie Liqueur is so versatile and works well as a base for a cocktail, paired with a variety of other spirits and mixers.  Our goal was to create a delicious drink that people can have some fun with. It’s perfect for festive entertaining and can be served neat, over ice, with ice-cream or gently warmed for colder climes.

“Add it to a glass of Prosecco for an elegant stylish drink. This is a fantastic one to hand out as a welcome drink at functions. Chefs also use it in cooking to add a point of difference. One of Moreau’s fans sent us a photo a few years back of a ham they’d marinated in it to bake for Christmas.”

Personally, Hardie will be pouring a generous serve of Moreau over a quality vanilla ice cream topped with crumbled Nice biscuits on Christmas Day. Crossley plans to serve it to family members in the form of the distillery’s take on a Manhattan – “The Apple of My Rye” (recipe below).

Crossley said the distillery’s new The Company You Keep Gin is also perfect for a get together. It’s a Sydney Dry Gin, which is heavy on the juniper with a hint of citrus.

“It’s a celebration of the moment – a reminder not to take life too seriously and enjoy every experience you share with the people who matter,” he said.

Mobius’ top 5 festive drinks

Pie ‘n’ Dry

• 30ml Moreau Apple Pie Liqueur 
• Dry Ginger Ale

METHOD: Pour Moreau into a tall glass full of ice. Top up with dry ginger ale. Add a slice of lime. Serve.

Spritzy Pie

• 30ml Moreau Apple Pie Liqueur
• 90ml Prosecco

METHOD: Pour Moreau into flute glass, top up with bubbles. Garnish with style. Enjoy!

Apple of my Rye

30ml Moreau Apple Pie
30ml sweet vermouth
60ml rye whisky
1 dash orange bitters

METHOD: Combine ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice, then stir well. Strain into a chilled stemmed glass. Serve

TCYK Martini 

• 62.5ml TCYK Sydney Dry Gin
• 12.5ml dry vermouth 

METHOD: Pour into a chilled wine or martini glass, stir vermouth over ice and garnish with a pickle.

TCYK Sparkling

50ml TCYK Sydney Dry Gin

100ml sparkling water

METHOD: Pour into a glass. Add a squeeze of lime. Garnish with a lime wedge. Serve.

Moreau Apple Pie Liqueur: 200ml bottle RRP $30 and 700ml bottle RRP $75; The Company You Keep Gin: $65.

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