Sydney – Banksii is a new restaurant that takes its inspiration from vermouth.
The botanicals-based Mediterranean menu features a range of dishes, most of which have been designed to be shared. Some, but not all, of the food and drink options contain vermouth, as Ingham and Lines were keen to ensure that the presence of the fortified wine was subtle rather than overpowering.
Dishes include Sydney rock oysters with dry vermouth and foraged lantana flowers, and trifle with vermouth sponge burnt-vanilla custard and rosella-and-raspberry jelly, and the drinks menu features a selection of vermouths, including a Banksii-branded version of the drink made from the Australian vermouth Maidenii, which will be available on tap.
‘Vermouth bars are huge in Spain at the moment and popping up in Europe,’ Ingham told The Daily Telegraph. ‘But I don’t think people [in Australia] have seen vermouth the way it can be and should be seen.’
We've been tracking the rising popularity of vermouth, which has been transformed by restaurants and brands such as Banksii and the German brand Belsazar for a younger demographic.