Meet the ex-AFL star crafting Seven Seasons spirits with Indigenous ingredients and knowledge

For the Larrakia people, the traditional owners of the Darwin region, the seasonal year is defined by the Gulumoerrgin calendar. From ‘Damibila’ (when the red-tailed black cockatoos are singing and barramundi and bush fruit are plentiful) to ‘Gurrulwa Guligi’ (when big winds make for churning seas and stingrays and cockles abound), there are seven distinct seasons that dictate the weather patterns, plant and animal activity, and availability of different types of food. Daniel Motlop is a proud Larrakia man, and it’s this deep cultural knowledge of the land that inspires not only the name of his spirits brand, Seven Seasons, but the who, what, where, when and how of its production.

Seven Seasons is more than a brand, it’s a way of life. Larrakia country runs from Cox Peninsula in Darwin’s west to Gunn Point in the north, Adelaide River in the east and down to the Manton Dam area in the south. Shifts in the natural environment provide critical cues for the sustainable harvesting of native Australian ingredients, and Daniel works with locals to gather the bush apples, green ants, strawberry gum, yams and beyond that go into his range of vodkas, gins and liqueurs. In doing so, Daniel’s created a family business that enables him to continue passing down the knowledge of his more than 60,000-year-old culture, provide viable employment for his community, and win over spirits connoisseurs while he’s at it.

Daniel lived a former life as a three-time Indigenous All-Star on the AFL field, playing 130 games for North Melbourne and Port Adelaide football clubs. But his journey into spirits began when he and his family – including dad Edward and brothers Shannon and Steven – took on a small Aboriginal food-harvesting business, Something Wild, in 2016. The following year, they got the ball rolling with Green Ant Gin. Why green ants? The Larrakia people have been enjoying their health benefits for thousands of years; Daniel describes them as “native Vicks”. “They’re high in vitamin C and traditionally added to teas… very medicinal,” he says. The idea to add them to gin made sense – the ants have a natural citrusy pop that complements the spirit perfectly. Harvested during Gurrulwa Guligi/Windy Season, they’re added before and after distillation with the addition of Boobialla (native juniper), strawberry gum, lemon myrtle and pepperberry. For some, it’s a surprise to see a handful of ants floating at the bottom of the bottle – but one sip and the brilliance of Daniel’s creation is fast confirmed. Green Ant Gin recently took home the award for Best Australian Gin in our Decoded Spirits Awards (to add to their list of other accolades) and Daniel's chuffed it’s getting noticed. “It's great to have an Australian brand being recognised. Six years ago, we secured our first ever green ant permit, allowing us to harvest them sustainably, and we’re proud of how far it’s come.”

In 2021, he launched Seven Seasons and expanded the range into other spirits that also use sustainably-sourced Indigenous ingredients harvested during specific times of year. There’s the Bush Apple Gin, made using tart bush apples that fruit in Dalay/Monsoon Season. They lend floral, fruity flavours and a perfectly blush colour to the gin. The Native Yam Vodka is a wonderfully earthy, nutty take on the spirit, made from native yams pulled from the earth during Balnba/Rainy Season. The Honey & Wattleseed Coffee Liqueur, made with bush honey and native wattleseed, tastes like mocha, roasted hazelnut and spiced chai all at once. It’s outrageously delicious.

The team describes what they do as creating “the world’s oldest new flavours”. Daniel explains how the knowledge of the world’s oldest living culture is seriously underutilised in this country. “We use the oldest native ingredients growing naturally here, but these flavours are new to the spirits world. We’re the first spirits brand to be playing into these, and having a positive effect on the community while doing it,” he says. 

Seven Seasons not only uses unique Indigenous flavours, they also employ local harvesters, helping them create a market for their native produce. It’s all about generating sustainable jobs for Aboriginal people with money flowing into those communities and helping to create further small businesses. Working with local harvesters to promote Indigenous leadership and true ownership is a huge focus. “A lot of Aboriginal people have been getting involved in the business and the economics around the cultural side,” Daniel says. Crucially, he wants Seven Seasons to be seen as an Australian brand, not only an Indigenous one. “We try to really push past that because we don't want to be perceived as just an Indigenous business. We're a business that promotes an Australian story and, at the end of the day, we want people to know this. It’s important that Seven Seasons isn’t just bracketed to NAIDOC Week or Reconciliation Week. It's nice to have people sitting in a bar or going into a bottle-o and being able to tell a small part of Australia's story and the deep stories of Aboriginal culture in a contemporary way,” Daniel says.