After two years of burning the midnight oil, two years of planning, intense product development and drawn-out production trials, Bibendum's Midnight Mixers range was launched in 2022. This is something that has been dreamt about for a long time. Working with so many wonderful artisanal distillers, we knew that there was a gap in the market for a no-compromise, world-class, locally produced set of mixers. For a host of reasons, we found ourselves in a position to deliver a range that we were sure our clients would love, our team would be proud of, and that stood up to our core values. We also sought to establish the kind of sustainable and environmental credentials that are often missing from the mixer world.

The launch range uses only natural quinine, and high-quality fruit essences and herbal extracts to form the flavour bases. Each mixer is designed to be as intense and flavourful as possible, yet also work seamlessly with the best craft spirits. After more trials and fine-tuning, we introduced the first of its kind in Australia, Amber Tonic, in early 2023; a sunset-coloured, completely natural tonic water made with raw Andean cinchona bark—quinine in its natural form.

As far as the environmental approach goes, the Midnight Mixers packaging is designed to attain the highest levels of sustainability. From the low-weight, Australian-made, fully recyclable cans; to the cartons being made exclusively (and locally) from 100% recycled cardboard (95% post-consumer and 5% industry by-product); and the adhesive tape being fully biodegradable, everything has been designed to minimise the impact on the planet. Careful attention has been paid to ethical sourcing, and the use of plastic and glass has been avoided—apart from being much heavier, glass is often imported and it’s much more difficult and energy-intensive to recycle. And of course, all the production is local.

The cans are both bar and retail friendly. They’re a perfect serve at 200ml and are light, stackable and compact (much more so than glass). Once used, they can be easily crushed for maximum space efficiency in the recycling. They are also stackable—both in and out of their 4-pack sleeves—and are easily identifiable by their distinctive colours (even at Midnight!).

In a mixer landscape increasingly dominated by corporate buyouts and imported, mass-produced products, Midnight Mixers offers a world-class range of mixers that are independent and Australian-owned.