Making Progress
Chef Matt Stone on alcohol-free drinking, using native Australian ingredients, and the creative process for his NON collaboration.
Yesterday’s newsletter, A short rant about the alcohol-free drinks revolution is a good companion piece for this interview with chef Matt Stone, as is this piece that I wrote for The Guardian back in 2021 about the Future Food System project in Melbourne, which Matt references below.
As chef collaborations go Matt seems like a perfect fit with NON - interested in good drink matches, and being a chef with an eye on sustainability and the use of Australian native ingredients.
We discuss his approach to alcohol-free drinks (as executive chef of the Mosey On Inn Group in the Northern Rivers region of NSW), and how he came to work with NON on this small batch poached plum and finger lime release.
At the heart of the drink is Davidson plum, which the team at NON characterize as “a unique Australian native fruit known for its striking deep red colour and tart, slightly sour flavour. Endemic to lowland rainforests in north-east New South Wales, it has a rich history in Indigenous Australian cuisine and is prized for its high antioxidant content and vibrant taste.”
Personally, I’ve been a fan of NON since they entered the market with their wine alternative (or adjacent) drinks back in 2019. If you’re unfamiliar with them and have a thirst or a curiosity for interesting drinks that aren’t wine, and are alcohol-free, then do seek them out. Australian they’re making inroads into Europe, Asia and the US. For me they stand up against and alongside wine and could quite easily slip in as an alcohol-free buffer on a night drinking, say, natural wine or more esoteric craft beers.
I’ll say up front this isn’t sponsored but I have recently had a few bottles sent from the diverse NON range. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Was this NON project a new opportunity or a slow burn?
Aaron [Trotman], the founder of NON, started the company about six years ago and when he was getting out to market he came to Oakridge at a time when we were taking over that restaurant and working out how we wanted that to look. Non-alc was a really important thing for us, being in the Yarra [Valley]. You’re always going to have drivers, so we could give a guest experience the same for a drinker or a non-drinker.
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