It started with my grandfather

My grandfather was Corsican and fiercely proud of it. When he passed away, I was on the other side of the world, unable to be with my family in France. At the same time, I was asking myself one of those slightly terrifying life questions: what do I actually want to do next?

The answer was to build something of my own. Something joyful. Something that connected where I came from with the life I'd built here.

I called it Corsika. Not to recreate Corsica in Australia, but to bottle what it means to me: sunshine, long lunches, beautiful coastlines, good food, good people, and absolutely no reason to rush.

Then came the flavour

My grandmother was an incredible cook. She filled our family kitchen with North African and Mediterranean flavours, and the scent of orange blossom was in everything. One breath of it and I'm straight back in her kitchen.

So naturally, I put it in the drink.

Corsika Blossom Spritz starts with sparkling de-alcoholised white wine, layered with fragrant orange blossom, mandarin, and finished with an Australian twist: native wattleseed.

Mediterranean citrus. Australian botanicals. Lots of bubbles. Voilà.

Why no alcohol?

After more than a decade in the wine and spirits industry, I could see the way we drink changing. Sometimes you want the ritual of opening a beautiful bottle. Bubbles in your glass. Something grown-up and delicious while everyone else is on the apéritifs. You just don't want the next-day hangover, and you definitely don't want a glass full of sugar trying to make up for it.

Corsika was made for those moments. Full flavour. A proper drinking experience. No hangover or sugar-guilt.

The Corsika way

The apéritif was never really about what's in your glass. It's the moment the day changes gear. Laptop closed. Shoes off. Friends arriving. Music on. Bottle out of the fridge.

It might be a long summer lunch, a backyard barbecue, a beach afternoon, Sunday drinks, or a perfectly ordinary Tuesday that deserves to be improved.

You don't need a special occasion. Opening the bottle is the occasion.

WHAT ABOUT THE 90s DESIGN?

Well, I was born in the 80s, and the aesthetics of the 90s forged my childhood. The vibrant colours, playful shapes and eclectic music stayed with me, so I wanted to create a modern drink that brings back the carefree vibe of a decade that celebrated experimentation, with just the right hint of warm nostalgia.

Santé.

Alex, Founder of Corsika