DNA Distillery’s award-winning spirits have thrust a generations-old recipe into the spotlight at home and abroad.
Have you ever wandered into your local venue and ordered rakija? If not, prepare for that to change. Australia is now the place to find this remarkable spirit in its finest form, thanks to two cousins from western Sydney who are on a mission to bring their family’s signature recipe to a bar near you.
For those unfamiliar, rakija (pronounced ra-ki-ya) is the national drink of the Balkans, where it has long been crafted through the distillation of fermented fruit, a process not unlike the one used to produce cognac. Thanks to DNA Distillery—a modest operation in Sydney’s west that punches well above its weight—this niche beverage has made quite a splash within the Australian spirits industry, and the resulting ripples are only gaining momentum.
If this is the first you’ve heard of rakija, you’re in good company. I was similarly unfamiliar until a chance meeting with DNA’s Monique Sutevski and James Projcevski. More than founders, they’re the entire team behind the label, which they established to introduce their Macedonian family’s recipe (as passed down to them by their grandfather) to Australia and the world.
Despite having only been in business since 2021, the pair have already made their mark on the international stage. The recipe, which has been in their family for five generations, saw DNA win the most prestigious accolade (the Double Gold Medal) at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition twice over — once for their Classic and once for their Gold Rakija.
To be clear, Double Gold is not a standard award like Bronze, Silver, or Gold. Instead, it’s only awarded when every judge on a blind-tasting panel awards a spirit Gold. With that kind of heady endorsement, it’s easy to see why Monique and James are so motivated to expand DNA’s presence in homes and bars around the country.
Family and Authenticity
“DNA came into being when I had just finished my degree, and James took me out to celebrate my being admitted as a solicitor,” Monique explains as she and James give me a tour of their distillery. “We were walking back to his car and he asked what’s next, expecting me to say I want to be a judge’s associate or something. Instead, I told him I really wanted to make rakija. That stopped him dead in his tracks.”
Monique’s reply may have come as a surprise to James, who was working in finance at the time, but it didn’t take long for him to come around to the idea. A few days later, the pair reconvened to explore its potential in more detail.
“We went to Maccas because it was the only thing open,” Monique laughs. This was the era of COVID, after all. “I ordered a tea, James had a Big Mac, and he’d written in his notepad that we need to discuss brand DNA. I said, ‘That’s what it’s called. DNA.’
“Not just because it’s our DNA, our heritage, and our culture, but because it’s everyone’s. It’s a shared story. Our family has rakija, but if you’re Italian, it’s grappa; if you’re Lebanese, it’s arak; if you’re Greek, it’s raki. It’s not just our grandparents. It’s anyone’s grandparents.”
This sense of a shared story is communicated with real authenticity through DNA’s branding and social media channels, most of which position members of Monique and James’ family centre stage. I challenge anyone who grew up in Sydney’s west not to immediately find something endearingly familiar to the whole approach.
“There’s one video starring my grandfather that’s clocked up over 100,000 views,” says James with a little pride. “I’ve shown him, and he can’t comprehend it.”
“He was in his backyard, where he’s made rakija so many times himself, talking about how it’s like medicine,” adds Monique. ”So I just grabbed my phone and started filming him.”
As James wryly notes, “I think it reached 100,000 views because people relate to him. People love those old-school storytellers, and he secretly loves the camera, too. He claims he doesn’t, but he loves it, really.”
Half the World Away
Monique and James’ grandparents have certainly taken quite a journey to become DNA Distillery’s social media ambassadors. Growing up in rural Macedonia without luxuries like electricity, they travelled thousands of miles to make a better life for themselves, bringing their rakija recipe with them.
“My grandad came here on a boat in the early ‘70s, and he was seasick the whole time; for months and months,” reveals James. “Arriving in Sydney, he had a plan to work, make money, and then go back to Macedonia to buy a house for his wife and only child, my dad. But he really loved Australia, so instead of buying a house with the money he’d saved, he bought tickets for my grandma and dad to fly over here and join him.”
According to James, this determination saw the family through a less-than-glamorous start, during which time they had to evict some feathered neighbours from their first place of residence: “At first, they were living in a chicken coop in someone’s backyard. They placed corrugated iron up around it and lived there for around nine months while saving up to get their own place.”
The pair’s admiration for their grandparents’ rock-solid commitment to building a new life halfway around the world is palpable.
“It’s a very specific generation. They had the balls, essentially, to want a better life,” Monique explains. “When you don’t speak the language, and you don’t really know anyone, it takes real courage.”
As a further (if slightly humorous) demonstration of this courage, Monique’s grandfather even had run-ins with local law enforcement as they tried to foil his backyard rakija-making endeavours. At one point, when the police arrived to confiscate the fruits of his labour, he stubbornly insisted they pour every drop down the drain, knowing full well their intention had been to take it back to headquarters for the whole station to enjoy.
“If you come from our background, a lot of people still make it (illegally) in their backyard,” Monique laughs. “When they came round to confront my grandfather back in the day, he was like, ‘Pour it out! Pour it out!’”
Better luck next time, boys in blue.
Setting the Standard
Despite their distillery’s small size, Monique and James’ ambition is impressive. They’ve already added Pear Rakija to the range — a sweeter incarnation of the drink and a family favourite, long made by their grandfather out of affection for their grandmother. Distilled using organic pears, it continues DNA’s commitment to using only the highest-quality ingredients, a standard first set by the shiraz grapes of the label’s award-winning Classic and Gold Rakijas.
As James explains, any time they introduce a product that requires new ingredients, the commitment is to ensure those ingredients are just right: “We need to find suitable farmers and confirm they’re totally organic, making sure they’re not using any pesticides or herbicides. We only put in the very best.”
More recently, DNA has branched out into the ready-to-drink category. As an unabashed enthusiast for a high-quality gin and tonic, I’ll readily testify to the deliciousness of the brand’s Rakija and Tonic alternative. It’s more than capable of giving the heavy hitters behind that classic staple a run for their money.
While Monique and James have achieved an extraordinary amount in the last three years, it feels like their family-inspired distillery’s future is even brighter. It’s hard to imagine this uniquely authentic offering failing to strike a chord with spirits fans looking for new experiences.
“We’ve been so moved by how supportive the industry has been,” says James. “Everyone’s been so open to us, and they seem to love the story around what we’re trying to do. It means a lot.”
“It really does,” agrees Monique. “Having the opportunity to honour our family’s recipe has been nothing short of amazing.”
Whether you’re new to rakija or already familiar with its charms, don’t sleep on DNA Distillery. After all, they only award Double Gold to the very best.
Credits:
Words – Rob Edwards
Photography – DNA Distillery
