Australian-focused wine lists are popping up from Bowral to Budgewoi. Local craft beer has replaced battered schnitzel as the Sydney pub's siren call of choice for upwardly mobile kids of the YouTube generation, and if a restaurant is serving produce that hasn't been sourced from beneath our radiant Southern Cross "whenever possible", well, these days that's decidedly un-fair dinkum. And now, the wonderful world of spirits is feeling the local love.

"The Australian distilling industry has just exploded," says Cotton Thief owner Dave Brown, who rebranded the Military Road site from an Italian concept called VinoBravo into an Oz-focused bar about two years ago. "I just thought, 'Why do we have all this international booze on the shelves, that's shipped halfway round the world, when you can find some pretty funky stuff in Australia and support producers in rural areas?'." It's a fair call.

The Cotton Thief is inoffensively colonial. Old kettles and miners' lamps hang from wooden ladders bolted to the ceiling. Piratical candles are shrouded in enough built-up wax to make them look like statues of Cousin It and a brick wall features paintings of First Fleet ships. A ceramic wine flagon (very Australian) perches next to a bottle of Crystal Head vodka (most definitely not Australian).

Now, before you start stoning crows and flaming galahs that Brown is selling Aussie distillers short by not going hell-for-leather all local, know that putting even a handful of Aussie spirits on a booze list takes chutzpah. You might be able to turn profit with an all-local hooch list in Newtown, but to not provide even Campari, say, is still kind of mental. (If a punter can't get a negroni from your bar, there's probably five other boozers on the same block that can.)

Ninety per cent of the ingredients used in Cotton Thief's cocktails are Australian, though. "While people do show interest in local spirits, it's difficult to move volumes that help anyone out unless you've got them in your cocktails," Brown says.

Well, I'm more than happy to move a few volumes for the good of the country. The Honeymoon ($17) is a short glass of bittersweet fun by way of Crazy Uncle Moonshine out Western Australia, Stone Pine Liqueur from Bathurst, lemon bitters, orange slice and elderflower syrup. Better yet is the Blinky Bill ($16), where 666 Vodka from Tassie is mixed with a sugar syrup made from melted eucalyptus drops.

The wine list is all-Australian (a bottle of Chalkers Crossing 2014 Riesling will set you back $42) and the two beers on tap during my visit were Dad and Dave's #1 Pale Ale from Balgowlah ($11 a pint) and The Rocks Brewing Convict lager ($10.50).

The food menu is short, with only a handful of burgers, either naked or clothed between buns. A double cheeseburger is $9.50 and a nude pulled-pork number comes in at $12. If you want a pizza delivered from across the road at Marilyna's, this can be facilitated.

Honestly though, the best thing to do is order a few straight pours of different Aussie spirits and discover the diversity of local tastes now on the market. There's about 30 bottles to choose from, so pull up a pew to knock back McHenry and Sons gin ($9.50) from Port Arthur followed with an Ord River Rum ($11) and maybe a nip of Hellyer's Road peated single malt ($13). Or just have a yarn with the staff, who will be happy to guide you through the collection.

THE LOW-DOWN
Go for … the opportunity to sample terrific Australian spirits at a good price.
Stay for … a local pint or two.
Drink … an Aussie boilermaker of Belgrove rye whiskey and Hawthorn pilsner.
And … happy hour is 5-7pm Tuesday to Saturday with $6 house beer, wine and spirits. Bargain.