EUCALYPTUS STRAWBERRY GUM

Strawberry-balsamicSweet-cinnamonPassionfruit-berry
Australian native
Eucalyptus Strawberry Gum — Strawberry-balsamic, Sweet-cinnamon, Passionfruit-berry
Botanical name
Eucalyptus olida
Also known as
Strawberry Gum, Strawberry Eucalyptus, Olida, Eucalyptus olida
Main flavour compound
(E)-Methyl cinnamate
Part used
Dried leaf (whole or ground)
Method of cultivation
Medium-sized eucalypt of the Myrtaceae family, naturally restricted to a small area of the New England (Northern) Tablelands of New South Wales, where it grows on shallow, infertile granite soils in dry sclerophyll forest and woodland. It reaches 15-30 metres in the wild and carries a lignotuber for regrowth after fire. Because the wild range is so confined, commercial leaf now comes from cultivated and plantation trees grown for the native-food and essential-oil trade.
Commercial preparation
Leaves are harvested, then dried to preserve the volatile leaf oil, and sold whole or ground as a bushfood spice. The leaf yields 2-6% essential oil by fresh weight, which is steam-distilled separately for food flavouring and perfumery; the oil is one of the world's richest natural sources of methyl cinnamate.
Non-culinary uses
Steam-distilled essential oil used in food flavouring and perfumery as a natural source of methyl cinnamate (a strawberry flavour component); also sold as a fruit-tea ingredient.

Strawberry Gum — Eucalyptus olida — is a medium-sized eucalypt of the Myrtaceae family, restricted in the wild to a small granite-country pocket of the New England Tablelands in New South Wales. [source] It grows 15-30 metres tall in dry sclerophyll forest and woodland on shallow, infertile soils, with lance-shaped adult leaves and a lignotuber that lets it regrow after fire. [source] Crush a leaf and you get not eucalyptus oil but a clear, sweet rush of strawberry.

Whole dried leaf

The standard form — crumble lightly to release the strawberry-balsamic oil.

Ground

Faster extraction and easy to dose; loses aromatic punch within months.

Region of cultivation

Eucalyptus Strawberry Gum — growing regions

Eucalyptus Strawberry Gum is native to Australia, Australia — New England (Northern) Tablelands, NSW, with secondary growing regions in Plantation and native-food cultivation, eastern Australia. |

Spice Story

For a tree, Strawberry Gum keeps remarkable chemical company. Its leaf oil is up to 98% methyl cinnamate — the very ester that gives a ripe strawberry its scent — making it one of the purest single-compound essential oils in the plant world. [source] That purity was no folklore: Ian Southwell and colleagues at the Wollongbar Agricultural Institute in New South Wales documented the species as a new natural source of (E)-methyl cinnamate, published as Curtis & Southwell in the Journal of Essential Oil Research in 1990. [source] In the kitchen the dried, ground leaf has become a celebrated native-food spice, lending fruit dishes, jams and desserts a flavour described as sweet and aromatic — a mix of berry and passionfruit. [source] It is a painter's pigment of a botanical: one pure note, used with restraint.

Gin Creativity

Strawberry Gum is a botanical for the imaginative distiller — a way to fold soft berry and balsamic-cinnamon character into a gin without reaching for fruit. A full sachet makes it a leading voice, pushing the spirit toward sweet, jammy strawberry; a partial amount sits in support, lifting the mid-palate with a fruity warmth. Pair it with Finger Lime for a bright berry-and-citrus profile, or with Anise Myrtle and Pepperberry for a layered native gin. Several Australian distillers already build with it — Cape Byron's Brookie's Gin and Applewood's Coral Gin among them. [source]

Blending Science

Main flavour compounds

Botanical Eu EUCALYPTUS STRAWBERRY GUM
Skeletal diagram of (E)-Methyl cinnamate (E)-Methyl cinnamate—
Skeletal diagram of trans-β-Ocimene trans-β-Ocimene—
Skeletal diagram of α-Pinene α-Pinenefresh pine, top note
Skeletal diagram of (Z)-Methyl cinnamate (Z)-Methyl cinnamate—

Pairs well with

Nearly everything in Strawberry Gum is (E)-methyl cinnamate — 94 to 99% of the leaf oil — and it carries the whole signature: sweet, ripe-strawberry with a balsamic, faintly cinnamon edge. [source] The supporting cast is tiny but real: trans-β-ocimene at around 2% adds a light green, herbaceous lift, with a trace of α-pinene for a fresh resinous edge and a little (Z)-methyl cinnamate, the softer isomer of the main ester. [source] Because methyl cinnamate dominates so completely, gentle, cool extraction protects that pure strawberry note; aggressive heat flattens it. Pair with citrus to brighten, or with pepperberry to contrast sweetness against spice.

Food Partners

  • Fresh strawberries and summer berries: the leaf amplifies what's already there — strawberry on strawberry.
  • Stone-fruit desserts: peach and apricot tarts gain a sweet, aromatic berry top-note.
  • Cream and custard: a pinch in panna cotta or crème brûlée reads as ripe fruit.
  • Jams and fruit preserves: a traditional native-food pairing — the leaf lifts fruit conserves. [source]
  • Sparkling and fruit-forward drinks: strawberry-gum syrup is built for fizz and bubbles.

Cocktails To Try

GinSchool intaglio bottle and cocktail
  • Brookie's Gin G&T: Cape Byron Distillery's Byron-region gin leans on Strawberry Gum among its native aromatics — serve simply with good tonic. [source]
  • Strawberry and Cream Fizz: Applewood Distillery's signature, pairing their Strawberry-Gum-led Coral Gin with strawberry-gum syrup. [source]
  • Native Berry Spritz: a strawberry-gum gin with prosecco, soda and fresh berries.

Release The Flavour

  • Heat: keep it gentle — cool extraction protects the pure strawberry ester; high heat dulls it.
  • Alcohol: methyl cinnamate is alcohol-soluble and extracts cleanly into spirit; a short macerate is enough.
  • Time: brief contact (a few hours) captures the bright berry note before heavier woody traces creep in.
  • Less is more: the oil is overwhelmingly one powerful compound, so dose with restraint — a little carries a long way.

Discover more

From the same region

Pairs well with

Same flavour family

Surprise me

Sources & Citations

  1. scientific_name (Eucalyptus olida, Myrtaceae):GBIF Backbone Taxonomy, usageKey 3177076 (Eucalyptus olid...
  2. native_range_and_habitat (Gibraltar Range, Timbarra Plateau, Northern Tablelands NSW, granite soil, dry sclerophyll):en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_olida
  3. tree_height_and_form (15-30 m, lignotuber):en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_olida ; temperate.thefer...
  4. oil_98pct_methyl_cinnamate_yield_2_6pct:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_olida ; temperate.thefer...
  5. methyl_cinnamate_range_94_99pct:www.ptmitraayu.com/single-post/eucalyptus-olida-as-a-pote...
  6. minor_compounds (trans-beta-ocimene ~2%, alpha-pinene trace, Z-methyl cinnamate trace):temperate.theferns.info/plant/Eucalyptus+olida ; minor/tr...
  7. discovery (Ian Southwell, Wollongbar Agricultural Institute; Curtis & Southwell, J. Essential Oil Res. 1990, 2:105-110):www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Eucalyptus,-a-New-Source-of...
  8. bushfood_flavour (sweet, aromatic, berry/passionfruit):en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_olida
  9. methyl_cinnamate_pubchem_cid_637520:pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/637520
  10. trans_beta_ocimene_pubchem_cid_5281553:pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/5281553
  11. alpha_pinene_pubchem_cid_6654:pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/6654
  12. gin_use_brookies (Cape Byron Distillery):capebyrondistillery.com/pages/gin
  13. gin_use_coral (Applewood Distillery):www.applewooddistillery.com.au/blogs/blog/strawberry-gum-...
  14. gin_use_brisbane_distillery (Strawberry Eucalyptus gin):bstill.com.au/products/strawberry-eucalyptus-gin
  15. hero_image:iStock royalty-free licence (asset 1064120322)