This week in History Happy Hour we are celebrating my home town and the running of the Melbourne Cup with this delicious Kiwi Cocktail.
First run in 1861, the Melbourne Cup is the richest “two-mile” handicap race in the world, and one of the richest turf races. It is, in Australia, the race that stops a nation.
It is run on the first Tuesday in November each year and here in Melbourne, we get a day off from work for the Cup. A sneaky Tuesday off work? Now that’s worth celebrating!
The Kiwi Cocktail also specifically celebrates the 1983 winner of the cup, Kiwi. Why are we celebrating 1983? Well…you try finding a cocktail called Archer (first winner) or Protectionist (last year’s winner). And if you do, send them my way!
And kiwi fruit are super delicious. And very healthy. So, you get a teeny bit of detoxing even as you are toxing. And that can’t be a bad thing.
Don’t let the pretty green colour of the Kiwi Cocktail fool you either. With 75ml of booze in it, The Kiwi has a kick like a prize-winning stallion! So drink it responsibly…remember the Cup is a race for stayers not sprinters!
PSA over, this is delicious and perfect for a lovely Spring afternoon as long as you take it easy!
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:24]
Happy drinking and good luck if you have a flutter!
So remiss of me, we’ve been celebrating a while now and I haven’t offered you a drink. Well, my parched friends, this is worth the wait. Meet the Rum 007!
This may be my favourite cocktail EVER.
It’s sooooo good.
And to think, because of the apricot brandy, I was a bit scared of making it. A few years ago I needed to buy some cherry brandy for a cocktail and it was disgusting. Like that revolting fake cherry cough syrup you had to drink when you were young. I was a very sickly child and I must have drunk a ton and a half of that stuff and the thought of it still gives me the horrors.
Thankfully, Apricot Brandy is utterly delicious. Almost too good if you know what I mean.
Of course if anything is called 007, you automatically think of Bond. I could find no links to this recipe and JB although a Rum Collins apparently features in Thunderball.
So, when in doubt, make it up…that’s totally a thing isn’t it?
My explanation for the story behind the name has nothing to do with a certain spy. It’s simply that when you take you first sip, thinking the Apricot Brandy will be disgusting and cloying and sickly sweet, you say “Oh”…then the nutty sweet, tangy pineapply, rummy wonderfulness hits you and you say “OH”. Then you want six more. Because it’s THAT good.
I found this recipe in the Margaret Fulton Cookbook which happens to be the selection current selection over at The Cookbook Guru. My edition of this book, which incidentally is STILL in print dates from 1977 which is the same year The Spy Who Loved Me was released.
For those of you not familiar with Margaret she is a complete cooking Australian legend. It says so right on the Margaret Fulton stamp. And Australia Post does not lie. Or make stamps of just anyone. This lady is the grande dame, the mec plus ultra of Australian cooking.
…And, as a heads up, back in the day, she made the most amazing cake, which I will attempt to replicate for my own birthday later in the year. You’ll have to wait til August to see that but, if I can pull it off it will be worth the wait.
There are many reasons to love Margaret Fulton, but in terms of inventing an awesome cocktail, possibly based on James Bond?
Nobody does it better!
And because it’s my favorite Bond song, here it is
‘Kay, I’m done here, I have another six five 007’s to drink….I like to call it quality control. I couldn’t possibly give you a recipe that I hadn’t personally tested multiple times.
Here’s the recipe.
Enjoy and have a fabulous week!
Eight days to Pieathalon 2….I can hardly wait!!!
Two weeks still to go in the win a vintage cookbook comp! Sign up, tell your friends!
First run in 1861, the Melbourne Cup is the richest “two-mile” handicap race in the world, and one of the richest turf races. It is, in Australia, the race that stops a nation.
