Cocktails: five recipes to quench your thirst

The Melbourne food and wine festival will be hosting cocktail-makers from across Australia for the next three weeks, as part of the programme at the Immersery, the festival’s kitchen, bar and rain garden. From Thursdays to Sundays, top Melbourne bars will be collaborating with their interstate peers. Here five of the bars involved give us their favourite water-themed cocktails. Make the recipes at home, or get one specially made at the festival between 28 February and 16 March.

Mechanics Institute, Perth: Aqua Spolias

“This cocktail is fragrant summer deliciousness featuring fresh ingredients from your local grocers’ – or even your back garden.”

Ingredients

45 ml gin
Juice of a plum (45ml approx.)
Five basil leaves
10ml lemon juice
15ml simple syrup (1:1 sugar and water)
15ml egg white

Method

Shake without ice in any sealable container, then shake again with ice.

Strain through a tea strainer into your favourite glass, garnish with a basil leaf and consume with carefree abandon.

Water Cooler moment: Bulletin Place’s cocktail. Photograph: Melbourne Food and Drink Festival

Bulletin Place, Sydney: Water Cooler

30ml Don Julio Blanco Tequila
30ml Aperol
30ml fresh watermelon juice
15ml lime juice
One teaspoon castor sugar
One tablespoon seawater (filtered through a tea towel)

Shake all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and serve over a big piece of ice in a tumbler. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Alfred and Constance's Blue Hawaii. Photograph: Tracey Gray

Alfred and Constance, Valley Fringe: Blue Hawaii

“Made popular by Elvis Presley, Harry Yee created this drink in 1957 while he was head bartender of the Hilton Hawiian village in Waikiki, Hawaii. Vibrantly colourful, refreshing and delicate, fun and easy drinking with tropical fruit characters. A true tiki classic.”

Ingredients

30ml fresh pineapple juice
22ml vodka
22ml white rum
15ml demerara sugar syrup (see note)
15ml fresh lemon juice
7ml Blue Curaçao
To garnish: thinly sliced orange and umbrellas

Method

Combine ingredients, except sliced orange, in a cocktail shaker, half-fill with ice and shake hard.

Taste for balance, adjusting with more citrus, syrup and booze as necessary.

Strain into a glass over ice cubes and garnish with thinly sliced orange and an umbrella and serve.

Note: To make demerara sugar syrup, gently heat two parts demerara to one part water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to combine, then set aside to cool.

Heavy ... the Black Metal. Photograph: PR

Mona’s Void Bar, Hobart: Black Metal

“This drink was designed for Mona’s MoMa (Mona Market) River Derwent Heavy Metals Project: an ongoing art-science collaboration bent on tackling the problem of pollution in the River Derwent.”

Ingredients

50ml wet Summer Saaz hop-infused Reposado Ilegal Mezcal (or any good Mezcal uninfused will do)
10ml Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
10ml Agave Nectar (15ml if you like it sweeter)
15ml freshly squeezed lime juice
15ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
Two drops black walnut bitters
1/4 bar spoon of squid ink

Method

Combine all ingredients in a Boston shaker. Add ice and shake.

Double strain into a black salt-rimmed martini glass or champagne coupe.

The Melbourne food and win festival runs 28 February until 16 March. Details here.

Class in a glass ... the Black Pearl.

Black Pearl, Melboune: Empire of Dreams

“The Empire of Dreams is a fresh, tropical cocktail with an earthy kick from fresh espresso beans to reflect the cafe culture of Melbourne. The cocktail, the Black Pearl and Melbourne are all defined by cultural collusion, each finding its way to the banks of the Yarra.”

Ingredients

50ml Bacardi Superior rum
30ml fresh pineapple juice
10ml fresh lime juice
10ml apricot brandy
5ml orgeat (almond syrup)
15ml whole espresso beans (we use fair trade, organic Nicaraguan beans)

Method

Shake hard and strain finely.

Serve straight-up in vintage glassware with a big twist of lime peel.