It’s time to herd the lawn flamingoes and crack out the croquet mallets, ‘cause this summer Australia finally has it’s own version of a Fruit Cup Cocktail.
Traditionally associated with English summers of lawn tennis, garden parties and passing oarsmen, Fruit Cup Cocktails personify everything about those sunlit, sozzled days of summer.
And they are also everything you could want in a summer drink – low AVB, fruity and wonderfully thirsts quenching. Based on Gin, fruit cups combine the flavours of quinine, citrus and spices, all enveloped in quintessential sugary darkness.
We are no longer leaving it to the English and their Pimms to show us what a Fruit Cup Cocktail can do. Now two of Australia’s most exciting young beverage producers, Adelaide’s Never Never Distilling Co. and Melbourne’s Marionette Liqueur have joined forces to produce a contemporary version of the Fruit Cup that truly shows the English how it should be done.
Created to celebrate the Australian summer, the new Fancy Fruit Cup combines Never Never’s award-winning Triple Juniper Gin with Marionette’s barrel-aged Orange Curaçao, Australian and international spices, and Earl Grey tea for a uniquely Australian aperitif.
Usually served long, Fruit Cup Cocktails are traditionally topped with lemonade and ginger ale, and garnished with a bouquet of fresh fruit such as cucumber, strawberry, orange, lemon and mint. But there are a variety of drinks that you can make with this libation.
Top it with champagne for a Royale or throw in some Prosecco and Soda Water for a Spritz that will keep you coming back.
PIN ITNever Never Distillery & Marionette Liqueur join forces for a Fancy Fruit Cup you’ll be drinking all summer long
Celebrating flavour, the Australian Fancy Fruit Cup pays homage to the tradition, while utilising our own take on the drink to reinvigorate this underappreciated tipple. Highlighting uniquely Australian fruits and botanicals, the Fancy Fruit Cup offers a more modern, complex and luxurious beverage.
“The Fancy Fruit Cup is about taking everything that the English gave us and simply doing it better,” said Sean Baxter, Never Never Brand Director and Juniper Freak. “Australia having an undoubtedly superior summer, we thought it was about time to develop our own expression.” With Christmas coming up, the Fancy Fruit Cup is destined to sit alongside fresh Australian seafood and the classic pavlova with ease and elegance.
Nick Tesar, founder and all-around flavour ninja at Marionette is excited about the upcoming partnership. “Classically a fruit cup plays off the intricate spice of the gin, relying heavily on the juniper backbone – enter Never Never. The addition of tea for tannin structure and citrus, in this case in the form of the Marionette Orange Curacao – a blend of Navel, Seville and Blood Oranges, creates an incredible match.”
Never Never Distilling Co. launched their signature Triple Juniper Gin in August 2017 and it has quickly become a popular choice in some of the best bars in Australia for its bold juniper flavour. Marionette launched their curaçao in May 2018 and have developed a following for their premium Australian liqueurs.
No longer will we measure time by saying”It’s Pimm’s o’clock”, now it’s all going to be about “Fancy time …”. The Fancy Fruit Cup will launch on December 1 (the first day of summer) and will feature at rooftop bars and backyard gathering around the country – just in time for the cricket …
Classic Fancy Cup
Ingredients
45ml Fancy Fruit Cup
45ml Lemonade
45ml Ginger Ale
Mint sprig and leaves
Orange wedge
Sliced strawberries
Cucumber slice
Instructions
1. Add sliced cucumber, strawberry and mint to the bottom of a wine glass.
2. Add Fancy Fruit Cup and add ice.
3. Add lemonade and ginger.
4. Garnish fancily.
Fancy Spritz
Ingredients
45ml Fancy Fruit Cup
90ml Prosecco
45ml soda water
Barspoon of sugar syrup
Orange wedge
Instructions
1. Add Fancy Fruit Cup and Prosecco to the bottom of a wine glass. Add sugar and stir.
2. Add ice and add soda water. Stir.
3. Add a metal straw and garnish with orange.
Fancy Royale
Ingredients
30ml Fancy Fruit Cup
Top with fancy champagne
Barspoon of sugar syrup
Strawberries, raspberries and pomegranate
Instructions
1. Add 30ml of Fancy Fruit Cup to a chilled Champagne glass.
2. Add chilled champagne to the top.
3. Garnish with assorted berries and fruit on the side.
