Smoke-Tainted Love

Smoke-Tainted Love

• 60 ml Australian Distilling Co. Shiraz Gin
• 2 dashes of Shiraz Stem Bitters
• 90 ml Shiraz wild fermented cola
• Hickory smoke
• Shiraz grape stem

The creator says: "It could be argued that Adelaide's Food and Beverage culture put me on the course that has led me to the person I am and the life I live today - and that that's a thing to be celebrated!

Growing up, I'd often head to the local pub with mum for lunch on the weekend. This would often be at the Oxford Hotel for their Burger and Beer deal - I would of course opt for the children's version of a kids burger and soft drink; a raspberry coke. The Oxford Hotel made their mark on food and beverage in Adelaide as one of the first pubs to renovate and redesign their menu to cater towards a younger crowd and more of a family-friendly orientated day of trade. This was one of the reasons mum was so comfortable taking me there.

Over the next 10 years, the then owners of the Oxford Hotel sold the venue with the purpose of revitalising The Old Lion Hotel on Melbourne street - It was here that I found myself, at the ripe age of 19, working my first hospitality job under those owner operators as a glassy. In the 4 years I worked there, I moved from a floor position through to a bar management position, met my partner of 8 years and consumed approximately 200-400 imperial pints of raspberry coke while on break. I left the Lion with a thirst for cocktail design and hospitality, moving interstate for a number of years to pursue this passion.

While away, it highlighted just how premium the product we make in SA is - which I put down to the great taste of the Adelaide people resulting from our love of wine - moving back in early 2020 cemented this.

My cocktail, Smoke-Tainted Love, plays that classic combination of raspberry and coke, and formalises it to the well-developed Adelaide pallet - a simple stirred-down combination of Australian Distilling Co's Shiraz Gin has beautiful raspberry notes that shockingly harmonise with a wild fermented cola. The yeast from this ferment was sourced direct from the classic Barossa Valley shiraz grapes, while the stem of these grapes were further utilised as a source of tannin by making a simple bitters and then dried to be used as a visual garnish. Finally, the glass is pre-smoked with hickory - a flavour not amiss to the beef patties that heroed the burgers that changed Adelaide, and my life, for the better."