It’s the trinity of taste we didn’t know we needed this summer … until we tried it: the 2024 Lovedale Smash cocktail.
QT Newcastle has collaborated with Mount Pleasant Vineyard and Earp Distilling Co., to present the 2024 Lovedale Smash. Inspired by Australia’s greatest single vineyard of Sémillon, 100 kilograms of Mount Pleasant’s 2024 Sémillon harvest have been selected to bypass the fermentation process and hit rocks glasses instead.
Rooftop at QT’s Venue Manager Dave Watkins has developed a cocktail recipe combining Mount Pleasant’s freshly crushed Sémillon juice with Earp’s No. 8 Dry Gin for a balanced seasonal summer sipper.
And it’s absolutely delicious. Not to mention the fact that $4 from every sale is donated directly to the Pokolbin Rural Fire Brigade. Win, win.
Mount Pleasant Chief Winemaker Adrian Sparks said: “This collaboration is something that we can do to promote the Newcastle and Hunter region, and we’re already in conversation about recreating the ‘smash’ with red grape varieties.”
The 2024 Lovedale Smash celebrates local and pays homage to cocktail culture’s earliest days, with the ‘smash’ style cocktail dating back to Jerry Thomas’ 1862 book, ‘How to Mix Drinks’.
Thomas’ recipe called for a simple concoction of spirit, sugar and grapes. Watkins described the decision to pair Earp Distilling Co.’s No. 8 Dry Gin a “no-brainer”. Produced and bottled locally Watkins praises the No. 8 Dry Gin as “well-rounded and refreshing from taste to tail”.
Earp Distillery Venue Manager Mitch Luke said: “The sweetness and the slight acidity of the grape juice lends itself to the spicy undertone of the gin”, creating a harmonious blend of flavours in every sip.
The 2024 Lovedale Smash is available for $14 at both QT Newcastle (pictured above) and Earp Distilling Co. until 12 March 2024.
If you’re not a Novocastrian, it’s the perfect excuse to plan a weekend away in Newcastle.
Wine cocktails are on trend
You’ve probably sipped a cocktail or two featuring sparkling wine – Mimosas, Bellinis and Kir Royales are perennial favourites, while the Aperol Spritz has recently taken Australia by storm and the Negroni Sbagliato adds a bubbly twist to the classic.
Still wine, on the other hand, is a less common cocktail component. It’s mostly associated with sangria and mulled drinks, but it’s also fabulous when added to cocktails including the New York Sour and Claret Flip.
Wine cocktails also dovetail with consumer demand for drinks that are refreshing and lower in alcohol.
As Food & Wine notes: “Consider the jammy blackberry notes in Shiraz or the bursts of black cherry in Cabernet; imagine how perfectly a little ripe pineapple might blend with the right Chardonnay. And don’t forget to explore the realms of fortified and aromatized wines—vermouths, sherries, ports, and so on. Savvy bartenders have noticed these possibilities.”