In another totally run of the mill absurdity from your old pals at Curatif, we’ve discovered the link between Marlon Brando and Leonardo da Vinci. In a nutshell – or an apricot shell if you will – in 1525, one of da Vinci’s talented students, Bernardino Luini, was gifted a bottle of a liqueur that was made from ground up bitter apricot kernels, with the additional of almonds, vanilla, and sugar. The liqueur was called Amaretto, which translates as ‘a little bit bitter’. Commercial production of the liqueur commenced in the 1800s by the Reina family, who still make Disaronno to this day. The Reina family, also make the claim that Marlon Brando’s favourite drink was The Godfather, some combination of whiskey and amaretto – we prefer a half-half but don’t let us tell you how to live your life. They take the claim so far as to say that Brando himself invented it and that it was the popularity of the movie that then supported the popularity of the cocktail from the early 1970s.

We decided to make things a little bit more interesting by levelling the cocktail up into a sour format, with the inclusion of the incredible Solera Rye whiskey from our friends at Gospel, some fresh lemon, a load of nitrogen, and a squidge of ango bitters. The result is charmingly textural and interesting with all of the nostalgic and playful confected tones of amaretto that are beautifully contrasted by the graceful and stately elements of rye whiskey. Served with a hard shake, ice cold, this simply is a cocktail you cannot refuse.

130ml

1.6 standards 

15.8% ABV

Intent. For some, being in tents is a way of life over summer. Any Aussie caravan park overflows in January with people from every walk of life, with intentions spanning from lackadaisical sunny relaxation to intense physical days (and, if best enjoyed, long Curatif soaked nights). Which is a great segue (maybe) to talk about intent. To craft a truly stop-and-sip cocktail the creator must start at the beginning, with clear intent. They can be in a tent at the time, that is not part of the specificity, and has no bearing on the intensity of the intent. So, sometimes when we discover a spirit, we are immediately struck by a concept, and that then becomes the intent for a cocktail. We discovered Burly Gin at a food and wine show last year, it's distilled in Burleigh Heads, which is a killer surf beach on the Gold Coast. The cucumber gin they distil imparts broad, juicy, green fresh cucumber flavour which is unique and delicious. At first taste we knew this was perfect for a beach focused cocktail - with the greenness of the gin evocative of the long grass in the dunes. Of course, a trip to the beach means coconut, no other flavour is more expressive of beach days (as sand doesn't really have a flavour). The combination of coconut, cucumber, and lively fresh lime recalls lolling, lapping waves near sandy toes and pinkened noses, just the way summer ought to be. We've been enjoying ours post-surf, pre-pub this summer and promote that you follow the sage advice of Bing Crosby and delight in these Dunes in January.

130ml 

2.4 Standards

22.9% ABV

Murder. By those you least suspect. Charming and benign, a friend to most. A kindly elder character in the lexicon of stone fruits, Apricot delights as a charismatic and engaging stone fruit. Brought to life by our great friends at Joseph Cartron who hand select the ripest, most succulent apricots to macerate (steep in high proof spirit), then filter and blend with cognac (a distilled grape spirit popular amongst rappers and wrappers [our illustrious fulfilment team]). The result is a delectable apricot brandy, full flavoured and sweet, but this kindly old lady didn't turn up to the knife fight with her handbag, she's a deadset killer. Apricot kernels are a source of cyanide. Yes, the cyanide that old timey characters use to murder their errant husbands or neighbour gossips. In fact, the sale of raw apricot kernels is banned in Australia so as to make sure you don't accidentally become an Agatha Christie extra. What's that all got to do with Harvest? Three fifths of stuff-all. Just fun apricot facts. The cocktail? Oh that's awesome, it's big bold apricot, reminiscent of after-school snacks, even more-so with the inclusion of quintessential cognac layering a veil of ripe sultana over the honeyed stone-fruit, but wait there's a knock on the door and a slash of the saline citric gravity of marsh grapefruit, the apricot falls where it lays, on either side of the palate as the citrus and proofed bitters slinks from the scene.

130ml 

1.6 Standards

15% 

Ready your taste buds for a sip that's out of this world! The R2D2 cocktail is a star-studded blend that’s as refreshing as a cool breeze on Tatooine.

With the first sip, Joseph Cartron Lychee leads the charge, delivering a sweetness that’s almost as endearing as a droid’s beep. Marionette Blue Curacao adds a striking hue, while fresh lemon juice ignites the senses with a burst of tartness. The bittersweet charm of Pampelle Ruby Red and a dash of grapefruit bitters tie it all together, creating a harmonious flavor balance that’s simply *droid-ful*.

Whether you’re fending off stormtroopers or just unwinding after a long day, R2D2 is the trusty companion that never fails to hit the right note. A toast to galactic adventures and the droid that always comes through—may the *froth* be with you!

130ml 

1.6 Standards

15.2% ABV

Refined has such brutal connotations these days, refined sugar, refined oil - when did refined so lose its way? It used to mean bowler hats and pinstripes, beautifully tailored dresses and the finer things, so when we say this cocktail is refined it is meant to be interpreted as considered, evolved, improved upon until such time as it has become exemplar. What has this hyperbole to do with Mars? Nothing. Quite literally. As one would not want on a mission to, say, Mars, this cocktail was designed around Mars the god, upon which March is eponymous.

The whole bit was going to be about gods, Mars being the reboot of Ancient Greek Ares, maybe some Titanomachia chat, and from there Cronos (renamed Saturn by the Romans). It was going to be this whole thing. However, that was not communicated to the design team, and so we’re doing a planets thing, which is cool too.

So, Mars, the cocktail. It’s Never Never Triple Juniper Gin, big bold juniper notes and delectable oiliness, Maidenii Kina providing gorgeous minerality and quaffability, Marionette Bitter Curacao imparting structure, complexity, and zest, while Joseph Cartron Sureau (Elderflower) provides a balming floral comfort. This is a perfectly Parisian aperitif, designed to be enjoyed by Titans, Olympians, and Prometheus’ creations alike - ambrosia for the sofa if you will.

130ml 

2.2 Standards

21.4% ABV

Flower crowns and upside down frowns, there’s a reason to be tickled by tiki and it doesn’t stop with rum. While the big hitters of Tiki - household names like Mai Tai, Zombie, Jungle Bird and the squad are all billboards for funky rums and forward fruits, some of the coolest cats of the faux-pacific-wave were made with gin. Army and Navy, Singapore Sling, the beautifully titled Humuhumunukunukuapua’a, and the almost lost to history – Saturn.

As with all great drinks, the backstory is like something from a movie. In 1967 California bartender J. “Popo” Galsini won the International Bartender’s Association World Championship in 1967 with a cocktail titled the X-15, named after a famous rocket plane of the time. Shortly thereafter, an X-15 crashed and the pilot died, so Galsini renamed it the Saturn after the rocket that powered the first Apollo flight into space. The recipe itself was then lost for decades until cocktail historian Beachbum Berry discovered it on a commemorative glass in a thrift shop and reproduced it in his 2010 recipe book “Beachbum Berry Remixed.”

All the Tiki gang are here, orgeat doing its nutty dance in the corner, all thumbs and hips. Falernum, with her ginger and spice riling up the audience, while gin pulls the straight act – narrow tie and coiffed hair. Meanwhile lemon blurts around the dance floor, razor sharp, but in the arms of beautiful passionfruit, whose melodramatic flow soothes and smoothes lemon’s freshest moves and sharpest cuts. Oh, and Saturn is what the Romans called Chronos, Ares father.

130ml

2 standards 

19% ABV