This Melbourne hospo couple makes a delicious case for the most underrated citrus fruit.
About the cocktail
What’s better than one flavour genius? A pair of them, we say. Meet Oska and Dani Whitehart, the Tom and Zendaya of the bar scene in Melbourne’s Carlton. Having already knocked it out of the park with their popular venue Bar Bellamy, the couple somehow found room for an encore. Enter Melitta Next Door, their brilliantly conceived neighbouring wine bar, proving that lightning can, in fact, strike twice. And now they’ve come up with a Sour riff for us that we reckon you’re going to froth: the Cumquat Sour. True to their bartending styles, this twist on the classic Sour cocktail strikes the perfect balance and reflects their personalities. It’s approachable and crowd-pleasing (very Dani), while keeping things playful and a little unexpected (all Oska). The result? A cocktail that’s effortlessly drinkable and damn delicious. A vibrant mix of vodka, muddled cumquat, lemon, Aperol and honey syrup, this fluffy ice-cold chiller is made for golden-hour sipping. And if your cumquat tree (or your neighbour’s) is going berserk right now, you know what they say: when life gives you cumquats, make this cocktail. “There’s a nice little bit of warming spice and richness from the honey and Aperol, with the vodka providing body and backbone,” explains Oska. “It’s light on its feet and fresh with loads of citrus from the lemon juice, and whole muddled cumquats giving all that great citrus oil.” If you’re not familiar with our ol’ pal cumquat, think of it as a mandy/orange with a tinge of grapefruit. ”Most of the flavour you get from citrus fruit comes from the essential oils you find in the rind. Cumquat is that, but times 10,” Oska explains. “In the bar, we’ve used it in so many ways – sodas, amari, ferments, powders, candied, the list goes on.” In Oska’s words, this tastes a little like liquid orange sherbet. Sound good? The Cumquat Sour deserves a prime spot in your bevvy line-up.
Watch: How to make a Cumquat Sour
Ingredients
15mL 3:1 honey syrup (see method) 1 cumquat 45mL Tito’s Handmade Vodka 20mL Aperol 20mL fresh lemon juice Glass: coupe Garnish: 1 cumquat
Method
Pop your glass in the freezer to chill while you make the drink To make the honey syrup, mix three parts honey with one part hot water, by weight. Stir to combine and allow to cool Muddle cumquat in a cocktail shaker, then add remaining ingredients Add ice and shake hard until tin is frosty Double strain into your chilled glass Slice the cumquat part-way through and place it on the edge of the glass
Dan’s top tips
No shortcuts on this one, folks. If you want the full experience, you’ve got to commit to the details, according to Oska. “Don’t use incorrect or lesser substitutes. If you’re using egg whites, substituting fresh ones for powdered or ones in a carton won’t get the same result,” he says. “Same goes for honey. It acts as a stabiliser and traps all the air you need to get the fluff and texture right. If you add in another sweetener, it won't have the same effect and texture you want.” Not a fan of cumquat? Oska says not to stress. “A cheeky slice of orange will work in a pinch. Just make sure you keep the rind on in this case to get all those essential oils you’re missing out on.” As for what to enjoy it with? Oska’s vibing an Italo-disco soundtrack with ‘Ma Quale Idea’ by Pino D’Angio. As for food, he has a few ideas, including a cheese board with good blue cheese or something well-aged, and dark chocolate cake, too. Sounds like a pretty strong case for all of it, if you ask us. Lastly, we asked them who they’d most like to share a Cumquat Sour with, and their answers suggest they have this whole working-together thing figured out. “I’m going to have to go with Dani,” Oska says, “We’ve spent many a night on similar cocktails and they’ve always been fun so why not one more?” As for Dani’s response? “Oska today, Oska tomorrow, it’s always going to be Oska.”
