Missfire Martinez

-

Welcome to this week's instalment of Cocktail O'Clock, where we raise a glass to the past and toast to tales worth sharing. 

Today we cast our minds back to the early days of Myrniong, when the area was referred to as Blow’s Flat – named after an early settler of the area.

Major bushfires in February 1851 destroyed the Pentland Hills station of Mr Williamson and Captain Blow including their house, furniture, library of books and notes, and everyone’s clothing bar those they were wearing.

Sadly, 2 flocks of sheep also perished. The loss exceeded £850, however with Captain Blow’s love of literature, his loss of books would have been the greatest toll.

Heading into town to purchase clothing and supplies for himself and his station men, Captain Blow was met by Mr Powlett from the Police Station whose tent, fences and crops also received the same treatment of the fire. Fortunately for Mr Powlett, his house was saved.

This week's cocktail is reputed to have been invented sometime in the mid-1860s, having first been published in 1884 while preceding the Martini. Our version is called Missfire Martinez.


Missfire Martinez

60 mL Missfire Gin

15 mL Dry Vermouth

3 dashes of Bitters


Fill mixing glass 2/3 with ice

Add Gin, Vermouth and Bitters

Gently stir for 30sec

Pour into a coupe glass.

Garnish: Rose petals, dehydrated orange

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Myrniong Mudslide

-
Image
Today we are at the dairy farm – delivering our story and mixing this week's cocktail: the Myrniong Mudslide! As early as 1917, a local Councillor made a report to the Shire Engineer about the poor condition of "muddy" lane, with him referencing the state of the road rather than the street name. Going by the frequent tendering for up to 500 cubic yards of gravel at a time, everyone in the shire was familiar with this exact location. Sometimes it was referred to as "the muddy lane", maybe a faux pas, or possibly a term of endearment passed down by the previous generation! Pouring over old maps, I could not locate any with the name "Muddy Lane". inscribed on them. Matters would have been made worse in 1920 when a section of Ballarat Road was closed to all traffic due to regrading works. The detour was via Mount Blackwood Road and "muddy lane" (again the newspaper notice used quotation marks around the words "muddy lane")! Eventually
Read more

Grinch Martini

-
Image
Welcome to Cocktale O'Clock, where we blend a sip of history with a tale to share. Today we head back to the 1870s when, at one stage, John Tyson owned both of the hotels in Myrniong – The Plough Inn and the Myrniong Hotel. While he only owned the Plough Inn Hotel for around 12 years, the Myrniong Hotel was in his family for 46 years. After John's passing in 1887, his wife, Elizabeth, continued to own and operate the Myrniong Hotel, however, The Plough was promptly sold to Mr & Mrs Kerr for £1200. After Elizabeth died suddenly in September 1904, the licence was transferred to their youngest son, George and the Hotel was sold to Mr Mehrens, a carpenter from Ballan who happened to be married to George's sister, Fanny. 12 months on and the Hotel was again sold, this time to William Hooton, however, there was a glitch. Due to Mr Hooton's previous dismal conduct as a publican in Swanson Street, Melbourne, he received a stern lecture from the Superintendent granting the
Read more

Lamington Delight

-
Image
Welcome to Cocktail O'Clock, where we enjoy a sip of history with a story to share. In this week's tale, we venture into remarkable outcomes born from unexpected mishaps. Back in 1897, John Foley, the licensee of The Plough Hotel, found himself in legal trouble for permitting drunkenness on his premises, a recurring issue during his residency. In this particular incident, Foley boldly declared to the attending police officer, "it is my place, and don't you touch him " in reference to the drunk patron. However, an unexpected twist occurred when Foley followed the police officer to the Bacchus Marsh lock-up, inadvertently leading to him being locked up for "trespassing." Eventually, the case was dismissed with Foley receiving a stern warning in relation to his responsibilities as a Publican. Within three years, due to repeated mishaps, Foley relinquished his publican's license to his sister Kate Foley who capably managed The Plough Hotel for
Read more