The Plough's Cocktales & Recipes

Welcome to this week's Cocktail O'Clock, where we enjoy a sip of history with a tale to share Today we head back to the 1870s when a cheese factory was opened in Myrniong. This prompted the farmers to deliver all of their milk to the factory rather than make butter on their farms. This cheese factory operated for about 10 years until, ironically, it became a butter factory. The factory was bought by the Federal Milk Company around 1915 and they manufactured “Lifeguard Condensed Milk” before relocating the factory to Bacchus Marsh. And so to this week's Cocktail: Strawberry Creme. Here's cheers to the Dairy Farmers! Strawberry Crème 30 mL  Bacardi Rum 15 mL  Strawberry Liquor 15 mL  lemon juice 30 mL  pineapple juice 15 mL aquafaba 15 mL raspberry cordial GARNISH: 1 x pink marshmallow Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker  Add ice and shake hard for 15-20 seconds Strain ice out, then reshake for 10-15 seconds Pour into chilled  rocks gla...

Welcome to a new year at The Plough where head chef Mark Mills is entering his 15th year. He only has another 35 years to catch Kate Foley's record of being the longest-serving publican at this hotel! Today we head back to 1877 when land sales exceeded expectations, with some sceptical locals scoffing that the purchasers had paid too much! Some sales included:  – 6 acres on the Pentland Hills sold for £17 per acre  – The police barracks were purchased by the government for £220  – Mrs Ryan of The Plough Hotel snatched land within the township at the highest price of £54 per acre.  The sales caused a stir amongst the usually calm locals, with the expectation that the railway passing near the town would surely reward these savvy speculators. Today's cocktail raises a glass to another brave and inspirational character we caught up with recently: Presenting the Miss Ryan Cocktail, reflecting the deep blue sea with a shimmer of gold lining. Here's to another year of go...

Welcome to our final Cocktale O'Clock for 2023 – Santa's Sack. And just like Santa's Sack, this cocktail has something for everyone. Thank you for your support throughout the year. We are having our annual Christmas break to recharge and look forward to seeing you in the New Year. SANTA'S SACK 45mL  Spiced Rum (Captain Morgan) 30mL  Chocolate liqueur 22.5mL  VOK Crème de Menthe Liqueur 15mL  Frangelico Shake all ingredients with North Pole ice  Strain into chilled stemless glass GARNISH:  candy cane

Welcome to this week's Cocktail O'Clock, where we enjoy a sip of history with a tale to share. Today we look at a curious, if not pedantic, case held in the Bacchus Magistrate's Court in late 1946 when the licensee of The Plough Hotel in Myrniong, Kathleen Jones, was charged with supplying liquor on a Sunday and having persons on the premises, those persons being Jack Barry and William Densley. The court heard that Kathleen's husband, Cyril Jones (barman from Bacchus Marsh's Border Inn Hotel) gave evidence that he served Jack ginger ale with bitters, and William a shandy. The Licensing Police who attended the incident considered that the drinks' foam and aroma indicated that the contents were beer, which led to the charges. Apparently, after being discovered on the premises, the lads quaffed their bevvy. The Magistrate considered this act to be that of a guilty person, deferring his final decision for four weeks due to its unusual features! Kathleen was eventu...

Welcome to this week's Cocktale O'Clock, where we enjoy a sip of history with a tale to share. Today we remember famous horses who blessed our paddocks. In particular a most celebrated racehorse in Carbine, who frequently agisted at nearby Lerderderg Park. Local Pentland Hills storeowner Percy Gorman recalls feeding carrots to Carbine as a young lad in the late 1800s, and he spent many years working at the stables. Carbine's descendants include over half of the Melbourne Cup winners from 1914 to 1978 including Rising Fast, Think Big, and fellow Lerderderg Park resident Phar Lap. Makybe Diva and Winx can also be traced to Carbine. However, today I want to talk about one of Carbine's offspring – Spearmint, born in 1903. What he lacked on the racetrack, he made up in the Stud. Apart from Carbine, his pedigree included names such as Minting, Maid of Mint, Mint Sauce, and the classic-winning full siblings Minthe & The Lambkin! This leads me to this week's Cocktail of...

This week we take a look back at the inclement weather that Myrniong has always experienced, particularly after the deluge we have received over the past few days. During a thunderstorm in April 1907, William Hooton, who eventually took over the licence of the Myrniong Hotel before it was delicenced, had a horse killed by a lightning strike. A couple of years later, two thunderstorms, travelling from different directions, met over the Pentland Hills in March 1909. Almost 30mm of rain fell within 20 minutes, flooding the bare paddocks and filling the dams and creeks that had been bare for months. In January 1944 much-needed rain was delivered by way of heavy thunderstorms which replenished the local creeks, resulting in them running freely again. And what does all this have to do with this week's Cocktail: well, nothing other than today being the first day of Summer, which means Christmas is not far away. I offer you Santa's Hat. SANTA'S HAT 45mL  Citrus Vodka 15m...