While most tiki influenced cocktails call on the use of various forms of rum, there are a few that call for the use of our favourite botanical spirit, and arguably the most underrated drink in that category is the Saturn - outshone by the infamous Singapore Sling. The Saturn was first crafted in the late 1960's by bartender J. "Popo" Galsini, right in the heart of the Space Race which the drinks name references, but sadly, at the turn of the 70's, tiki drinks started to have a huge downturn, as a generational shift viewed the style and drinks as "tacky", and the Saturn, alongside many lesser known tiki drinks, were forgotten. Enter Jeff "Beachbum" Berry, an avid tiki lover and cocktail historian, who went against the grain and dove deep into his love of tiki drinks, chronicled them in depth and by 1998, released his cocktail tome, Beach Bum Berry's Grog Log, a book that was hugely instrumental in the 21st century tiki renaissance, so much so that around 75-90% of modern tiki bar menus are based on recipes catalogued within it. One of those being Slowly Shirley, the bar known to bring the Saturn back to public popularity, where owner Garrett Richard proclaimed "the Saturn deserves the mantle of the perfect gin tiki cocktail".

We're inclined to agree, so much so we began serving it at the Applewood Bar in Gumeracha, where it quickly became one of the most popular cocktails on the menu, and when we tasted it with our brand new Quandong Gin, it was quickly the front runner for the spirit's signature cocktail. Where the traditional menu calls for it all of its ingredients blended, like many classic tiki drinks, we preferred it to be shaken and served over plenty of crushed ice. To garnish, we choose a dried quandong and a dusting of davidson plum powder, but the traditional garnish is lemon peel and a maraschino cherry.

the saturn

45ml quandong gin

30ml lemon juice

30ml orgeat

15ml falernum

15ml passionfruit pulp

add all ingredients to a blender with ice and blend until smooth or shake ingredients with plenty of ice. serve either option in a tumbler filled with crushed ice. garnish with lemon peel and a maraschino cherry.