The Everleigh swung open its doors on Gertrude Street in Melbourne 10 years ago, and Co-Owner Michael Madrusan has seen plenty of trends come. But one of the most welcome has been the rise of customers looking to enjoy quality cocktails without the alcohol. “There’s been great movement in the non-alcoholic cocktail world; from this side of the bar, we’re really glad it’s happening,” he says.
Madrusan uses Lyre’s Italian Spritz for his take on the classic Garibaldi, a drink that originally uses orange as one of the core components. In place of orange, the bartender uses grapefruit instead. “I am a massive fan of the Italian Spritz and we have a drink called Gary’s Toupee, which evokes my love affair with pink grapefruit juice, bitter lemon and Lyre’s,” he says.
To start, freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice and Lyre’s Italian Spritz are poured into a shaker before being whipped. “You don’t need to shake it because it’s going over a big block of ice,” says Madrusan.
The formula is then simultaneously poured into a glass with StrangeLove Bitter Lemon tonic before the drink is garnished with a generous slice of pink grapefruit.