Christian Kimber x Woodford Reserve
A new collection from menswear designer Christian Kimber is set to drop during Paypal Melbourne Fashion Festival; though, there’s a citrus twist. It’s not a collection of clothes, but one of couture-inspired cocktails.
In celebration of the Woodford Reserve Fashion Bar opening at the Festival’s Fashion Forecourt on Monday 3 March, Kimber is collaborating with Carlton’s award-winning Bar Bellamy to reimagine a signature whiskey serve, the Old Fashioned.
“Effortless style relies on incredibly thoughtful design — applying classic craftsmanship to concepts that deliver a sense of ease and modernity. That’s what we set out to achieve with my favourite cocktail, the Old Fashioned,” said Kimber of the Most Fashionable Old Fashioned collection.
“It was a pleasure working with Woodford Reserve and Bar Bellamy to come up with two drinks that reflect my design philosophy and aesthetic, blending the smoothest and beautifully crafted whiskey with uniquely local ingredients to celebrate both craftsmanship and Australian taste in a very contemporary way.”
Classic versus contemporary
The Amber Stitch cocktail infuses Woodford Reserve with a fragrant corn silk tea nation’s — as a nod to Australia’s laidback take on traditional tailoring — and is lengthened with a wattleseed and citrus soda in a ‘long’ Old Fashioned. Filled with bold, complex flavours — alluding to the coarse natural fibres and structured lines of classic style — the cocktail ends on beetroot, bitters and wattleseed paint notes.
Contrastingly, the Silken Sprig plays on a modern aesthetic — one that embraces fluid silhouettes and smoother fabrics. A drink reminiscent of sheer silks on modern runways, the cocktail features mountain marigold leaf-infused Woodford Reserve, low waste pineapple syrup, Zucca Rabarbaro amaro, calendula and toasted milk powder. Topping it off, caramelised milk chocolate, malt cream and a dusting of pepperberry and rosella salt pay homage to the relaxed lines of the contemporary.
A twist on the classic Old Fashioned
“Translating Christian’s signature aesthetic into a cocktail really got our creative brains ticking…” said Bar Bellamy co-owner and master mixologist Oska Whitehart.
“We embraced the challenge, experimenting with textures and techniques to take the heart of an Old Fashioned and change it into something both familiar and completely new —something that captures the essence of Christian’s design philosophy, and that hopefully everyone can appreciate.”
You can try the exclusive Most Fashionable Old Fashioned collection from March 3 to March 8 at the Woodford Reserve Fashion Bar in the Fashion Forecourt at the Royal Exhibition Building or at Bar Bellamy.
