Cocktail of the week: Nuhiti Cooler

Nuhiti Cooler. Photo / Doug Sherring

The inspiration for this week's cocktail came to Wellington's Matterhorn bar manager Calem Chadwick while at the bach.

With no electricity or cellphone coverage, Chadwick and his mates spent most of their time at Tolaga Bay, north of Gisborne, fishing, diving and swimming and then enjoying a drink around the brazier at night.

It was here that he decided to follow the kahawai on the smoker with the fresh Hawkes Bay stone fruit they had picked up, include their bottle of Stolen white rum and the Stolen Manuka Smoked Fruit Rum was born. Adding this to empty jam jars filled with ice and topped with ginger beer, Chadwick and his friends were the first to enjoy a refreshing Nuhiti Cooler.

What you'll need:
2-3 nectarines

2-3 peaches

2-3 apricots

1 bottle Stolen white rum

Brown sugar

Smoker*

Manuka wood chips

* If you do not have a smoker you'll need: an oven, oven tray, grill to fit in the oven tray, tin foil.

Method:
If you have smoker, smoke sliced fruit (sprinkled with sugar) using wood chips. If not, fill an oven tray with manuka chips. Place a grill over the top of the wood chips inside the tray. On top of the grill, place some tinfoil which has the sliced nectarines, peaches and apricots sprinkled with sugar. Cover the whole tray with foil to create a lid to contain the smoke and place the tray in a low position in your oven which has been preheated to 200 degrees. Bake for about an hour. It is important to keep a close eye on it throughout baking so you don't smoke the house out or cause a fire. Once the fruit gives off a beautiful smoky smell, place it and all juices into a large, clean container or jar, then add the bottle of Stolen rum. Store the container for a minimum of 4-5 hours to infuse (the longer the better). Strain off the fruit, bottle the rum and enjoy with a mixer.

To mix a Nuhiti Cooler:
Fill a jam jar with ice. Add 45ml of the Stolen Manuka Smoked Fruit Rum and top with Bundaberg ginger beer. Serve directly from the jar.