A Moment For: Slowpoke’s Pat Rafter Cocktail Is Melbourne’s Answer to the US Open’s Honey Deuce

The Lemon Ace is the official signature AO cocktail. But Collingwood bar Slowpoke Lounge & Lookout has taken the drink and raised it the Pat Rafter, a cocktail “inspired by Melbourne’s summer and the atmosphere around tennis season,” says co-owner Dustin Hefford. 

Gin, peach liqueur and house-made spirulina syrup are served in a margarita glass with a layer of fresh coconut cream on top. “We set out to replicate the iconic powder blue synonymous with Australian tennis courts. To achieve this, we crafted a house-made blue spirulina syrup which, when diluted with coconut cream and finished with a delicate foam, mirrors the court surface and its crisp white lines,” Head bartender Cam Bendix says.

It’s then garnished with a skewer of three tennis-ball-like melon balls resembling the US Open’s signature Honey Deuce, a drink so popular 556,782 were sold during the 2024 tournament. 

The drink, Hefford adds, shares its namesake athlete’s demeanour. “Although number one in the world, Pat Rafter had a laid-back, quietly confident and very ‘Aussie’ demeanour on the court – he was quite polite, understated and very rarely dramatic,” he says. “Although flashy in appearance, the drink is grounded and approachable like his court presence.” 

What: The Pat Rafter 
Where: Slowpoke Lounge & Lookout in Collingwood
When: Wednesday January 14 to Sunday February 1
Price: $25