The Dolphin’s New Bubble O’ Bill Old Fashioned Is a Boozy Take On a Nostalgic Favourite

Aussie childhood classic the Bubble O’ Bill is all grown up. Surry Hills pub The Dolphin has turned the edible cowboy into a nostalgia-drenched cocktail, the Bubble O’ Bill Old Fashioned – and it contains actual Bubble O’ Bills.

“The idea for the Bubble O’ Bill Old Fashioned was spawned from the iconic ice-cream itself, an ice-cream drenched in the memory of Australian youth – nostalgia plays a huge part in cocktail creation, especially in my case,” group bar director Josh Reynolds tells Broadsheet. “I wanted a winter-warmer style of drink, rich and heavy with a dash of tongue-in-cheek. This hits the spot.”

So, how does Reynolds turn this strawberry, chocolate and caramel confectionery outlaw into a boozy tipple for the over-18s?

Four Bubble O’ Bill ice-creams – gumballs and all – are melted to room temperature, then added to two bottles of Bulleit bourbon, where they steep for an hour. The ice-cream and bourbon are then vacuum-sealed and frozen, and while the ice-cream refreezes, the alcohol remains liquid, soaking up all the flavour from the ice-cream cowboys. Finally, the liquid is drip-thawed through a fine cloth to create an ice-cream-infused clarified bourbon.

It’s served in a glass with Byrrh (an aperitif), dark chocolate, strawberry conserve liqueur and king coconut. Now, that’s a hoedown.

dolphinhotel.com.au