Produced in collaboration with Melbourne liqueur producers Marionette, Never Never's Fancy Fruit Cup is the local Pimm's alternative you've been looking for.

It was all thanks to one young James Pimm in 1823 that so many of our summers have been enlightened with glasses (sometimes jugs) of fruit cup – the delicious gin-based libation that is synonymous the world over with Pimm and his Number 1 Cup recipe.

While the concoction has a rich history in England, in contemporary Adelaide, it has dutifully served as the reliable quick-access (and delicious) option at the Royal Croquet Club, available with nary a lineup in sight at the relaxed Pimm’s Bar, while the full range bars rumble, six-to-10 bodies deep with thirsty Pimm’s-gnostic patrons.

There is just one problem in CityMag’s eyes with the globally renowned fruit cup brand; call us parochial, but we love a local product.

Just in time for summer, Never Never Distilling has answered our call and partnered with Melbourne liqueur company Marionette to create their Fancy Fruit Cup.

Launching at 2KW on Sunday, 2 December, Never Never’s Triple Juniper Gin is combined with Marionette’s barrel-aged Orange Curaçao, which is then blended with spices and Darjeeling tea, for a less sugary, more grown up variation on the theme.

L-R: Marionette’s Nick Tesar and Lauren Bonkowski, Never Never’s Sean Baxter and Tim Boast, and Marionette’s Hugh Leech.

“The Fancy Fruit Cup is a wonderful example of exactly why we love Marionette’s Orange Curaçao. The curaçao provides complex elements of orange, tartness and sweetness which balance with the tannic tea and vibrant juniper forward gin to create a deliciously complex summer mixer,” Never Never’s director of distilling, Tim Boast says.

“Classically a fruit cup plays off the intricate spice of the gin, relying heavily on the juniper back bone – enter Never Never,” Marionette’s Nick Tesar says.

“The addition of tea for tannin structure and citrus, in this case in the form of the Marionette Orange Curaçao – a blend of navel, Seville and blood oranges creates an incredible match.”

For the perfect rendition at home, the team suggests filling a tall glass with ice, adding 45ml of their Fancy Fruit Cup, 45ml of lemonade, and 45ml of ginger ale and some fruit to garnish.

“It’s designed as a low-alcohol cocktail serve, for those long, festive afternoons,” Never Never’s Sean Baxter says.

Pre-orders are available on Never Never’s website now, and keep an eye out for it on shelves and back bars this summer.

Best consumed through a reusable straw.