Travel down under for stop five of our World Cocktail Tour.

By Cari Jorgensen

I have had the pleasure of visiting both New Zealand and Australia. Both are gorgeous countries with some of the kindest people you’ll ever get to meet. I highly recommend a trip to these countries, but in the meantime, try one of these cocktails from the lands Down Under.

WORLD COCKTAIL TOUR STOP FIVE: OCEANIA

Auckland, New Zealand chrishowey/iStock

Country: New Zealand
Cocktail: Bloody Señorita
Ingredients: 30 ml tamarillo liqueur, 30 ml vodka, tomato juice, Tabasco sauce (to taste), Worcestershire sauce (to taste), pepper, celery salt, ice cubes
Garnish: Cherry tomato, celery stalk
Directions: Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour in the tamarillo liqueur and vodka. Top it with the tomato juice. Season it with the Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and celery salt. Garnish with the celery stalk and cherry tomato and serve.

When you fly into Auckland, perhaps a little jet lagged and drained, the worst thing you can do is fall asleep. You’ll likely arrive early in the morning, as I did. I hired a driver and listened as he shared stories of his native country. Make stops along the way and take in the scenery. Check in at your hotel, take a shower to refresh yourself, grab a bite to eat (and if the bar’s open, have a drink), then get out and explore. Auckland is an amazing city where you’ll experience just about everything. But don’t spend your whole New Zealand trip there. The country has too much more to offer.

Do as I did and visit the North and South Islands. Rub noses with the Maori and visit the sulfur mines. Take a little boat ride in the glowworm caves. Check out where the Lord of the Rings movies were made. Have drinks in Queenstown and Christchurch and everywhere you stop. Make sure at least one of those drinks is with a local.

Then hop on a plane and head to Australia.

Sydney, Australia mroz/iStock

Country: Australia
Cocktail: Surfer’s Paradise
Ingredients: 60 ml vodka, 15 ml blue curaçao liqueur, 45 ml dry vermouth, 20 ml Galliano, ice cubes
Garnish: Red cherry
Directions: Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass. Strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with the cherry and serve.

Still elated by your vacation in New Zealand, you’ll want to keep up your energy for Australia, so hopefully you slept on the plane. Touching down in Sydney, you’ll quickly realize the city has myriad things to see and do – the Opera House, swimming with sharks, bungee jumping off the Harbour Bridge (or even just walking across it), hiking the Blue Mountains, surfing in Manly and Bondi, shopping at the Queen Victoria Building if you’re so inclined or even playing giant chess in Hyde Park. There are hundreds of things to do in Sydney, but again, having a drink with a local should be one of them.

Then head out to Cairns and check out the Great Barrier Reef, fly to Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. Australia and New Zealand are too far away not to spend as much time as you can seeing and doing as much as you can while you’re there. And if you try a new cocktail on your trip, be sure to tell us all about it.

Next Stop: Africa