Thomas Davey was the 2nd Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen’s Land, 1813-1819, as Tasmania was then known. By all accounts, mostly by his superiors, he was completely unqualified and thoroughly unfit for the role. As an officer in His Majesty’s Marine Forces he had taken part in the Battle of Trafalgar. It was likely, in his time in the Navy, that he acquired a passion for strong drink, mostly rum, and drink he did.
When he fancied a bit if a drink-up he would build a wattle hut outside the Governor’s residence and barbecue a whole pig, behind which he would sit alongside a cask of his signature blend which he named Blow my Skull. This was a “notoriously potent alcoholic concoction”, a mix of rum, brandy, porter, lime, sugar and water. He was usually the last man standing.
Long after his death in 1823, Davey’s recipe was published in Australia’s first cookbook, The English and Australian Cookery Book, 1864. However by that time it had been adopted by Australian gold miners of the 1850s. Their version took it up a notch with the addition of Turkish opium, cocculus indicus and cayenne pepper. That would do the trick. Some even claim that this was how Davey actually made his own and that the version in the book had been detoxified. Given his reputation, it doesn’t seem that unlikely.
- 160 gm demerara sugar
- 200 ml freshly pressed lime juice (about 7 limes)
- 500 ml stout or porter
- 500 ml high proof navy-style rum like Wood’s 100 (57% ABV)
- 250 ml strong brandy
- opium, cocculus indicus and cayenne pepper (optional)
Serve with a barbecued suckling pig on the side.