Inspired by Kylie’s epic pre-game show at the AFL Grand Final? We pair some of her most iconic moments to drinks.
Girls, gays and anyone who loves the dancefloor – our prayers have been answered. Kylie finally landed one of the biggest gigs on the annual calendar – the pre-game entertainment at the AFL Grand Final – and she absolutely nailed it. Why didn’t it happen sooner? Don’t ask us – let’s just be grateful it did. The only female artist to have topped music charts in five consecutive decades set an epic new benchmark for every artist to follow (or maybe she can just do it each year from now on).
In honour of her killer performance, we’re pairing drinks with various iconic versions of Kylie – any excuse to revisit her back catalogue. We wish we could cover every version of Kylie that’s ever been reinvented, but instead, we’ve chosen a handful of her most iconic moments. So, here are our favourite Kylie eras with a drink to match.
Drink: Blue Lagoon
Who could forget how Kylie Minogue got her start? As the feisty Charlene Mitchell on Neighbours from 1986 to 1988, Kylie appeared in more than 300 episodes and was at the centre of one of the show’s most iconic storylines: Charlene’s romance with Scott Robinson (played by Jason Donovan). Their love story captivated audiences, culminating in their wedding – watched by nearly two million Australians and over 20 million (yes, 20 million) viewers in the UK. Ahh, the moment Kylie enters the church, peeking down the aisle from beneath her veil, baby’s breath tucked into her freshly permed fringe. Magic! And Scott’s glistening mullet? Unforgettable.
It was during her time on Neighbours that Kylie launched her music career (thankfully, she chose singing over staying in Erinsborough). Her debut single, ‘The Loco-Motion’, had everyone doing a brand-new dance and became the best-selling Australian single of the decade. While everyone was swinging their hips, they were probably sipping a Blue Lagoon, given this cocktail was super popular in the ’80s. Its electric-blue hue and balance of sweet, sour and bitter is the perfect throwback to Kylie in her permed hair and leotard era.
Drink: Bourbon Cherry Cola
Kylie Minogue and bad boy INXS frontman Michael Hutchence shared a two-year romance. It was a love for the ages; one that Kylie has described as filled with both joy and sorrow. In the 2019 documentary Mystify: Michael Hutchence, she shared: “He was crazy and curious. He opened up my whole world. Most of the memories revolved around joy and fun. I felt loved, but also sad.” She also admitted, “He was a dark, bad boy, and I was the pure good girl.” Their relationship was passionate and transformative for Kylie, who credited Michael with introducing her to a world of rock ‘n’ roll, art and adventure.
They were the Aussie ‘It’ couple of the early ’90s, and their time together inspired music from both artists. Kylie’s ‘Confide in Me’ (1994) is said to reflect the emotional depth she gained from their relationship, while INXS’s ‘Suicide Blonde’ (1990) was inspired by Kylie, who’d dyed her hair platinum blonde for a role. A fitting drink pairing for this era of Kylie’s life? A Bourbon Cherry Cola – a dark spirit with a bit of rock ‘n’ roll edge, yet still sweet, putting a grown-up spin on a classic flavour combo.
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3. The darker side of Kylie
Drink: Chapel Hill The MV Shiraz
A haunting duet between Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue, ‘Where the Wild Roses Grow’ was released in 1995 as the lead single on Murder Ballads, the ninth studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It was a major departure from Kylie’s usual pop, but Nick described her voice as perfectly suiting the song’s eerie, melancholic tone. In an interview with Molly Meldrum for 50 Years of Rock in Australia, Nick revealed he wrote the song specifically for Kylie, having wanted to collaborate for years.
In classic Nick Cave fashion, it’s a dark, gothic murder ballad, telling the tragic tale of Elisa Day from her perspective as well as her killer’s. The track was met with both commercial and critical acclaim, and it helped reshape Kylie’s image, revealing a darker, more sophisticated side. A fitting drink would have to be the Chapel Hill The MV Shiraz. Brooding and savoury, this plush, generous wine showcases McLaren Vale, and it’s full of cherry, blackberry and dark fruit flavours.
4. Kylie spinning around in those hot pants
Drink: Luc Belaire Brut Gold
Picture this: it’s the early 2000s, you’re watching Video Hits on a Saturday morning while you demolish a bowl of Rice Bubbles – and there’s Kylie, laying across a nightclub bar in tiny gold hot pants singing ‘Spinning Around’. Core memory unlocked. Those hot pants sparked a lot of interest at the time (and still do today, tbh). Believe it or not, they were snagged for just 50p at a flea market the night before the shoot. The following year, ‘Can't Get You Out of My Head’ graced the airwaves, accompanied by an equally mesmerising video of Kylie wearing a white hooded jumpsuit with a plunging neckline, complete with a high-gloss red lip, performing that unmistakable choreography.
Both singles (and their respective albums Light Years and Fever) further reinforced that Kylie was a true global pop icon – and both tracks still go off on the dancefloor today. In honour of this iconic period of Kylie’s career (and how much attention those hot pants garnered), we’ve chosen Luc Belaire Brut Gold because, much like Kylie’s greatest hits, it’s poppy, effortlessly elegant and guaranteed to please a crowd.
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5. Kylie, Kath & Kim
Drink: Oakridge Valley Series Chardonnay
It was the Kath & Kim cameo we never knew we needed, but boy, did it go down a treat. During a flash-forward dream sequence, we see Kylie playing Kim’s daughter, Epponnee-Raelene Charlene Kathleen Darlene Craig. Popping up in Fountain Lakes in a wedding outfit not too dissimilar to the one she wore in Neighbours, and nailing every line from "look at moiiii" to "you’re only uuman", proved there’s nothing Kylie can’t do. Not to mention her impeccable sense of humour and immaculate comedic timing.
Our drink pairing for this Kylie era would have to be a Victorian ‘cardonnay’ (“It’s French, the ‘h’ is silent”), as Kath, Kim and Kylie all hail from Melbourne. We love the Oakridge Valley Series Chardonnay: a classic all-rounder from the Yarra Valley that undergoes natural fermentation and is matured on lees for nine months. This results in balanced freshness with complexity; think vibrant citrus flavours and a hint of oak. Best enjoyed in the backyard with a cheese platter and your favourite foxy morons.
Drink: Rosé Spritzer
One thing’s for sure: Kylie remains an unstoppable pop icon, consistently dropping dancefloor anthems we can’t get enough of. In 2023, she released ‘Padam Padam’, the lead single from her 16th studio album Tension. The song, which collected her first Grammy in 20 years, is a dance-pop track that blends electro with Eastern European sounds. As with every Kylie hit, it resonates strongly within the LGBTQ+ community thanks to its camp energy, unapologetic fun, and empowering message.
To celebrate current-day Kylie, we’re making a cocktail that showcases one of her very own wines – the Kylie Minogue Vin de Provence Rosé. The Rosé Spritzer is simple, pretty and delicious. It also makes six serves in one go, making it the perfect drink to share around the room during her pre-game show. All you need is a bottle of her rosé, some bianco vermouth and soda water, and maybe some strawberries or fresh thyme for garnishes, and your work here is done.
