When Duncan MacGillivray commandeered his neighbour's orchard of elderly Lisbon lemons to make a brew for his Adelaide bar, he had no idea Two Dogs Alcoholic Lemonade would bark so loudly.
In just two years, the enterprise has grown from a five-keg experiment to a multi-million dollar drinks business, ironically contributing to a 32 per cent rise in the price of Australian lemons.
Most of the original 3,000 cases sent to Hong Kong have been sold and an order of 70,000 cases will be delivered soon. Elsewhere in the world, sales of Two Dogs is expected to clock up about three million cases this year, bringing in $573 million. Not bad for a drink designed as a thirst-quenching alternative to the amber nectar at Mr MacGillivray's Astor Hotel.
He explains the amazing success of the product. 'Obviously I was excited about Two Dogs at the beginning as it was the world's first alcoholic lemonade,' Mr MacGillivray said during a recent visit to Hong Kong. 'But how can you imagine something this big? It's impossible to judge - it could just as easily have bombed.' The label advises that Two Dogs is best served chilled with ice and a slice of lemon. And, yes, it is undeniably superb, like someone spiked your granny's homemade lemonade. Yet at 4.2 per cent alcohol it affords hours of boozing without total inebriation.
'It's also a good mixer,' says Mr MacGillivray. 'T & T is my favourite - Two Dogs and tequila - or a T & V is pretty good - Two Dogs and vodka.' It may not be giving him hangovers but the lemonade's name is certainly giving its founder a few headaches.
'The name started off as a bit of a joke suggested by a friend of mine who was fed up with me asking him what I should call it,' he says. 'It stems back to an old joke which most Australians will know. But in Asia, of course, everyone wants to know how I came to name it, which can get a bit tricky.' There is an extremely cryptic explanation on the label - and six strategically placed paw prints to give the uninitiated a clue. In short, it's not such a clean joke.
Now a new MacGillivray product is about to enter the market. Called Rhubarb Rhubarb, it's sparkling, red, tangy but sweet, and is made from the fermented fruit of the same name.