The Birdcage at Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse looked a little different during this year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival. For the first time, G.H. Mumm, the official Champagne of the Melbourne Cup Carnival for the last 18 years, channelled the glamour of vintage rail travel to create The G.H. Mumm 1827 Express. Guests included Carrie Bickmore, Jules Neale and Isaac Quaynor.
Occupying a two-storey, front-row position in The Birdcage, The G.H. Mumm 1827 Express reminded guests to enjoy the journey, not just the arrival at the destination. The marquee’s name pays homage to the Maison’s 1827 founding year.
At the entrance, tickets were checked and luggage stowed before guests passed through a grand train station façade. Inside, DJ Rich Penny played tunes, while guests posed for photos made to look as if they were boarding a vintage train carriage. The décor featured deep burgundy and crimson accents, in line with the brand’s colours. Plush velvets, distinctive walnut timber and warm ambient lighting evoke a vintage train carriage.
“The coming together of an iconic event on the Australian calendar coupled with outstanding Champagne means G.H. Mumm can embrace innovation and create an unparallelled celebratory moment annually,” says Pernod Ricard Pacific Marketing Director Kristy Rutherford.
“The G.H. Mumm 1827 Express embodies the belief that life’s greatest adventures are found in the pursuit of life’s extraordinary moments, where the journey is just as important as the destination.”
Canapes included smoked salmon and chervil mouselline vol-au-vents; spiced pork croquettes with preserved cherries; warm chive crumpets with tuna crudo, crème fraîche and citrus salt; brioche buns filled with poached prawns and dill and chive crème fraîche; and comté and burnt butter bechamel toasties – all served alongside G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge.
At ground level, a Voiture-Bar delighted guests with a luxurious twist on the traditional refreshment car. A selection of canapés were prepared live, such as oysters topped with G.H. Mumm Champagne foam and chicken nuggets elevated with caviar. Guests also sipped G.H. Mumm cocktails, including a Champagne Punch blending G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge, strawberry syrup and freshly squeezed lemon, alongside a spin on an Old Cuban combining G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge, Havana Club Especial rum, mint, lime and bitters.
Further enhancing the marquee was a collaboration with renowned Melbourne restaurant Maison Bâtard. G.H. Mumm created an invite-only Private Lounge Carriage for Maison Bâtard Executive Chef Adam Sanderson to serve an amuse-bouche paired the finest reserve and vintage cuvées from the Champagne house.
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