Today, Yarra Valley-based distiller, Four Pillars, opens its Surry Hills ‘Laboratory’ on the eve of World Gin Day.
Housed in the 1930s Bussell Brothers building, the Four Pillars Laboratory is a veritable gin palace and incorporates a Gin Shop, Gin Lab featuring an experimental still (Eileen, named after co-founder Matt Jones’ mother) and Eileen’s Bar, a destination cocktail bar, all at the new epicentre of Crown Street, Surry Hills.
EILEEN’S BAR
Designed by YSG Studio, Eileen’s Bar is Four Pillars’ dream gin bar and combines aesthetic beauty, superb cocktails, delicious gin drinks (plus a few not-gin drinks too), a snack menu from food legend Matt Wilkinson and Four Pillars’ own trademark warmth and hospitality.
The bar and design
The centrepiece of the Four Pillars Sydney experience, Eileen’s Bar, is accessed via a discreet door on the corner of Fitzroy and Crown Streets. A ‘juniper blue’ 20-stool, concrete bar at 11m in length, is the gleaming stage and dominates the 60-person venue (currently at 24-person capacity).
Supremely comfortable banquette seating is organised around the perimeter, the dark timber and cork finishes receding to keep the focus on the cocktail-making action. The seating is from Cult’s Nau range, blue-stained Sia bar stools and chairs by local designer Tom Fereday, while the banquettes are upholstered in navy fabric by Kvadrat Maharam. At the rear of the space, in a moody alley dubbed ‘Tinder Lane’, beautifully finished timber tables anchor cosy settings for two.
Oslo-based bar design agency Behind Bars worked with Creative Drinks Director, James Irvine, to create a beautifully bespoke bar set-up in stainless steel to comfortably accommodate four very busy bartenders.
The drinks – menu here
Eileen’s drinks menu, designed by Irvine, combines gin classics and modern masterpieces utilising the full Four Pillars family of gins. From the modern spectrum, Money Trees is a balance of tropical fruit and acidity with Navy Strength Gin, Kakadu plum, kiwifruit, lime leaf and carbonated to order. Or Innerbloom, juicy, round and plump with Davidson plum, macadamia and blood lime mixed with Modern Australian Gin. The Purple Yamos combines Bloody Shiraz Gin, ube whey, citrus and whites and is a very fun take on the renowned Ramos Gin Fizz.
Classics like the Gin Lab Martini feature the new Sydney Winter Gin (made on-site by the distilling team led by co-founder Stuart Gregor) with lemon myrtle, native sandalwood and orange oils, and, of course, there’s aperitivo royalty with the Negroni, celebrated with Spiced Negroni Gin.
You’ll also find drinks from several of Four Pillars’ best mates in the business including Payten & Jones Chardonnay, Dirty Three Riesling, Thick as Thieves Pinot Noir Gamay plus tinnies of beer and cider.
The snacks – menu here
Maestro Matt Wilkinson has a come up with a very drink-friendly menu that features multiple Made from Gin products such as Salt and Gin Vinegar Crisps and Jimmy’s Taramasalata with Yarra Valley Gin-smoked Caviar, or there’s Angelachu Anchovies, Steak and Pepper Party Pies or a Gin Lab Jaffle with mortadella and mozzarella. The snack menu will change from time to time as more Made from Gin products come into the fold as seasons change.
Eileen’s Bar opens from 5pm – midnight, Wednesday through Saturday
THE FOUR PILLARS GIN LAB
The Lab, with Eileen, the 70L German-engineered Carl copper still as its star, offers all-day gin drinks for walk-in customers including the much-loved Four Pillars G&T Paddle (three different gins, three garnishes and a bottle of Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic) alongside a collection of gin classics including a regularly-changing martini, a perfect Negroni and a drink likely to become a Surry Hills brunch favourite, the spicy Red Snapper. You can also book gin, distiller and cocktail masterclasses here, too. You can find the menu here.
The Four Pillars Gin Lab opens from 12pm – 6pm every day
THE FOUR PILLARS GIN SHOP
The Gin Shop on the ground floor features all the signature and limited-edition gins that have made Four Pillars Australia’s favourite gin producer, alongside the bar gear, books, merch and Made From Gin Marmalade and Chocolate that we all know and love.
The Four Pillars Gin Shop opens from 10am – 6pm every day
Gin lovers wishing to visit Eileen’s Bar (bookings only for now) or book into a masterclass at the Gin Lab should visit www.fourpillarsgin.com. Please note, current capacities in the Gin Shop, Gin Lab and Eileen’s Bar are restricted according to NSW state-mandated Covid-19 protocols so numbers will be strictly limited.
QUOTES from the brains behind The Four Pillars Laboratory:
Matt Jones – Four Pillars Co-founder, on the overall vision for the Four Pillars Laboratory:
“At our Four Pillars Distillery home in Healesville, Cameron and his team make the best gin in the world. When we thought about what we wanted to bring to Sydney, we were determined to take that same passion for making, creativity and experimentation and focus it on the delicious drinks you can make with our gins. And we wanted to serve it all up with our signature love of warm hospitality and beautiful design. The result is the Four Pillars Laboratory in Surry Hills, a delicious playground for Sydney’s gin lovers and a new bucket list destination for gin fanatics around the world.”
Leah Mackenzie – Four Pillars Experience Director, on the site and venue:
“The site appealed because of its character and its industrial roots,” says Leah of the two-storey freestanding chocolate brick landmark, constructed in 1939 for the Bussell Brothers tea company as Australia shook off the Great Depression. “Essentially we are producers so we love an industrial vibe. So while our Distillery is in Healesville we wanted to still have that maker feel here in Sydney. It’s being honest about who we are. We always want to bring people closer to what we do. In terms of the aesthetic, we looked to combine a bit of edge from Melbourne with the sophistication of Sydney, while allowing the base building to shine. Ultimately we just want it to be welcoming and warm, with no pretense. Just a really beautiful, comfortable, warm and happy place to be.”
Yasmine Ghoniem – YSG Studio, on Eileen’s Bar:
“We wanted to envelop the guest, the patrons at the bar. And make them feel like they never wanted to leave. It was about creating this magical beacon in the middle of the space so everyone could get to enjoy the bar and it wasn’t just one part of the venue, but it was the whole of it.”
James Irvine – Four Pillars Creative Drinks Director, on the drinks and delivery:
“The Gin Lab menu highlights the perfection of simplicity through some of our favourite signature serves and classic drinks. Eileen’s Bar focuses on a variety of drink styles, ingredients, producers and techniques, taking into consideration new gin releases, season and of course sitting in the space itself. Both menus stay true to the brand promise of being fun, approachable and foremost – delicious. We look forward to seeing you at the bar.”
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