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The good news is this may just be Canberra’s best spot to enjoy a cocktail overlooking Lake Burley Griffin. The bad news is that it will only be around for a limited time. Underground Spirits is hosting the capital’s first-ever lakeside gin experience this summer, with the Canberra distillery installing a pop-up the Canberra and Region Visitors Centre on the edge of Lake Burley Griffin. “Lake Burley Griffin is one of the reasons people even come to Canberra. That’s one of the things you come to see,” Underground Spirits’ Pat McKenzie says. “The fact that there is now a bar – loosely we can call it a bar or even just somewhere that produces alcohol-included experiences – it’s kind of cool. “The view is unbelievable. You’re looking at the Parliamentary Triangle and the lake, and the spirits that we use are fantastic so everything about it is a very Canberra-orientated experience.” READ MORE: There are two urban distillery experiences on offer, including The Spirit of Canberra – Underground Experience. The immersive class shares Underground Spirits’ story, the history of gin, production processes and botanicals, plus an exploration of the gin and tonic and how to perfect it. Underground Spirits Mixed Up! Tasting and Cocktail Masterclass is a longer session where guests join a mixologist for a cocktail making demonstration and tasting. Both experiences include sample tastings and drinks. “It’s just a great bit of fun. It’s a fun thing to do with a group of friends or you know your partner or by yourself,” McKenzie says. “It also showcases that we’re part of this growing boutique distillery/winery/brewery culture in Canberra, which is always great to support. I love the do-it-yourself mentality in Canberra. It also hopefully can expand your mind as a consumer of gin and vodka as to what you can do with your spirits. “I’m proud of what we do and we put a lot of effort into making a uniquely Australian product and it’s always a novelty to see it up on a pedestal.” The announcement of the pop-up bar comes after what has been a challenging year for the tourism and hospitality sectors in general. Having pivoted rapidly to support frontline medical workers with hand sanitiser production and supply when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the Underground team wanted to refresh their offering by providing new summer drinks and tourism experience for both locals and visitors to enjoy. “We wanted to create a great space to have some drinks and showcase all of our spirits,” McKenzie says. “We were going through all of the places available, there was a bunch of other places that we looked at, and then we were given this opportunity – which required a little bit more elbow grease because there was no bar existing there. “So it was a little bit more difficult, but it was more rewarding to do it that way because it’s so uniquely Underground.” Urban Distillery Experiences run from Thursday to Sunday each week, with various session times available. Go to undergroundspirits.com.au for more information and to book.
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The good news is this may just be Canberra’s best spot to enjoy a cocktail overlooking Lake Burley Griffin. The bad news is that it will only be around for a limited time.
Underground Spirits is hosting the capital’s first-ever lakeside gin experience this summer, with the Canberra distillery installing a pop-up the Canberra and Region Visitors Centre on the edge of Lake Burley Griffin.
“Lake Burley Griffin is one of the reasons people even come to Canberra. That’s one of the things you come to see,” Underground Spirits’ Pat McKenzie says.
“The fact that there is now a bar – loosely we can call it a bar or even just somewhere that produces alcohol-included experiences – it’s kind of cool.
“The view is unbelievable. You’re looking at the Parliamentary Triangle and the lake, and the spirits that we use are fantastic so everything about it is a very Canberra-orientated experience.”
There are two urban distillery experiences on offer, including The Spirit of Canberra – Underground Experience. The immersive class shares Underground Spirits’ story, the history of gin, production processes and botanicals, plus an exploration of the gin and tonic and how to perfect it.
Underground Spirits Mixed Up! Tasting and Cocktail Masterclass is a longer session where guests join a mixologist for a cocktail making demonstration and tasting. Both experiences include sample tastings and drinks.
Underground Spirits Mixed Up! Tasting and Cocktail Masterclass see guests join a mixologist for a cocktail making demonstration. Picture: Supplied
“It’s just a great bit of fun. It’s a fun thing to do with a group of friends or you know your partner or by yourself,” McKenzie says.
“It also showcases that we’re part of this growing boutique distillery/winery/brewery culture in Canberra, which is always great to support. I love the do-it-yourself mentality in Canberra. It also hopefully can expand your mind as a consumer of gin and vodka as to what you can do with your spirits.
“I’m proud of what we do and we put a lot of effort into making a uniquely Australian product and it’s always a novelty to see it up on a pedestal.”
The announcement of the pop-up bar comes after what has been a challenging year for the tourism and hospitality sectors in general.
Having pivoted rapidly to support frontline medical workers with hand sanitiser production and supply when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the Underground team wanted to refresh their offering by providing new summer drinks and tourism experience for both locals and visitors to enjoy.
“We wanted to create a great space to have some drinks and showcase all of our spirits,” McKenzie says.
“We were going through all of the places available, there was a bunch of other places that we looked at, and then we were given this opportunity – which required a little bit more elbow grease because there was no bar existing there.
“So it was a little bit more difficult, but it was more rewarding to do it that way because it’s so uniquely Underground.”
Urban Distillery Experiences run from Thursday to Sunday each week, with various session times available.
