Kings Cross Distillery has announced the launch of its flagship gin – KXG Australian Classic Dry Gin – and a new bar in the heart of Sydney.
Kings Cross Distillery will open its doors to the public in time for spring 2020, at the intersection of Darlinghurst Road and Macleay Street, Potts Point.
Inspired by a 1930s recipe adapted by distiller Odelia Potts, the KXG Australian Classic Dry Gin is made by the single shot method and vapour distillation using ‘Miss Pottsy’, a 200 litre still.
The inaugural gin recipe is a mix of classic ‘London Dry’ gin botanicals, such as juniper, coriander seed and cardamom pods, with the addition of fresh Sydney organic lemons, as well as a local mix of Australian native myrtles. The KXG Australian Classic Dry Gin also features notes of juniper, preserved lemon, grapefruit, bakers’ spices with exotic woods.
The venue’s signature cocktail will be the Aalto Martini (above), featuring 60ml of the KXG Australian Classic Dry Gin, dry vermouth rinse, and a slice of preserved lemon peel.
The Kings Cross Distillery location was once a 1960s speakeasy and illegal gambling den. Later in the 1970s, the venue became an adult book store, which had secret businesses operating behind the hidden doors of steel. It was known as the Private Book Shop and later Ecstasy Adult Bookstore.
The new venue pays homage to the colourful history it has seen, with the former vault now being used for storing the bar’s gin, as well as a wall of pin up photography, which nods to the former bookstores which existed there.
Kings Cross Distillery will accommodate 120 guests, once COVID-19 restrictions are fully lifted and the venue will offer an array of mezze and tapas style dishes such as bites of baked kibbeh, vine wrapped sardines, and harissa carrots. The bar will also serve its own premium gin, vodka and whisky, as well as an array of Australian and international spirits. One of the special features of the venue will be the availability of personalised spirit lockers, where guests can keep their own bottles and consume them in any gin concoction of their choice.
Potts commented: “We are so thrilled to finally be able to open the venue completely and share our gin creations with the world, following a challenging time for the hospitality industry in Australia. The colourful and rich history of Sydney’s Kings Cross and its Sydney surrounds, are the inspiration behind our vapour infused gins. We can’t wait to welcome customers to join us in our journey of discovery, as we make history too.”
KXG Australian Classic Dry Gin and the spirit lockers can be purchased online now for $115 for a 700ml bottle. Event enquiries can be made via bookings@kingscrossdistillery.com.au (from Spring, 2020)
