“The connotations that come with pre-mixed cocktails are from the ’90s and early 2000s,” says Shaun Campbell, co-owner of Bank Street Cocktail Company. It was an era of “Mudslides, UDLs and not much else.”
Tracking the trend towards premium bottled cocktails, Campbell – along with business partner Simon Orders – decided to release their own range of locally bottled, bar-quality cocktails designed to enjoy at home. It’s an offshoot of their nearly three-year-old West End bar Bank Street Social.
The “starting three” are an approachable bunch: there’s an Espresso Martini, a Negroni and an Old Fashioned. What’s on offer is likely to expand down the track.
“The guys [in the bar] make these cocktails every day,” says Campbell. Their bottled counterparts are mixed by hand using “the same [premium] spirits in exactly the same quantities”. Nothing needs to be added, just chill and pour over ice. No cocktail shaker required.
The bottled cocktails, with slick design by Melbourne's TCYK, are currently available at Sturt Street Cellars and Hutt Street Cellars in the CBD, Parade Cellars in Norwood, Ed Cellars in Mitcham, Pulpit Cellars in Mount Barker, and the Capri Theatre in Goodwood. They come by the bottle, in a case of 24 or as a gift set that includes one of each.
The product is also geared towards cafes, restaurants and theatres without cocktail-making facilities.
Visit bankstreetcocktailco.com.au for Australia-wide online orders.
