It’s no secret that South Australia is home to some of the most innovative distillers and producers in the nation. And now, one of our favourite homegrown spirit companies, EP Spirits, has opened a pop-up cellar door – just in time for their first anniversary.
Popping up in Port Lincoln, the temporary cellar door has carved out a dedicated space to sip nips of gin and vodka while kicking back in the chilled out shack.
EP Spirits first burst onto the spirit scene with their debut gin, aptly name the Trailblazer, March last year. One year later, they’ve gone from strength to strength, appearing in spirit lists across the state and now, opening a devoted door.
“It’s pretty surreal,” EP Spirits co-owner Kyle Ralston says. “The whole concept of EP spirits was a pipedream for Dylan [Puckridge] and I when we were working behind a bar.”
“Now running our own bar, it feels like coming full circle but in an elevated way.
“We’re trying to go for a real laid back vibe because if you’ve been to Port Lincoln, you know everyone’s laid back and easy going.”
Inside the rustic fit-out of the coastal cellar door, locals and lovers of the Eyre will be able to taste the flavours of the EP intertwined throughout the spirits. For both Kyle and co-owner Dylan, they see the space created as an extension of themselves – just like their spirits.
“When I look at it, the space is very much us,” Kyle says. “It’s almost like we’re welcoming you into our house.
“There’s this warmth and positive vibe about it.”
Settle in for an afternoon of sipping handcrafted cocktails – from a classic caprioska and espresso martini (using EP Spirits’ own vanilla vodka) – and tasting paddles showcasing the EP Spirits range.
The pair have also concocted an enticing line-up of original cocktails that’ll help quench your gin-fuelled thirst, including a purple haze cocktail, using a syrup made from butterfly pea ta and topped with mint, lemon juice and soda.
Joining forces with beverage company Strange Love, not only have the EP Spirits duo found a home for their vodkas and gin, but a soda and tonic that lets the botanicals shine.
“Strange love coastal tonic isn’t that strong – it lets the gin shine and showcases its umami,” Dylan says. “It brings out the strong citrus in the gin and makes the gin the hero – which it should be.”
While the pair are homed in a temporary cellar door, for now, both Dylan and Kyle hold big hopes for their future. And if you’ve tasted a nip of their Trailblazer Gin and West Coast Vodka, you’ll know that the duo will succeed.
“Having a more permanent space is something we are working on,” Kyle says. So keep your eyes open for that.”
“But for me, the hope is to have a few more products and build a strong reputation – that way you can taste the Eyre Peninsula and Port Lincoln in our products.”
“It’s a step in the direction we want to go, we want to have a distillery one day, but this is a step closer,” Dylan adds.
You can find EP Spirits pop-up cellar door at 2 S Quay Blvd, Port Lincoln 5606, Thursday to Sunday. Click here to make a booking.
Keep up to date with EP Spirits online, on Facebook and on Instagram.
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