Four Pillars Laboratory

Overview

Gin lovers rejoice — Four Pillars has opened its Surry Hills digs. Since launching in 2013, Four Pillars has given Aussie gin lovers plenty to drink, including its famed Bloody Shiraz Gin, an annual Christmas-themed tipple, barrel-aged gins and even a boozy ode to Melbourne landmark The Espy. Now, Sydneysiders can sip the world's best gin straight from the source.

The Yarra Valley gin distillery announcing plans for its first permanent Sydney spot back in September 2019. Part distillery, part small bar and part retail space, The Four Pillars Gin Lab is located inside a 1930s warehouse on Crown Street (across the road from Bartolo and Bills).

The space is the new home for Eileen: the distillery's 70-litre still. This means small batches of gin are made on site — and you can get in on the action, too, with The Lab hosting masterclasses, tastings and gin gatherings in the space.

Anson Smart

Step through a discreet door on the corner of Fitzroy and Crown Streets, ascend the stairwell and you'll find Eileen's Bar: the on-site speakeasy. Expect plenty of G&Ts, martinis and negronis, plus a selection of beer, cider and wine. There is also a limited food menu — think jaffles and crinkle-cut crisps — put together by chef Matt Wilkinson, who previously headed up Made Establishment's now-closed restaurant Crofter.

If all of that isn't enough to excite you, you can also pick up all of Four Pillars' made-from-gin products (we're talking marmalade, Gin Pig salami and Hunted & Gathered chocolate), merchandise, books, bar kits and, of course, gins from the adjoining Gin Shop.

Top images: Anson Smart