The Good Life
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Like attracts like?
A spirited awardee and a newbie You might have heard about the blue gin that turns pink. But have you heard about the rum that is produced in the same northern rivers distillery?
A fortnight ago, Ink Gin won Best Innovation in the spirits category at the Australian Drinks Awards. The rum is also different. ‘Ninety-nine per cent of rum is made from molasses,’ says Harriet Messenger, Paul’s daughter and Husk’s marketing and sales manager. ‘We are the only ones in Australia, and one of the few in the world, who make rum from sugar cane.’ Literally hot off the still (it was first available yesterday) is an un-aged (and therefore white) rum called Pure Cane. If you’re interested in trying it, you’d better get in quick, as Husk’s aged rum (also an awardee), released last year, sold out in three days. Husk aims to be a sustainable distillery. This doesn’t mean that it will produce sufficient alcohol to sustain you through an entire night out. It means that Husk actively minimises the effect of their production on the environment.
free of cost, courtesy of their two 22kW Tesla connectors.
Unfortunately for the planet, no-one has arrived in the Byron region by hand-hewn balsawood raft since 1973, with most driving or, worse still, flying and driving.
The resort’s Heath Batterham said, ‘Most of the Teslas currently reach us from the local area, Brisbane or the Gold Coast, because of the range restrictions but the great news is that we have helped create a network that would allow drivers to reach us from Sydney or Melbourne in the south or the Sunshine Coast in the north.
However, anyone who is driving to Byron in a Tesla has at least invested a significant amount of their own money (they cost $100,000+) into helping to save the planet, so who wouldn’t want more of those people around? The Byron at Byron resort’s patrons can charge their Teslas
We are very excited to be part of the important future of our planet.’
Fewer trucks, more locals, good vibes
Story and photos by Vivienne Pearson
Husk Distillers are located in Tumbulgum, a region as beautiful as the gin. The keys to the local beauty are the Tweed River and Wollumbin (Mount Warning). The secret of the gorgeous gin is butterfly pea flowers, which give the blue colour as well as its capacity as an acid-base indicator – remember litmus tests from high-school chemistry? Lemon and lime juice, as well as tonic water, are options for providing the acidity that turns the gin pink.
Byron’s marketing message does influence the sort of people we attract, hopefully the sort of tourists that will respect and benefit our region.
Story and photos by Vivienne Pearson A new food event – the Byron Bay Good Vibes Twilight Street Food Market – was held on Saturday at Byron’s Youth Activity Centre (YAC). Top: The awardees and (front and centre) the newbie Harriet and Paul Messenger with the still In practice, this means growing cane within a short walk of the distillery, using the bagasse (the fibrous part of cane) to mulch new rainforest plantings, and having cows, which eat the left-over bits of the botanicals used to make gin as well as the yeasty distilling waste, which is wonderfully high in protein. Plans are afoot for you to be able to see all for yourself, thanks to building works to enlarge the distillery as well to create a tasting room, cafe and information/museum area. In the meantime, you can think of cows, cane and chemistry as you sip some award-winning, locally produced gin or some brand-new rum. Info: Ink Gin can be found at every independent bottleshop in the northern rivers, Dan Murphy’s, online (huskdistillers.com) and in locally made cocktails. The new Pure Cane rum is available online and will gradually make its way into bottleshops and cocktails.
real farmers, real food
The event promised food trucks (it seemed that most would be travelling from the Gold Coast), live music and vintage/handmade stalls. What eventuated was fewer trucks but more local businesses than expected. The one actual truck was supplemented by caravans, trailers, and a Kombi van, along with many of the usual market marquees. More local businesses featured than expected, including Byron’s Knox & Aya’s vegan icecream, Stokers Siding’s Gunter’s Flammkuchen (it’s not pizza but bears a striking resemblance to it) and Byron’s The Grassy Bowl (the aforementioned Kombi van). One of the organisers, Matt Whalley, says he and his partner, Kat Creasey (who together run Gold Coast Design Collective), arranged the event as a way of ‘giving back’ to the YAC, where Kat undertook business training as a teenager. Matt says the giving back takes the form of paying generous rent for the event, as well as helping keep the YAC on the radar for young people. The Byron Youth Service, who run the YAC, are positive about the event. Manager Teeya Blatt says the event was very well
organised and attended. ‘It was a very relaxed atmosphere, the punters stayed, the music was good, and it shows that there is a desire for alcohol-free events,’ says Teeya. ‘It’s great to see the YAC being used in such a way – it’s such an underutilised community resource.’ With anything new, especially something bringing businesses in from outside the area, there is understandable concern about the impact on local businesses and markets. Matt and Kat are acutely aware of this. They have great loyalty to the Byron region and stress that they would not do anything to tread on toes. ‘If we came back, it would be a seasonal thing – every couple of months,’ says Matt. ‘We wouldn’t come back so regularly as to damage other markets.’ Their love of the Byron region has been further enhanced by the event. ‘I was so impressed with how polite everyone was,’ says Matt. ‘I had six or seven complete strangers stop me to say thank you as I was collecting rubbish.’ The YAC is a great place to hold such an event – with some undercover space, a gentle grass slope just begging to be dotted with picnic blankets, and a neighbouring open grass area for kids needing to burn off some energy. The vibes were certainly good at the Good Vibes Street Food market.
RISTORANTE PIZZERIA
From 3 to 5pm APERITIVO Any cocktail
& 1 tapa
$15
LUNCH SPECIAL
1 COURSE & DRINK $19 / 3 COURSES & DRINK $35
BYRON BAY Thursdays 8-11am Butler St Reserve BANGALOW Saturdays 8-11am Behind the hotel
Open 7 days till late, daily lunch from 12 to 5pm starting Sat 24th. Wood fired pizzas from 2,30pm See menu, book a table, order delivery or take away at www.basilo.co or call 6680
8818 Kids meals starting from $9
30 Lawson Street, Byron Bay
30 September 21, 2016 The Byron Shire Echo
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