Spirits high at local distillery book launch

Deputy Mayor Karen May attended the cocktail book launch at the Sugar Shed on Saturday night.

“The team at the Sugar Shed have outdone themselves with their new cocktail book,” Cr May said.

“It is literally bursting with cocktail recipes and ideas to get the Sarina Sugar Shed rums and liqueurs off the shelf and into some amazing cocktail creations,” she said.

Sugar Shed distiller Sarah-Jane Parrott said the inspiration for the new book came from the Mackay community.

“While at local events we are often asked for cocktail-making tips for our rums and liqueurs and it motivated us to write down some ideas and share our favourite recipes,” Ms Parrott said.

“The new cocktail guide lists 16 cocktail recipes, a number of which were my own and others are favourites from our team, which will help our customers create their own delicious drinks,” she said.

“One of the cocktail recipes is named in honour of the late Trudy O’Rourke, who was an amazing tour guide for many years at the Sugar Shed and greatly missed by all the team.

“On Saturday night we also launched several new products including a new non-alcoholic pineapple beer, orange aromatic bitters and chocolate aromatic bitters and a new cocktail kit.

“The cocktail kits include handmade glass stirrers and dishes by local business Azure Glass, plus Sugar Shed cocktail candies and champagne jellybeans.”

The new cocktail guides can be purchased from the Sarina Sugar Shed gift shop at the Sarina Field of Dreams Parklands.

More information and a sample of the cocktail book can be found on the Sugar Shed website.