Sick of the same-old beer, wine and cider or those “tasty” vodka-mixers on your night out? Well, Gorge Camorra and Lee-anne Campigli of Cloud9 Bar on Pakington Street have spent the last number of years creating and perfecting Geelong’s first-ever line of liqueurs, labelled Camorra Liqueurs.
“The inspiration behind making our own liqueurs started when we opened Cloud9 eight years ago and made our own vodka infusions,” Gorge says. “They were such a hit that guests were constantly wanting to buy bottles to take home. After six years of product testing, perfecting the flavours, bottle design and most importantly saving the funds to create our own liqueurs, we finally have a finished product,” he says.
Gorge sure knows his stuff when it comes to beverages of the alcoholic variety, having competed in a number of impressive national and international bartending titles. “I have competed in cocktail competitions over the years, winning numerous national and state comps including Jagermeister, Agwa, Disaronno and G’Vine Gin competitions. I also represented Australia in the International Gin Connoisseur Program in Cognac France where I took out 3rd place. And this year I competed in World Class, making the top 25,” he says.
Years of very careful planning and research has gone into the creation of these delicious treats which come in a stylish and unique butterfly-shaped 500ml bottle. The first five flavours released by Camorra are Fruit Tingle, Tropical Mango, Raspberry and Pineapple. (Yum-yum) Bubblegum … oh, and they have that flavour, too!
“My favourite flavour is Tropical Mango, which is a blend of equal parts mango, peach and orange. Just like a wet pussy shot,” Gorge says.
The brand is still very young and it is great to see a number of local businesses supporting these fantastic products. At the moment Camorra Liqueurs are available in a number of Geelong venues including Cloud9 Bar, The Bush Inn Hotel, Slate Bar, Opium Bar, The Bended and Carlton Hotel.
“We are currently negotiating with retail stores in Geelong and hoping more venues in Geelong will support our local product. Nightclubs and bars in Melbourne’s CBD have been fantastic supporting us, and also Celebrations in Melbourne’s western suburbs. We are constantly growing the list of retail stores and venues stocking our liqueurs,” Gorge says.
Come on Geelong and regional Victoria, let’s get behind this fantastic, delicious and very affordable beverage option. With a retail store cost of just $30-$33, Camorra Liqueurs could be that perfect gift, or that exciting opportunity for mixing those weekend drinks at home. The options are endless when it comes to serving the liqueurs, and as expected Gorge has a heap of mouth-watering cocktails that can be made using each of the flavours.
“Our most popular way customers are drinking Camorra Liqueurs are with lemonade, soda or juices; however, recently we have found our Raspberry is also popular in beers and ciders and also a huge range of cocktails such as the raspberry lemon drop, clover club cocktail, piña coladas, mango manias and many more,” he says.
There is also plenty to look forward to with some new flavours on the horizon. “We have an additional eight flavours that will eventually come out including Creaming Soda, Peach, Orange and Blueberry to name a few,” Gorge says.
Check out their website for upcoming recipes and ideas, and do ask your local pubs, bars and clubs if they stock Camorra Liqueurs next time you’re out!
Info: Cloud9 Bar 2/96 Pakington St Geelong West / Ph: Gorge 0407626474 / web: camorra.com.au
By Abbey King
