Sip your way through the best local gins at Black Sheep Geelong.
Ah gin. It’s the magical spirit that’s certainly having a moment in recent times. Whether you like it with tonic, mix it with fruit, or shake it up in a cocktail, you’ll find all the gin you need at the town’s newest venue for gin-lovers – Black Sheep Geelong.
Tucked away in the very heart of the National Wool Museum, Black Sheep is kind of like an Aladdin’s cave of gins. Taking over the ground level space previously housing Denny’s Kitchen, this magical wonderland will bring you everything a laneway gin bar could, showcasing a healthy stock of Geelong’s finest boutique gins and some equally fine food.
Coined their Chamber of Gin, the bar shines a light on local favourites Anther Spirits (North Geelong), The Bellarine Distillery (Bellarine Peninsula), The Queenscliff Distillery (Queenscliff), Flowstate Brewers & Distillers (Torquay) and Great Ocean Road Gin (Aireys Inlet).
Bringing these local heroes together in one place, Black Sheep takes you on a journey from local gin tastings to delectable cocktails with a sheepish twist… you can try the likes of Anther Spirit’s Cherry Gin, sip on the Citrus gin from Queenscliff, or indulge in an all-time favourite Teddy & The Fox from the renowned Whiskery.
If cocktails are where your gin-loving hearts lay, they’ve got a few gin-based choices to choose from, including a Foxy Lady, a North Shore Sour, and our favourite, a Gin Berry Fizz – made with raspberry gin, pink grapefruit juice and sugar.
While gin is, of course, they’re shining star, Black Sheep are all about bending the rules, and have added a slew of other delicious cocktails to their drinks list. You’ll find a lady Lychee, a Spiced Negroni, a Vodka-based Ruby Moon and of course, a Black Sheep Espresso martini.
As for the food, the menu is bursting with bright and delicious flavours. Designed to be shared amongst friends, however, can also be enjoyed solo ‘cos let’s face it, we all know someone who’s a little too territorial about their food!
You’ll find items like roasted garlic pizza, lemon pepper calamari, crispy pork belly, and a roasted Mediterranean veggie stack if you’re after something small. For the more substantial dishes, choose from the crumbed chicken Wiener Schnitzel, mushroom risotto, a 200g Eye Fillet, over baked fish of the day, spinach and ricotta tortellini, and a pretty tasty looking Calabrese salami pizza. Add on some sides like French fries, sauteed broccolini and Austrian style Mac n Cheese and you’re in for the night.
For the sweet tooths, we spy stuffed Apricot dumplings, a mini premium cheese platter and a gin & tonic lemon tart. Intriguing right?
With a range of signature gin and cocktails matched with a European spin on some seriously good food built for sharing, Black Sheep Geelong is looking to become a gin-uine treasure.
The venue will be open Monday to Friday from 5pm until late, and on weekends from 11:30am until late. Black Sheep Geelong opens to the public on Friday, January 22. You can book your spot here.
