Owners of Familiar Spirits Gin Distillery in Burleigh Heads.
Owners of Familiar Spirits Gin Distillery in Burleigh Heads.
Meet the dynamic duo behind Familiar Spirits, delicious small batch spirits made in the heart of Burleigh Heads. Lana and Justin Bell are the creative minds and driving forces behind this one-of-a-kind venture. From crafting unique tasting experiences to curating an exquisite collection of artisanal spirits, Lana and Justin’s passion for their craft is infectious. We dive into Lana’s story, how she started Familiar Spirits and get the scoop on their latest venture.
How long have you been Gold Coast locals?
We’ve been on the Gold Coast for 3 years now. We moved to Miami from just over the border in Casuarina in 2020. We lived in Miami for a year while we built on our block of land in Bonogin.
What do you love the most about the Gold Coast?
The sense of community. We love knowing our local shop owners and everyone is so supportive of local business. On the Gold Coast you can enjoy the best of everything – with the beach, hinterland and shopping all within 30 minutes of each other.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
We’ve been married for 17 years and have four daughters, life is very busy and full right now. I studied graphic design straight out of school and have worked in various creative roles before settling on photography where I’ve been working for myself as a portrait photographer for the past 16 years. I’m now winding that back to focus on growing our distillery. I’m always striving to make everything in our lives beautiful so that spills over into interior decoration, entertaining and my garden. I’m particularly obsessed with growing roses, I have over 40 in the garden which means we have a constant supply of blooms.
Growing up in Byron Bay, Justin’s never been far from the Gold Coast. He’s the alchemist and our distiller while also working a full time job as a solutions architect. Justin is known by everyone for his cooking skills – especially on the BBQ and takes his food quite seriously 😉
Tell us about Familiar Spirits.
As passionate foodies and gardeners, we use home grown ingredients when possible to manufacture our spirits and liqueurs. Additionally, we engage local creatives such as photographers, graphic designers (the one and only Kiel Tillman), and ceramicists (handmade ceramic/reusable/refillable bottles are in the works) to ensure that our product is not only delicious but also beautiful and unique in its branding. We prioritise making spirits that are perfect for entertaining, catering to individuals who enjoy mixing cocktails, cooking, and hosting gatherings with friends and family.
Familiar Spirits is as much about the experience of mixing a cocktail for a friend to enjoy as it is about the taste and quality of the spirits themselves. We believe that the act of crafting a cocktail is an art form, and we want our customers to feel like skilled mixologists when they use our products. We’re dedicated to providing a complete experience, from the first sip to the last, and we hope to inspire our customers to explore their creativity and share their love of entertaining with others.
What inspired you to create Familiar Spirits?
A love of food and drink. We had always tossed around the idea about starting a cocktail bar. It slowly morphed into creating the spirits themselves and now that cocktail bar is also on the horizon, with our cellar door opening at the end of the year!
Familiar Spirits has a strong focus on providing craft spirits with character. Could you elaborate on how you curate a collection that stands out from the mainstream market?
It’s funny you say that because we’ve developed each spirit with a backstory of a rich aristocratic family and the characters within that family unit.
For example, ‘The Butler’s Gin’ is the gin we imagine they have their butler deliver to them on a silver platter at 5pm each evening. ‘The Lakehouse’ is the fabulous Cape Cod style home where they spend their summers.
Our next release will be a rum named after the aristocratic pirate who left his plantation to pillage on the high seas (keep your eyes peeled for that one in the next few months!)
Your commitment to sustainability and supporting local is commendable. How do you ensure that these values are integrated into your business practices and the spirits you offer?
First and foremost, we use as many local businesses as we possibly can in our production and end product.
For example, working with a local box manufacturer in Burleigh is so much easier than going via China – we can have items made up with hours notice, we’re supporting local manufacturing and we get to make friends with the business owners – what’s better than that?
We also love to collaborate with local creatives and help to grow our arts scene on the Gold Coast. We’re currently working with ceramicist Jo Norton to hand make porcelain bottles that can be refilled at our cellar door, reducing waste and making a simple bottle of liquor more beautiful!
Could you share a favourite cocktail using Familiar Spirits?
We created the Elderflower Martini, it’s a fresh cocktail that everyone loves – it’s easy to drink but also packs a punch.
Elderflower & Gin Martini
30ml The Butler’s Gin
15ml Vermouth
15ml Elderflower Liqueur
15ml Lime Juice
15ml Simple syrup
Ice
Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Double strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass. No garnish
Can you provide a sneak peek into any upcoming initiatives or expansions that your customers can anticipate?
We’re busy bees at the moment, having just onboarded with Dan Murphy’s and BWS locally, we are pushing the Still to the max every day.
Our brand new distillery space is being built right now in Burleigh and should be ready for handover in November.
As soon as we’re in, it’ll be all hands on deck to fit out the most beautiful tiny cocktail bar at the front of our premises and welcome the public to join us for drinks.
We have a lot of fun ideas in the works for food and drink events at the distillery – stay tuned in 2024 😉
What are your Gold Coast Favourites:
Favourite café: You’ll find us once or twice a week at Juniors Deli in Mudgeeraba. I live for their sandwiches, particularly the BLT.
Favourite restaurant: It’s hard to beat pizzas from Franc Jnrs in Coolangatta.
Favourite bar: Ours of course!
Favourite beach: Early mornings at Currumbin Alley before the crowds is pretty spectacular.
How do you choose to spend your days off?
Given the chance, we’re at home gardening with the BBQ on and a cocktail not too far away. We recently built the dream house on an acre block so we have quite a bit to do!