NOW EXPERIENCING:Eileen’s Bar – Four Pillars Gin
Drinks Directory|Sydney|Killer cocktails|Specialty Bar

Eileen’s Bar – Four Pillars Gin

Four Pillars Gin Laboratory, 410 Crown Street, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010
Phone
(02) 9062 8430
Website
fourpillarsgin.com
Instagram
@fourpillarslab

Read time 4 Mins

Posted 22 Aug 2022

By
Alexandra Carlton

It’s the bar at the Four Pillars Gin Laboratory, but this well-designed, friendly venue is a fully realised bar in its own right, provided, of course, that you’re a fan of the juniper juice.

Four Pillars, Sydney
Why you goIt’s un-Australian not to love Four Pillars Gin, one of the country’s flagship boutique spirit brands. It has barrelled around the globe since its launch in 2013, gathering prizes and accolades wherever it pops its stopper. The Four Pillars Gin Lab in Surry Hills is the Victorian outfit’s Sydney HQ, and you can book yourself in there for masterclasses and group events, whereas Eileen’s Bar next door – you enter through a separate set of stairs – is set up purely for drinks, snacks and chats. This well-designed, friendly venue stands alone as a fully realised bar in its own right, provided, of course, that you’re a fan of the juniper juice.
Why you stayIf you’re expecting a branded gin Disneyland, think again. The thoughtfulness behind the design of Eileen’s Bar (the elegant oversized lamps, the soft lighting, the generous concrete bar) means that although you’re undeniably in a venue dedicated to Four Pillars – after all, the cocktails on the two-page list are all made with the brand’s range, with a few wines and beers on the back – you don’t ever feel like you’re being “sold” a product. And then there’s the atmosphere, led by creative director of gin drinks James Irvine. The folks behind Four Pillars, including drinks veterans and founders Cameron Mackenzie and Stuart Gregor, are known as some of the most convivial in the industry, and you get the sense that their laid-back spirit has translated here. It’s a place where you’ll simply meet good folks making really, really great drinks.
Four Pillars, Sydney bar interiors
Customers at Four Pillar's, Sydney
What drink to orderGin, of course, in an array of fabulous iterations. The menu is divvied up into four parts – a group that comprises G&Ts, Mixers, Highballs and Spritzes, the Martini Service, Classics/Tweaks and Lab Signatures, all featuring gins from the Four Pillars range such as the classic Rare Dry, as well as the Fresh Yuzu, Modern Australian, Olive Leaf and more. The Negroni, for instance, is a masterpiece – Four Pillars makes a gin specifically designed for the classic cocktail, revved-up with spices such as West African grains of paradise and Indonesian cubeb, that gives your average Negroni a new lease of life. Fans will also say that it’s criminal to wade into the Four Pillars world without trying its ground-breaking garnet-red Bloody Shiraz gin, which makes several appearances here but particularly shines in the zingy Bloody & Lemon, sharing the glass with Strangelove Bitter Lemon tonic and ruby grapefruit.
What to pair it withFour Pillars even makes gin-based foodstuffs, those clever buttons. You can order Pringles with Yarra Valley caviar soaked in Bloody Shiraz gin spiked with chives and crème fraîche, a generous serve of salty gin-flavoured crisps, or an enormous bowl of fat Sicilian olives that have been marinated in leftover botanicals from the still. The Gin Lab jaffles are a huge hit. The fillings change regularly, but if you see one featuring jalapeño relish, you should snaffle that jaffle – it’s made by drinks maestro James Irvine and it’s a hot winner. 
Don’t leave withoutChecking out the names inscribed on each of the wooden floor lamps dotted around the venue. They’re named for the designers from interiors firm YSG Studio, the brains behind the space – there’s the “Scott”, the “Yasmine” and more.
Customers enjoying food and drinks at Four Pillars Gin
Four Pillars, Sydney customers
Who to takeThanks to its emphasis on apéritifs and cocktails, everything about Eileen’s Bar says “pre- and post-dinner drinks”. And the atmosphere and layout – generous bar space, roomy tables, comfy chairs – seem designed for friendly catch-ups. But don’t rule out date nights – there’s a row of seating along the back wall known to regulars as “Tinder Lane” that’s the perfect spot to get to know someone under dim lights and away from prying eyes.
Authour image
Alexandra CarltonAlexandra Carlton is a freelance writer who contributes to Australia’s leading food, wine and travel publications.
Tags
Drinks DirectoryKiller cocktailsDate nightSpecialty BarA+ spirits listAfter work drinksSydney – Inner CityBarCasual catch-upSydney
REPORT A VENUE CLOSURE/REPORT AN ERROR
Related Articles