Over the past few years, we've seen breweries and distilleries popping up all over Melbourne. The majority of which have been concentrated on suburbs within a couple of kilometres of the Melbourne CBD.
Now, a new distillery is popping up in the bayside suburb of Mordialloc. And the whole project it sits within is one you're going to want to know about.
Mordialloc is already home to the recently-opened Braeside Brewing Co, and now, just around the corner sits Urban Ground.
Urban Ground was conceived back in 2017 with the aim of turning the small industrial area into a garden oasis. A beacon of good times. Urban Ground is home to plant-based cafe, Cassia; Saint Felix, a fruit-based distillery, as well as area for a rotating array of food trucks, and plenty of places to relax with friends and families while enjoying the wares available to you.
"Mordialloc was the suburb of choice back in 2017 when the idea for this venture arose. We saw a gap in the market for a venue between the city and the Mornington Peninsula that offered a community feel along with a family-friendly atmosphere that had a sense of exploration. The population growth and immediate proximity to a variety of suburbs in the area also helped us choose Mordialloc as an ideal venue." said Urban Ground co-founder, Robert De Santis.
The distillery, Saint Felix, at Urban Ground is a little different to those peddling whisky and gin around Melbourne. The specialty at Saint Felix will be brandy.
"Saint Felix is a Fruit Based Distillery and our vision is to become Australia's largest and best Brandy distillery. We want to make Brandy sexy again and see it poured in cocktails across bars and drunk as a nightcap in homes across Australia. In the interim (brandy takes a couple of years to make properly) whilst our Brandy ages we will be producing a Wild Forest Gin, A Yuzu and green tea white spirit and a Bitter Citrus Blood Orange Aperitivo which will attract Campari and Aperol drinkers." said Robert.
There are no regulations or rules that Saint Felix has to abide by when it comes to the fruit that goes into the brandy in Australia. The team is looking at creating locally sourced apple brandies in tequila and mescal barrels. Along with distilling Pinot Chardonnay from the Mornington Peninsula using fresh red wine barrels from the Barossa.
Urban Ground has space for up to six food trucks out the front also. These will rotate regularly giving the community a taste of Melbourne's best food trucks. In the short term you'll see a D.O.C pizza truck at the site dishing out the pizza they're known so well for.
The food truck park and family zone at Urban Ground will open as restrictions due to COVID-19 ease further. We'll keep you up to date with the latest.
Cassa, the on-site plant-based cafe is now open for business (for a maximum of 20 patrons), read more about it here.
Keep up to date with the latest re-openings around Melbourne on our live list here.
Image credit: supplied