First look inside new Burly Bar opening in southern Gold Coast

A new cocktail bar is shaking up the night-life scene on the southern Gold Coast, with espresso martinis among its specialties.

The southern Gold Coast has welcomed a new addition to its night-life scene with the launch of Burly Bar last week.

Tucked into The Warehouses in Currumbin, venue manager Breeana Erica said the gin bar was “contemporary, approachable and fresh” and heroed homegrown spirits.

Breeana Erica at the new Burly Bar. Picture, John Gass

“I’ve done a lot of cocktail venues around the Gold Coast and I’ve made a lot of cocktail lists, but for me this was a really cool challenge to just solely work with gin,” she said.

“I’ve set the venue up so when you come in you can have everything as a classic serve, you can do the tasting paddles, and we can kind of guide you as to what mixer to have like to your own paddle.

“I’ve done a spritz, a booze-forward cocktail, like a martini or a negroni, I’ve done a classic cocktail like an espresso martini or margarita, and I’m doing them all with gin.

“A lot of people are coming in and having a negroni for the first time and loving it, they’re having a martini for the first time and loving it.

“That’s because we’re able to use Australian botanicals, Australian vermouth and pairing with other Australian brands.

“Everything’s just so nice and light and really approachable.”

Burly Bar has just opened at The Warehouse in Currumbin. Picture, John Gass

Burly Bar is an expansion of the Burleigh Heads Burly Gin distillery, run by father-son duo Piri and Richard Bennett.

Burly Gin produces three boutique gins: the Cucumber Burly, the Citrus Burly and the Berry Burly.

“Our dill pickle martini is probably one of the biggest sellers,” Ms Erica said.

Owner Piri Bennett said the Burly brand was abouut provenance and synonymous with the Gold Coast’s hot weather and the lifestyle.

“The Burly Bar is essentially a home for Burly — a Burly church, if you will,” he said.

“It’s a place where we can invite our customers and new people that haven’t experienced the brand before to come and experience the full range of our products.

“We’ve created a contemporary style of gin where we’re more flavour forward, more fruit character at the front that’s less traditional.

“We’ve designed (our gin) to be refreshing and easy to drink.”

Burly Bar has just opened at The Warehouse in Currumbin. Picture, John Gass

Burly Bar also serves food designed to match the cocktail list by head chef Harry Robbin.

“I’ve got a few raw dishes, a few cooked dishes,” Mr Robbin said.

“These tables are quite small, so everything’s small little plates.

“I’m always going to be updating the menu and moving things along and leaning into seasonal dishes.

“I’m making our own focaccia. I love cheese, so (I’m using) a lot of cheese.

“Some of the dishes have just worked out in a way that’s really suited the theme of the colours here.

“The cocktails and everything are looking really beautiful — the nectarine, mozzarella, fresh basil with a touch of the pink on the flowers looks really good.”

Originally published as First look inside new Burly Bar opening in southern Gold Coast