Bombay Sapphire launches dining concept

Premium London Dry Gin Bombay Sapphire has launched its reinvented dining concept ‘Project Botanicals: A Journey To The Edges Of Food, Music & Imagination’.

This year, Project Botanicals pays homage to the origins of Bombay Sapphire’s sustainably sourced vapour-infused botanicals, taking guests on an interactive sensory adventure, with an immersive audio-visual experience designed by Future Classic artist Ta-Ku and food by Studio Neon’s Aaron Teece in collaboration with some of Australia’s top cocktail bars including Mjolner, The Barber Shop, Union Electric and Bar Moncur.

In the 2-hour experience, guests travel through sensory destinations representing Bombay Sapphire botanical locations across the world, tasting four creations conceived by Teece whilst sipping complementing cocktails.

Under a grove of trees in Spain, where Bombay Sapphire’s lemon peel is sourced, guests will hand-pick what appear to be lemons from a bed of leaves, to find they are in fact cheesecakes in the form of the fallen fruit. A cocktail creation by Mjolner will be served alongside the cheesecakes.

On the Javanese mountains, where cubeb berry is sourced, peppery botanical fairy floss clouds will be found atop smoky char-grilled chicken to complement a jungle-inspired cocktail created by The Barber Shop.

Bar Moncur’s Jasmine Bloom cocktail will offer a taste of liquorice and twisted duck pancakes with liquorice root gel will be served, as guests wander down a Chinese backstreet.

Finally, guests will travel under the coloured tiled mosaics of Morocco, where coriander seed is sourced giving Bombay Sapphire a bright citrus and warm ginger-like spice. Here a pressed lamb tagine with coriander yoghurt foam will be served alongside sun drenched cocktail by Union Electric.

Adding to the immersive atmosphere is a 360 audio-visual composition created by Ta-Ku in collaboration with animator Sam Price, made up of vivid light installations and an original music composition exclusively for Project Botanicals.. Working with sonic scientist Jo Burzynska, Ta-Ku’s composition entwines layers of sound designed to shift perceptions of the palate accenting different tastes and sensations. The installations will also feature individual soundscapes created to enhance and change perceptions of the cocktails.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the intersection of music and visuals to invoke a certain emotion, which you can see in my photography and videography projects at home and whilst travelling. The chance to integrate yet another sensory experience into this with taste was something I jumped at, to create immersive music and visuals as part of the Bombay Sapphire Project Botanicals experience, transporting guests to the ends of the earth,” says Ta-Ku of the collaboration.

“As always, I’m also thrilled to be working with talented Perth animator Sam Price, the artist behind my live show visuals and a number of other collaborations we’ve worked on together.”

Bombay Sapphire brand ambassador Peter Hollands adds: “The creativity and imagination brought to this new iteration of the Bombay Sapphire Project Botanicals experience is so exciting and a completely new offering for the Sydney and Melbourne scene. Guests are in for an interactive journey around the world, with sensational cocktails and cuisine that will take you right to the edges of the earth.”

Other botanicals that make up the famous gin include juniper berries from Tuscany, cassia bark from Indo‑China, Angelica from Saxony, Almonds from Spain, Grains of Paradise from West Africa, and Orris from Italy.

The Project Botanicals event series is taking place in Sydney from 16 November until Sunday 19 November and in Melbourne 23 November until Sunday 26 November.