Meet the Cork couple making absinthe and gin in the old Ford building
Rebel Distillery
A historically romantic liquid muse for artists, philosophers and bohemians, the ‘green fairy’ never quite came into its own on the Emerald Isle. Now one couple in Cork city is hoping to change that by producing an Irish absinthe.
Robert and Bhagya Barrett have been creating delicious potions for the past two years in Rebel City Distillery, including their multi-award-winning Maharani Gin.
Robert worked around the world for a decade in various distilleries and after meeting his wife, Bhagya, they decided to take the plunge and set up their own distillery in Cork. Bhaga, who is from India, has a background in project management and their business pairing is as perfect as the spirits they brew in the Marina.
Based in the lovingly repurposed old Ford factory by the banks of the Lee, the Barretts say they are inspired by the history of their location and hope to see its past meet their present under its roof.
“We love the building. We love how huge the ceilings are. It has a lot of history. We are based in the electrical transformer building of Ford and it was not used since 1984,” Bhagya explains, saying they spent much of 2020 repurposing the building — a process made slower by the pandemic.
“We are really looking forward to opening the doors, inviting people in, giving them tours and letting them get a feel of the place. It's the first distillery to open in Cork city in 50 years and we are the only distillery in Cork City at the moment,” she says. “The building is quite unique. It has an industrial vibe, it has a lot of personality so people love it.”
Rebel City Distillery is beginning its first public tours shortly and Robert says they could see that people wanted to explore the distillery during the pandemic.
“Even last year, we had people wandering in having looked us up online,” Robert says. “Obviously, we weren't properly open so we got a lot of good feedback from people when we told them that we would be opening up for visitors. Anyone we tell is excited about it and when they see the space they're excited to come visit.”
Robert adds they hope to reach out to former Ford employees too who have worked within the building’s walls.
“We haven't planned it fully, but at some stage, we'd like to try and reach out to old Ford factory workers and have a day for them or an evening for them.”
Also in the works is a “spirit school”, Robert says, where “people can make their own gin, absinthe or flavoured vodka on-site”. Citing the nearby Marina Market as an example, Bhagya says there is a clear appetite for more food and drink experiences in the docklands.
“The city is growing in this direction now, in a few years' time, we will see a lot of residential buildings coming and a lot of buzz. With the Marina Market we can see it is already happening.”
Coinciding with the launch of their tours is the introduction of a new spirit to their collection — absinthe. Robert describes the drink as a “conversation starter”.
“It's a fascinating spirit with an interesting history. It was badmouthed by a lot of people and at the same time, it has a great association with artists and thinkers in France and French-speaking Switzerland in the late 1800s and early 1900s."
Describing it as an aniseed-flavoured “cloudy” liquid, he adds that it is “an interesting drink to visualise and it has a nice theatre to it. It's not to everybody's taste but it's a conversation starter and a lot of bars and cocktail mixologists will enjoy working with it too.”
Bhagya says absinthe’s history in artistic settings pairs well with their own love of art, which they hope to support too through the distillery.
“We see great potential for hosting multiple events. We love supporting the art and poetry community. We plan to do all sorts of events which can bring them in as well.”
Adorning the walls of the distillery are two murals, which Robert and Bhagya commissioned from the artist upstairs, Tom Campbell.
“His artist studio is literally above our office. We'd like to do some collaborations with that artist studio, which has Tom and about five other artists,” Robert adds.
Tours of Rebel City Distillery at Marina Commercial Park, Centre Park Road begin on July 1 and can be booked at www.rebelcitydistillery.com.
