Conveniently located across from one another down an unassuming alleyway in the heart of Cairns City, are two brilliant inventions from Cairns-based The Hospo Group.

Three Wolves Bar – first opened in 2016 – boasts an impeccable selection of the finest spirits from Australia and around the world. A small laneway bar with 300 plus whiskies and an impressive menu of innovative and classic cocktails, there is something for every guest that walks in the door. You name it, they’ve got it.

Dimly lit and comfortably cosy, the bar attracts an array of punters, each greeted with soulful tunes soothing out of the bar’s speakers, matching the beautifully crafted cocktails so well.

Upon our visit, Darren Barber the director of The Hospo Group, was unexpectedly working on the premises but took the time to share -in a very Australian relaxed manner – some insight about Cairns. Moving from Sydney to Cairns in 2014, it seems he knew the immense potential Tropical North Queensland has for tourism and hospitality. Unlike the rest of the country, Cairns is an introduction to the Tropics, a unique climate which offers an abundance of rich produce and native ingredients.

The Hospo Group’s love of gin began when they opened their first gin bar in the Hilton Cairns called the Gin Social. A direct destination for those passionate about the spirit, the bar was the first of its kind in Cairns. Although it is now closed, it sparked the desire to explore the spirit further, experimenting with distilling it themselves and opening the Wolf Lane Distillery on Abbott Street.

A micro-distillery with big ambitions, the distillery looks to craft the perfect gin and liquors whilst supporting local farmers and growers that champion sustainable and organic farming. Winning awards nationally and globally, the Wolf Lane identity is now getting recognised outside of industry insiders. A standout for Wolf Lane is their Tropical Gin which uses botanicals from the local region. Representing Tropical North Queensland adequately, tasting the gin takes you through a journey of subtle flavours and nuances not yet tasted before in any other gin.

Recently opening their Wolf Lane Distillery Bar inside their micro-distillery, the tasting bar inside the converted space was prime for cocktail-making and gin-on-the-rocks. Set in an informal yet informative setting in between the distillery machinery (at work or held operations) this makes for a supremely unique experience paired with the knowledge passed on from the bartenders whom are also the distillers.

With their aim to “deliver a slice of paradise in every sip”, they’ve surely mastered that craft and more.

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Wolf Lane Distillery Cellar Door
28-30 Abbott St,
Cairns City
Queensland, 4870

Three Wolves Bar
32 Abbott St,
Cairns City
Queensland, 4870

Images: Champ Magazine 
Words: Monique Kawecki 

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