Bar Ampère: the Turbo Spritz

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Little River, big character. That was the brief Bar Ampère set itself, and the Turbo Spritz delivers on it. The drink brings together sweet Victorian yuzu, dry prosecco, fresh lime and a pinch of salt, with rosemary picked from the chef's garden for a homegrown touch. The result is bright, balanced and, as Assistant Manager Jordan Hughes puts it, incredibly refreshing.

"The idea was to bring together local ingredients with traditional spritz ideas in a way that felt familiar, but still offered something new," Jordan says.

Paired with Rothwell Distillery, Schnapps Idea Distillery and Beechworth Bitters Company, the team built each of their three cocktails to highlight what makes the producer unique. For Rothwell, that meant the Japanese citrus they grow themselves in Little River. For Schnapps Idea, it was their Austrian-style schnapps made with Australian Packham pears, which gave a fruit-driven drink that stays crisp rather than sweet. And with Beechworth Bitters, it was about celebrating the region's history through their layered artisan amari.

Championing local is nothing new for them. The shelves at Bar Ampère are stocked with Victorian spirits, liqueurs and amari, and the team is always looking to showcase smaller distilleries alongside the bigger names. They've even collaborated with local producers on house spirits, amari and their own beer, so backing Victorian makers is woven right through the bar's identity.

For Jordan, the growing curiosity from guests is one of the best parts of the job. Visitors from interstate and overseas were historically the first to ask about local spirits, but that's shifting. "We're seeing more and more Victorians actively looking to support local producers too," he says. "It's rewarding to introduce guests to distilleries they may never have heard of. The local industry has supported us for years, so being able to return that support by putting their spirits in front of people is important to us."

The Turbo Spritz landed exactly as hoped. Guests connected with the story behind it, and the Victorian yuzu-cello became a genuine talking point, as did that garden rosemary. Small details, but they're the ones that made the drink feel personal as well as delicious.

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Backspace: the Callipo Sour

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Some drinks arrive fully formed. The Callipo Sour was one of them. Once the Backspace team sampled the Amore Limoncello, they wanted to play off how fresh and vibrant it was, and with a Victorian yuzu liqueur already on hand, the recipe almost wrote itself. The first draft tasted exactly like an old-school Callipo, the whole team loved it, and the votes paid off.

"It all fell into place," says manager Jason Walls. "The Callipo Sour turned out to be one of our best sellers and has earned a spot on our menu permanently."

Paired with Island Spirits, In Good Spirits Distilling and Saintlier Distillery, the team leaned on what Jason calls a hive mind, crediting the honesty of his peers for sharpening the final drinks. "Essentially we try to champion the core flavours of the products we were given, and build from there," he says. "Keep it affordable, sensible and approachable for our guests."

That approach sits at the heart of how Backspace thinks about local spirits. The focus is always on finding the best product for what a serve is trying to achieve, and increasingly that product is made close to home. "It's incredible to have the option to stock and support our local distillers at the same quality, if not better, than our overseas competitors," Jason says. "We are really lucky in Victoria to have such a rich pool of products locally made to draw from."

He's noticed the shift in what guests reach for, too. Requests for local names now come more often than international ones, and trust in Victorian spirits keeps building. The house gin at Backspace is made in Brunswick by Antagonist Spirits, and Jason says people are now keen to back local over imported alternatives.

As for the response to the Callipo Sour since it launched, Jason keeps it simple: overwhelmingly positive. It's a clean, vibrant drink with a big hit of nostalgia. His only warning before you order one? It might just take you straight back to your childhood.

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