Ben Ingall is the Group Bars Manager at Liquid & Larder and has been bartending in Sydney since 2012, when he moved there from London, and he has explained how he was immediately drawn to Australian Eau de Vie, Feels Botanical.
Ben started bartending in London after finishing his degree, and after he moved to Sydney he continued his career, starting at Grasshopper Bar, before stints at O Bar & Dining, Papa Gedes Bar, NOLA Smokehouse & Bar and then he joined Bistecca in November 2020.
Speaking about Feels Botanical, he said: “When I first encountered Feels Botanical, I was immediately drawn to its connection to nature. As someone who loves spending time outdoors — whether hiking, camping, or just escaping the city — the brand’s natural and sustainable ethos resonated with me.
“I also appreciated the modern, inviting aesthetic of the packaging. Most people’s first experience with Eau De Vie is snagging a whiff of that dated, dusty bottle on the back bar or at the back of their parent’s liquor cabinet, Feels made the category present in a more modern and approachable manner.
In terms of using the spirit, he added: “We use Feels Bask in our new highball on tap at The Rover ‘How’d You Like Them Apples?’, the biscuit/marzipan notes just helped fill in the gaps that were missing in the drink.”
Ben also talked about his creative process and inspirations, saying: Every new drink creates a challenge, whether it’s trying to recreate a flavour you have in your head or trying to nail the presentation. With this drink we were aiming to have a cocktail and non-alc that presented and tasted as identical as possible. I think we got pretty close.
“All my ideas will begin as a feeling, logic comes to the party a lot later. There’s plenty of drink ideas I have that I’m still logically trying to work out how to present them on a more commercial scale. Everyone can make one good drink; a lot of my job is making sure we can do it on scale.
“I draw on inspiration from lots of different places. I really enjoy working with chefs as they tend to have a lot of experience with processing produce in fun and creative ways; it’s an art that the bars community came to quite late.
“A lot of my ideas come when I’m not in the venues, if I’m in a venue I’m normally ‘on’, When walking between venues or walking home I just let my mind wander and that’s when the creative process starts.”
