A small batch, eau de vie grape spirit called Feels Botanical BASK has launched in Australia, featuring native ingredients such as quandong and Kakadu plum.

Feels BASK eau de vie (French for “water of life”), is a crisp and herbal spirit with notes of stewed plum, green apple, and finished with subtle spice.

According to creators Blake Vanderfield-Kramer and Steve Pillemer Feels BASK drinks like tequila – only much smoother and made from grapes. They suggest serving it over ice and top with Mediterranean tonic water and a lemon wedge, or as a twist on a classic Tommy’s Margarita cocktail.

The European fruit brandy has a long history, it’s a category of brandy that is un-aged and distilled from any orchard fruit. Keen to change the way eau de vie is perceived, Vanderfield-Kramer and Pillemer (above) have adopted a progressive
approach towards its production and botanical application.

Using Australian grapes, native botanical ingredients, and combining traditional spirit making skills with years of extensive research in ancient techniques, the duo have created a unique range of premium eau de vie blends. Feels Botanical hand-blends each individual, sustainably sourced and natural botanical with the eau de vie grape spirit in a copper pot still. After macerating for a period of time and running a gentle distillation process, they carefully extract the heart of the spirit, reducing it to strength with water.

At $78 (500ml) and $36 (200ml), Feels BASK is on sale directly from the Feels Botanical website, stockists, and key cocktail bars such as The Herring Room, Bert’s by Merivale, Bar Elvina, Dulcie’s Kings Cross, Hotel Palisade, Roxy’s, Rocker bar Bondi, Harvest, Maybe Mae to name a few.

The first batch includes:

● Feels Botanical Bask, 43% abv 500ml, with Hemp, Quandong & Kakadu Plum
● Feels Botanical Vivify, 43% abv 500ml, with Turmeric, Coconut & ginger
● Feels Botanical Rouse, 33% abv 500ml, with Rose, Horny Goat Weed & Davidson Plum
● Feels Botanical Revel, 33% abv 500ml, with Ginseng, Coffee & Illawarra Plum