They say good things come in small packages and Crooked Tune Distillery is no exception. Hidden underground in an Inner West industrial precinct, this intimate distillery might claim the title of Sydney’s smallest drinking establishment. What Crooked Tune lacks in size, it makes up for in personality with American-style corn liquor, old-time tunes and good old Southern hospitality.
Founder Aaron Anderson officially launched the distillery in September 2022, only six months after he began producing spirits. The entire grain-to-glass distilling process unfolds within the tight confines of Crooked Tune’s underground stillhouse, using two copper pot stills that he custom-built to fit the small space.
Anderson has drawn inspiration from his Kansas roots to craft the American-style corn liquor using traditional colonial methods, with every batch to date producing no more than 100 bottles. Crooked Tune’s corn liquor then takes many lives, either sold by the bottle, barreled as bourbon, or used as a base for their Mountain Gin and Green Lightning Absinthe.
On Friday and Saturday nights, this fully functioning distillery doubles as a cosy, speak-easy-style tasting room. The green velvet lounge inherently brings people together and is a charming place for intimate catch-ups and laid-back laughs.
Ease your way into the night with a tasting or dive headfirst into Crooked Tune’s quirky cocktails including the Canadian Tuxedo with bacon fat-washed Good Corn Liquor, maple syrup and Angostura Bitters; Corpse Reviver No.2 with Green Lightning Absinthe, Mountain Gin, dry vermouth, triple sec and lemon; or Cherry Vanilla Limeade with Cherry Bounce, vanilla extract, lime, simple syrup and soda. You can also stick on the safer side with Crooked Tune’s twisted classics including a Moonlit Margarita, Gin and Tonic, Peach Cobbler Old Fashioned and traditional drip Absinthe.
The making of spirits in America in the prohibition era often went hand-in-hand with old-time folk music, so expect a soundtrack of fiddles, banjos, guitars and mandolins.
