Byron in a bottle

AS a child growing up in Italy, Luca Bolzoni often saw his grandma making bottles of limoncello with lemons from the many trees his grandpa grew in their backyard.

So, it was only fitting that he named one of his liqueurs Nonna’s Limoncello in honour of the family matriarch.

“It’s based on her recipe but it’s not as strong,” he said.

The Byron Bay Spirits Co. co-founder and distiller also named another offering Nonno’s Secret Coffee after his grandfather, who would often sneak a shot of grappa into his coffee in a vain attempt to hide his drinking from his wife.

Bolzoni is now sharing his love of spirits from a contemporary and colourful cellar door next to Stone & Wood Brewery in Byron’s arts and industry estate.

“Most distilleries are really dark – we wanted to create a place that was a bit lighter,” he said. “All the colours in our branding are pastels. Byron is a happy, friendly place, so we’re trying to be like Byron in a bottle.”

Bolzoni studied architecture at university and got a job assisting his now business partner Marshal Rubinstein setting up production of the revolutionary Flow Hive 2 after moving to Australia for a working holiday in 2017.

He fell in love with the Byron lifestyle and the people’s entrepreneurial spirit and never left.

The pair’s wanted to come up with another project, and began making honey vodka, honey gin and honey liqueur.

Byron Bay Spirits Co. evolved from there, and now also includes offerings such as Lychee Liqueur and Elderflower Liqueur.

The duo have also applied nitrogen-infused technology to serve preservative-free cocktails in cans, with products including Classic Margarita, Margarita Chilli and Expresso Martini.

“This is a product designed to enjoy at the beach or take to a party, not to sit on a shelf for a year,” Bolzoni said.

There are also plans to add outdoor tables to the distillery they have built upstairs, and to introduce cocktail and distilling classes and tours in 2025.