Shirley, Eddie’s grandmother, was an adventurer, a keen skier and one of Australia’s first female Tiger Moth pilots – she also made a top-notch bootleg kumquat gin back in her day, which would be cracked open and generously poured at family dinners and cocktail parties. The exclusive Shirl the Pearl release is based around her age-old recipe, offering sippers uplifting and zesty notes with waves of orange blossom – it’ll enhance a traditional G&T, or it can even be sipped in place of a limoncello after a meal.

For the past few months, the Cape Byron Distillery team have been steeping locally grown kumquats in Brookie’s Dry Gin to create the bright, citrusy, golden-hued drop, delicately balancing the mild bitterness that characterises Australian kumquats with the unique flavour profile of the distiller’s award-winning dry gin. When we say it’s exclusive, we meant it – just 650 bottles of Shirl the Pearl are being released, so make sure you’re on the Cape Byron Distillery website this Thursday May 28 to secure your 700-ml serve and have it shipped from the Byron Bay hinterland straight to your door. Cheers to you, Shirley.