From little things…

Four Pillars started as a small craft distillery in the hills of the Yarra Valley in 2013, and since then has transformed into an award-winning international success story. One of the original brand assets, the cocktail booklets, given away with purchase, helped customers navigate the often-complex journey of making cocktails at home, with typical Four Pillars creative flair. 

As Australian towns and cities were forced in and out of lockdowns during the height of the global pandemic, gin sales were high and the demand for cocktail excellence—especially the know-how to do it right—reached its peak.

Recrafting these booklets into a premium giveaway product was an opportunity for Four Pillars to surprise and delight its new and existing fan base. The timing was right to offer loyal devotees something to elevate their at-home gin experience—a ‘freemium’ souvenir that contained traditional favourites… and a slew of clever new ideas.  

Style meets substance

Order and flow were paramount… retaining the best elements of the four existing booklets while incorporating the storytelling talents of the founders with new personal and informative articles about gin-crafting, cocktail making at home, collaboration, and experimentation.

The content and design were an exercise in contrasts. At first glance the booklet looks and feels seriously premium and eminently keepable, while all the time ensuring that it contained moments of joy and humour to help people navigate through the process of crafting their own incredible creations.  

From its moody grey cover, accented with Four Pillars’ signature four copper dots and a copper spiral binding system, the new cocktail booklet instantly declared the brand’s premium quality, while beautiful, starkly stylised photography showcased its sophistication and seriousness.

Witty illustrations and clever cocktail titles – ‘London calling’, ‘Who shot Tom Collins’, ‘Dirty Dancing’ – added elements of celebration, reflected bonhomie and little moments of delight throughout.  

Success was overwhelming and 9,000 of the first 10,000 booklets were a gift with purchase in the first four months. The booklet was reordered within five months as Four Pillars fans proudly displayed theirs on their bookcases and bars.