w/ Clovendoe Distilling Co's Free-Spirited Queen: Catie Fry
The Joy is your new weekly read, a chance to meet cool people, and find a reason to smile about the week that's been.
Tell us about your work, and why you love what you do?
I am founder and head distiller of Clovendoe Distilling Co. Australia's first all-female distilling company. I am a distiller of mid-strength and non-alcoholic spirits, namely in the style of gin and botanical vodkas. I love what I do, because I get to create and experiment and share the delicious joyousness that comes from flavours and aromas extracted from nature. I persevered in this industry, and my business, even when my pessimistic side nagged at me and told me I couldn't. Lately, I've been giving that side of me the giant middle finger and telling it "see, I told you I could, so go f*ck off". It's a nice feeling being able to do that, and that's just another of the many reasons I love what I do.
What are you currently working on?
Currently working on a non-alcoholic dark spirit. Nothing comes quickly, but I am slowly, slowly getting it to where I want it to be. We have also been connecting with some amazing Gold Coast mixologists and have been having a lot of fun playing around with some new Clovendoe Virgin Cocktails.
What are you watching at the moment?
I tried to avoid this question, but if you must know...'Sex/Life'. It's pretty much mummy porn. Netflix recommended it and indicated that it's trending - SO please don't judge. Lol!
What are you reading at the moment?
Oh please! I have two young children and a business. I haven't shaved my legs since March, say no more.
Who is inspiring you at the moment?
Ash Barty has been in the spotlight of late, so I've been learning more about her journey and found it very inspirational. I'm not really much of a tennis fan (or much of a follower of any sport really) but I liked the story about how she was told she was too short to play tennis, but she didn't take any notice and didn't give up on her dream. To quote the inspiring woman herself " Whatever you choose to do in life, stay true to yourself and have a smile on your face." It's not always easy for us to do, but I think it's some great advice.
What do you drink when you're not drinking?
Why, Clovendoe of course.
What is your go-to food that brings you joy?
A cheese platter brings me endless joy. Always.
What has brought you joy this week?
Two things that stand out this past week were:
1. Being served a delicious Virgin Espresso Martini, raving about it and then discovering it was made with our Clovendoe Sprout Zero. I was so stoked!
2. Kids' Saturday morning rugby match getting canceled because of the weather.
Drink of the Week 🍸
Gnista Penicillin
50ml Gnista Barreled Oak
10ml lemon juice
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
10ml honey
1 egg white or 20ml Aquafaba (chickpea juice)
A few drops of angostura (optional)
Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice, shake well, strain into a martini glass and serve with a maraschino cherry.
The Joy Story 📖
Robot arranges 100,000 dominoes into a Super Mario Bros. mural in one day
Engineer and YouTuber Mark Rober has created a robot that can make domino murals at lightning speed, and has shown it off with a video of it arranging 100,000 dominoes into a Super Mario Bros-themed mural in just over 24 hours. Rober says it would take a team of seven humans a week to do the same thing.