As part of our move to Maker Heights, we thought you might be interested to find out about some of the businesses already on site that form part of the fascinating creative community we are so happy to join.
Today we feature the Garrison Gallery, who helped make our Grand Opening Celebration special by mixing up delicious mocktails for our guests on 20th August.
Run by Amanda and Andy Knights, the Garrison is an exciting community art gallery and social hub based in the Barrack Block at Maker Heights. Now in its third year, it’s busy carving out a space for itself as a cocktail bar and gallery with a purpose.
Amanda explains: “Garrison Gallery is an art gallery, a cocktail bar and a social space, with the express purpose of aiding in the preservation of community and the creative arts at Maker Heights. It is a community hub first and foremost, an outlet for artists, musicians, and all humans to come, unwind, experience, laugh, let loose, and feel safe to be who they are.”
One Of The Best Bars in Cornwall
Together with their sister space Patchwork Studios, which offers an adjoining event space and youth music lab, the Garrison and Patchwork have given opportunities to hundreds of artists, comedians, poets and musicians and welcomed thousands of people through their doors. This year the Garrison earned runner-up spot for Best Bar in Cornwall 2023 — and it was very close!
They’ve hosted community Christmas markets for local artisans, themed cocktail nights and provided a space for local artists to exhibit their work.
Delicious Drinks
Alongside poetry readings, stand-up, open mic evenings, quizzes and themed evenings in collaboration with Patchwork Studios, sit the delicious and inspired cocktails devised by Amanda.
Amanda’s expertise and love of cocktails comes from time spent working in California. She’s translated her skills to create delicious drinks that suit her environment, often inspired by Garrison events — from Hogwarts to Halloween, a delicious Buttered Rum to celebrate the Christmas Market and the Wonderland-inspired cocktail “Off With Her Head” pictured below.
Maker Heights is a stone’s throw from the famous South West Coast Path and one of this year’s signature cocktails is ‘The Coast Path’. In Amanda’s words: “This particular cocktail is inspired by our luscious south west coast path and the abundant gorse flowers that grow wild along it — organic seaweed gin, coconut water, pineapple, agave, elderflower, gorse flowers and other such loveliness. If there’s such a thing as an alcoholic bev that feels good on your body, this is a refreshing and hydrating contender.”
Sober Sundays
Acknowledging that not everyone can or wants to drink alcohol, the Garrison Gallery has recently embarked on monthly sober-friendly events. Amanda says: “Every 3rd Sunday we’re pulling all of the booze off the shelves and focusing our attention on all our delicious alcohol-free offerings! We’ve got alcohol-free beers, Prosecco, mocktails, and specialty mocks of some of our favourites including Fancy Pants, Coast Path, Vapor Wave and Dark & Stormy. All scrummy. All alcohol free! What could be better? Let’s go.”
Amanda continues: “A big part of our mission at the Garrison Gallery is to provide a safe space for every person who walks through our doors. Part of that means supporting each individual in their journey with or without alcohol and meeting people where they’re at, while providing quality options and alternatives. We celebrate and showcase our alcohol-free mocktails and craft beers just as proudly as we do with their stronger counterparts. We love how Pentire Non Alcohol Spirits blend seamlessly into our lovingly crafted drinks to provide our sober guests with the same wow factor and enjoyment as all the rest.”
I love spending time at The Garrison and am hugely grateful to Andy, Amanda and their team for providing such a wonderful, supportive environment for the arts and the community locally.
If you’re in the area, don’t miss the opportunity to pay a visit to the Garrison Gallery. All images used with permission from the Garrison Gallery Instagram feed. Art gallery shots by Dom Moore.
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