Confected in the mind of multidisciplinary artist and chef, Delana Luna – who has such culinary credits as Dragonfly, The Henry Austin, and a formative rockstar shift alongside ex-Gather and current Coriole chef, Tom Tilbury – Bazaar Potions is an immersive and highly conceptual cocktail degustation produced in collaboration with Fleming and Freear and Jessie Spiby.

Delana’s art practice has a strong focus around creative writing, and in Bazaar Potions she creates an entire world for drinkers and diners to explore.

The story begins in the vaults of The Pseudo Society – an “old boys’ club from the early 1900s,” Delana suggests – from which The Life and Times of Samuel Kincoon is drawn.

“So he’s a slightly unsavoury but very adventurous character, and he was obsessed with a cult and magic in different cultures and went around the world basically trying to find alcoholic magic potions and bring them all back home,” Delana says.

Adventurous patrons will be welcomed into Chateau Apollo, where the room will be lined with artifacts from Samuel’s travels. After a short welcome and an introductory aperitif, guests will be seated, and the cocktails, designed by Fleming and Freear, will be brought out.

As the cocktails are laid down, accompanied with share plates of food from Jessie Spiby, the recipe’s origin will be explained by the cocktail duo.

“It’s not going to be a typical degustation, in that we’ve decided that the food is going to come out in big share plates, so that’s going to be another point for people to interact with each other,” Delana says.

“And we’ve tried to be very delicate in how we’ve chosen to make the food; we want people to still have that wow factor, because Jessie’s food is amazing and fresh and really full of flavour, but we don’t want it to over-shine the drinks.”

L-R: Olivia Freear, Callan Fleming and Delana Luna.

Delana’s concept comes from her years in hospitality and, as much as it’s about creating an experience for people, it’s also intended as an ode to the industry and to impeccable service.

“I don’t think that people give bartenders, waiters, chefs enough kudos for what they do, and I don’t think those people get enough time to play,” Delana says.

“I really enjoy the fact that Callan [Fleming, of Fleming and Freear] also is one of these crossover people. Callan’s been in hospitality for a million years, but he’s also an amazing dancer and does all sort of performance stuff.

“He’s the exact type of person that I’m trying to get people to realise. Not only have you got someone in front of you making a fabulous drink, you’re actually really, really lucky that you’re getting the experience of getting everything from the creative industry that he brings to work every day.”

Bazaar Potions is the debut event from The Pseudo Society, and many more stories lie within its vaults. Keep an eye on their social media for future events.