Oysters and Cocktails Pop-Ups return to stylishly set bar with new sea-worthy gin

Copperpenny Distilling serves Canada’s first spirit made with oyster shells, harvested by Fanny Bay Oyster Bar & Shellfish Market

By Gail johnson

Oyster Martini.

THERE’S A NEW gin in town: Oyster Shell collaboration No. 006 Gin, a joint project of Fanny Bay Oyster Bar & Shellfish Market and Copperpenny Distilling Co. 

Copperpenny will be serving the first-of-its-kind-gin-in Canada, hand-crafted using shells harvested from the shores of the restaurant/market’s eponymous oyster farm in Fanny Bay on Vancouver Island.

The savoury, modern spirit incorporates foraged botanicals from the arid B.C. interior with the minerality and nutrients of the Pacific Ocean. The gin hits all the right notes of lemon, Okanagan sage, and sea-salty brininess. It’s the star ingredient in Fanny Bay’s own oyster martini.

Jennifer Kom-Tong and Jan Stenc are Copperpenny’s cofounders, partners in life, with Stenc in charge of distilling. They’re both long-time former set decorators in the film industry, having travelled the globe for some 25 years. Everywhere they went, they sought out local gin, so their uber-cool lounge is a true passion project. Kom-Tong designed the living-room style space while working on Magic Mike Live abroad. Ask them about any of the décor items inside to get a great story on each and every one, like the bunny lamp that Kom-Tong brought back from London. Some of the distilling equipment, which can be seen through a glass wall, comes from the Netherlands.

Copperpenny won the Masters Medal at the 2022 Spirits Business Global Gin Masters Competition with its Gin No. 005, the highest possible honour in the global micro-distillery category.  

During the pop-ups, Fanny Bay shuckers will be on hand at Copperpenny serving premium oyster varieties and seasonally inspired Shuckers” Choice picks, while the Copperpenny bar team will serve a curated menu of gin-based drinks created specifically for the occasion, like white sangria with fresh guava and oyster shooters. The oyster martini, of course, is also on the menu.

The summer Sunday-afternoon series runs June 18, July 23, August 20 and September 17. Last year’s run sold out.  

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