Next to Kingston's river, just before Canbury Gardens, is the independent gin distillery and bar Bone Idyll. 

Bone Idyll had great success in providing gin for local bars and restaurants, curating bespoke gins for individuals, as well as supplying chains like Majestic Wines and Waitrose. 

The owners, Sam and Alex Berry, are restaurateurs, mixologists and entrepreneurs from Surbiton. 

The couple also own No.97, Cento Uno and The Hideaway (Surbiton) and One One Four (Teddington) as well as The Good Life Gin Company.   

Launched during Covid, Sam and Alex approached the local community for help get their idea off the ground. 

Sam said: "We reached out to 200 of our most frequent restaurant customers and said we were thinking about a new project. 

"The best thing about this is that the 50 investors live local, between Surbiton and Teddington." 

Sam said he tries to keep the investors updated on the company, adding: "It's nice that they're all local, and we'll put on parties for them and throw socials here and there. 

As well as supplying local bars with gin and curating exclusive bottles for restaurants, Sam said he is currently working with a guy in Alderney, small island in the Channel Islands. 

"They're using the salt from Alderney and creating their own bottled gin from that, so we're developing that with him hopefully in time for Christmas." 

Initially, Rachel had been distilling just as a hobby. "I haven't got any qualifications, I was learning on the job," Rachel said. Sam joked it was "moonshining". 

Downstairs from No.97, the pair bought a mini distil and "started messing around" making their own gin. 

Sam said: "That's where we started distilling literally 10 litres, so just enough for the evening. Then we'd serve it in G&Ts. 

"Then Covid hit and all the restaurants shut, but we could still [make gin].  

"So we bought a bigger distil and moved Rachel into my mum's garage," Sam added with a chuckle 

Working nearby, Rachel commented: "It's not as sweet as it sounds!"  

The couple started doing a cocktail and gin delivery every Friday for the restaurant customers, under The Good Life gin label. Due to trade market issues, the company had to rebrand. 

"It has the same philosophy of The Good Life which is 'city meets county'. That's always been the philosophy of our restaurants," Sam explained. 

"'Bone' is the nitty gritty of the city and 'idyll' is idyllic of the countryside." 

Like its philosophy, the Bone Idyll bar boast a cool steampunk aesthetic. Dotted around the walls are urban interpretations of regency paintings. A concoction of old meets new, period-fantasy meets modern world, city-countryside contrast. 

Each one has its little character and story, Sam told Nub News. "Our next step is building brand awareness, building up those stories and bringing the characters to life." 

Initially open Wednesday to Sunday, Sam said they are changing the bar opening hours to just Fridays and Saturdays to allow more time for distilling. 

"People make a special occasion out of it [on weekends]. We do loads of private hires, people come in to make their own gin as a gift," Sam said.

Making use of the industrial-funk venue, Sam said they use it to host cocktail and spirit-making class, corporate events, and as a co-working space for restaurant managers during the week.

Sam admitted to getting a bit "side-tracked" by the bar element of the business but said from now on they are "focussing on the brand". 

Bone Idyll has also secured an event deal in Battersea, catering for around 10,000 people three times a year. This follows after multiple of successful events including Hampton Court Food festival.