Ask Vince Lombino to describe Palm Springs and he’ll animatedly rattle off a list of things that make the Californian desert oasis cool, from its green grass, palm trees and crystal-blue swimming pools to the town’s classic mid-century modern architecture and abundance of chic restaurants. But when he gets to talking about the energy, the magic and the soul of Palm Springs, his tone shifts to one laced with wonder. “I feel like it’s one of the metaphysical centres of the universe,” says Vince. “Instantly – the minute you get there – the weight falls off your shoulders. You completely decompress and you feel like you time travelled somewhere through a vortex. You feel a million miles away.” It’s enough to make one want to purchase a one-way ticket to the United States, but thankfully Vince and fellow Talisman Group head honcho Jared Thibault have kindly brought traces of Palm Springs’ potent charm to Woolloongabba with Purple Palm – a crisp, 60-seat open-air gin bar nestled in the heart of South City Square. The group, which has spent the past year building a diverse dining precinct from scratch (including Sasso Italiano, Casa Chow and fellow newcomer South City Wine), is targeting a more casual style of hospitality at Purple Palm – honing in on a kind of breezy informality reminiscent of the resort city’s laid-back but fun-focused vibe. “It’s just a place to go and sit. You don’t have to eat, it’s not a restaurant and you don’t need to book,” explains Vince. “In most cities you have restaurants, cocktail bars, pubs and a few rooftops – but where’s the place you can just go and sit down and casually relax?”

Relaxation appears to be a key part of Purple Palm’s allure. The spacious venue looks like it’s been picked up from the side of Palm Canyon Drive and plonked down at the heart of South City Square’s bustling epicentre. The landscaped alfresco area (which wraps around a circular well that peers down toward the shops below) is shielded from the elements by a glass-topped steel-frame pergola, which will soon be adorned with greenery, curtains and festoon lighting. Rendered concrete booths (perfect for large groups), sheer curtains, colourful cushioned banquettes, terrazzo-topped tables, potted ferns and cacti, and a couple of towering palm trees help establish an aesthetic that perfectly aligns with what you’d assume a breezy Californian garden bar to look like. A central drink-making hub dispenses beverages on two sides, with a 10-foot wall of gin on the inside displaying bottles from Purple Palm’s main supplier 78 Degrees (more on that below). At night, vivid purple neons cast vibrant hues across the venue, turning Purple Palm into a beacon of beatific beauty.

A gin bar is only as good as the spirit it serves, but there’s no need to worry – Purple Palm boasts plenty of the good stuff. Vince and Jared have teamed up with Jeremy Spencer and Sacha La Forgia of Adelaide Hills-based 78 Degrees, with the award-winning distillery coming on board as Purple Palm’s chief gin supplier. On the impressively sized shelf you’ll see 78 Degrees’ grape spirit-infused Sunset Gin, the botanical-driven rosé vermouth, the native wattleseed-laced Desert Gin and the new Sunshine State Gin, which marries mangoes, pineapples and passionfruit into a quintessentially Queensland sip. The team will soon install a boutique gin still for small-batch spirit making, so expect more far-out flavours to become available in the coming months. Everything else behind the bar is Australian, including pure cane rum from Husk Distillers, Mt Uncle Distillery’s Dirt Road white agave spirit, beers from Ballistic, Slipstream and Aether, plus a short list of wines. “When we came here in 2012, the amount of Australian spirits was next to nothing,” says Jared. “So now it’s really cool to use all-Australian ingredients and work with a company like [78 Degrees]. Everything we wanted to do had to be from Australia and now we have the ability to do that because there’s so much cool stuff out there.” The beverage list is headlined by native ingredient-infused signature cocktails like the pineapple and passionfruit-imbued Golden Circle, the Better Than Your Average Negroni and the bloody Mary-inspired QLD Red Snapper. From there you’ll spy six kinds of eye-catching G&Ts, six martini riffs, a clutch of classic cocktails that have been given an Australian twist, a shared cocktail and several no-alcohol options. As for food, QR codes on the tables will allow guests to order snacks from South City Wine and Casa Chow’s menus. All told, Purple Palm is the most relaxed of the Talisman Group’s venues to open so far, with its carefree vibes and pursuit of contentment likely making it a smash hit this summer.

Purple Palm is now open to the public. Head over to the Stumble Guide to find operating hours and contact details.