The Australian coastal gin brand is bringing its summer truck to Manchester with free drinks, Read-to-drink cans and 'Summer Survival Kit' deliveries.
Manchester’s summer has, so far, been doing that classic Manchester thing where it threatens to arrive, disappears for three days, then comes back just as you’ve put a coat on. Luckily, Papa Salt appears to be taking matters into its own hands.
For World Gin Day weekend, the Australian coastal gin brand is bringing its Papa Salt Thirst Aid Truck to Manchester, rolling around the city from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 June with free drinks, ready-to-drink cans and a run of Summer Survival Kit deliveries.
Which makes sense, really. They’re Australian. They basically own summer. They understand the sacred art of lingering outside with a cold drink for longer than planned, and they’ve decided Manchester could probably do with a bit of that energy.
The Papa Salt Thirst Aid Truck will be in town all weekend, bringing music, drinks and a bit of Australian summer spirit to Manchester. On the Friday, before World Gin Day itself, we’ll be following the truck as it drops off Summer Survival Kits to competition winners at their chosen spots, whether that’s at home, in the park, at work, or wherever they’ve decided they need a bit of early summer assistance.
The idea is simple: tag someone who deserves the delivery. Maybe it’s the friend who always hosts everyone in the garden. Maybe it’s the one who has had a horrible week and needs a cold drink appearing at their door. Maybe it’s the person who keeps saying “we should do something this weekend” but never actually sorts anything. This is your chance to nominate them for the kind of Friday interruption they probably won’t complain about.
To enter, head to our announcement post on Instagram and tag the person you think needs the Papa Salt Thirst Aid Truck to turn up with a Summer Survival Kit. Ten winners will be chosen and contacted via Instagram DM ahead of the Friday deliveries.
Each kit includes 3 bottles of Papa Salt Gin, a cooler, ice, loads of mixers, 12 Blood Orange Gin Spritz cans, recipe cards, a tote bag and summer survival mystery surprises. A fairly strong argument for entering, especially if your usual summer survival kit consists of a warm tinny from the corner shop and pretending Castlefield Bowl is the Amalfi Coast.
Winners must be over 18 and based within a 10-mile radius of Manchester city centre, for obvious reasons. The truck can do many things. Teleporting to Leeds is not currently one of them.
There may also be time for a few surprise stops while we’re following the truck on Friday, so keep an eye on our Instagram stories throughout the day. If you’re nearby and think the truck needs to come to you, there’s no harm in sending us a DM. We’re not promising miracles, but we respect ambition.
Across the rest of the weekend, on Saturday and Sunday, the truck will be parked up around town bringing the party vibes, music and free drink moments, stopping at different locations and partner venues while handing out wristbands and postcards that can be redeemed for free Papa Salt serves. There will also be cans of Papa Salt’s Blood Orange Gin Spritz being handed out along the way, so keep an eye out for the blue-green truck if you’re out and about.
For anyone new to Papa Salt, the gin was created by five friends who originally met through the film industry, after years of trying to make something that felt easy to open with people rather than overthought or overworked. The brand describes it as a gin for “slow and salty days”, which is a very Australian way of saying it’s made for stretching an afternoon out until someone eventually suggests ordering food.
The gin was developed over five years and 59 recipe variations, distilled in Byron Bay using native Australian botanicals including wattleseed, ginger and oyster shell-inspired salinity. The result is a clean, lightly savoury gin with citrus, spice and a subtle salty finish, designed to work in simple serves as much as cocktails.
Alongside the bottled gin, Papa Salt also makes a Blood Orange Gin Spritz with Fever-Tree, which is the canned serve you might find coming your way if you catch the truck in the right place at the right time.
So, if you’re in Manchester between 12 and 14 June, keep an eye on our stories, head to our Instagram announcement post to enter, follow @papasaltgin, and look out for the Papa Salt Thirst Aid Truck rolling through town. Summer might not be entirely reliable around here, but at least someone has come prepared.