Month: January 2013

Mastering Mexico

Indeed, the great boozer, Sir Kingsley Amis, once wrote: “I think the nastiest drink I’ve ever drunk in my life was some stuff called mezcal in a Mexican market town.” But that has all changed.

The Oyster Saloon Returns

Oysters have long been prized by foodies. Instagram is full of snapshots of latte art, glasses of wine framed by scenic views and oysters. Dozens upon dozens of beautiful bivalves.

Onlybitters is all you need

Well, thank goodness for the interGoogles. Never before have we had so many products to play with and often all it takes is a few clicks of the mouse – and then a lengthy wait for the product to cross the seas.

A Bar Above

Within a crowd’s roar of the MCG, the Mt View Hotel will no doubt provide much-needed refreshment for those heading to the cricket this summer. They’ve spruced up the offering upstairs on the rooftop, decking it out with craft beers and a new emphasis on cocktails.

Cocktail experiment: whiskey

Scotch whisky gets a lot of the world’s attention in the global spirits market. But it’s not the only game in town and when it comes to mixing drinks and creating cocktails, bartenders seem to be turning to Irish whiskey more and more – partly due to its mixability (as we’ll see below) but also because it is a category that has been underdeveloped in Australia until recently, with the arrival of Redbreast and Writer’s Tears in addition to the forthcoming Green Spot.

Loft West End

With a list put together by Matt Hewitt (ex-The Bowery, where he won Bar Manager of the Year in the 2007 Australian Bar Awards) cocktails are front and centre at this Brisbane bar.

Think Spirits take on Del Maguey

Many a bartender in Australia has tried to track this brand down, often to no avail. Think Spirits have now secured distribution for these quality mezcals, of which a fair share of the attention given to mezcal these days can be attributed to.

Bring back the blender?

There was a time – not that long ago – when bars were filled with the sound of whirring metal blades blitzing ice and fruit and booze; a time when the cocktail glasses were large, the drinks coloured bright, and the bartender was the boss of the blender.

Pernod Ricard seeing Green Spots

It is the lone brand to come from the ‘whiskey bonding’ era in Ireland and will be more readily available in the coming months. A single pot still Irish whiskey, it is comprised of pot still whiskeys aged between 7 and 10 years.

Fourth Wall

Back in our June issue we brought you the news that this bar from Chris Denman (who placed 2nd to Jason Williams in the Bartender Magazine 2010 Bartender of the Year competition) and partner Stevie Wright would be coming. Its been open a few months now, and things are going well.