Raise a Glass!
The Australian Bar Awards celebrates 10 years of honouring the best in the Aussie bar scene
Presented during Sydney BarShow Week, the Bartender Magazine Australian Bar Awards saw more than 600 Aussie bar industry leaders plus a host of international guests, including Miss Russia, attend a ritzy gala dinner at the Hilton hotel on Wednesday, 22 September.
After a few years of Melbourne dominance, it seems that Sydney venues have come back with a vengeance this year thanks to some dramatic changes to the licensing in New South Wales. New venues such as Eau-De-Vie and Shady Pines Saloon (both in Darlinghurst), The Flinders Hotel in East Sydney and Grasshopper in the CBD all proudly took their places on the winners’ podium last night. Ivy, in the heart of the city, continued to impress, taking out the Hotel of the Year prize for the second year running. The Winery in Surry Hills also continued to cement its place as a must-see venue taking out the Wine Bar of the Year Prize with owners Keystone Hospitality also securing the Multi-venue Operator prize.
Melbourne bars weren’t completely left in the dust with Jason Williams of The Galley Room taking out the coveted Bartender of the Year prize, the owners of classic cocktail mecca 1806 walking away with the Operator of the Year prize, Brunswick Street staple Black Pearl snagging the Bar Team of the Year award and Richmond’s Der Raum, a stalwart of the Melbourne scene being recognised as the country’s number one cocktail bar. Not to be left out, famed Adelaide pub, the Crown & Sceptre was recognised for its amazing drinks selection while Brissie bars, Laruche Bar & Dining and X&Y also walked away with some silverware.
The individual awards were also a big hit with the crowd. Elyssia Wormald, from Sydney bar Eau-De-Vie was a big hit as the Rookie of the Year, a new award presented to the country’s most promising up-and-coming bartender. It was also great to see Bartender magazine’s founding Editor, Naren Young, return to Australia to accept the Outstanding Contribution award.
“Not only are we celebrating 10 years of the Bartender Magazine Australian Bar Awards, but we are also celebrating a decade of the ‘modern Australian bar culture’,” says David Spanton, founder of the Bar Awards and Publisher of Australian Bartender Magazine. “In 2000, with the Sydney Olympics, venues such as Establishment and Cargo Bar opened their doors and Australian bar culture has just got stronger and more vibrant since then. This year alone, we have bounced back from near recession and have seen loads of new bars opening. It’s great to be able to celebrate our 10th birthday with such a great party for the nation’s industry leaders.”
Presented by Australian Bartender magazine, the Bar Awards has been described as the ‘Oscars of the bar industry’. The national awards are now in their 10th year and recognise excellence and innovation in bars, hospitality, drinks and hotels across Australia.
See full list of winners below.
Click here to see a full list of the finalists.
The Winners
Bartender Magazine Bartender of the Year sponsored by Club Suntory
Bartender of the Year: Jason Williams, The Galley Room, Melbourne
2nd Place: Chris Denman, X&Y, Brisbane
3rd Place: Adam Brewer, Cloudland, Brisbane
Rookie of the Year sponsored by Mozart Distillerie *NEW*
- Elyssia Wormald, Eau-De-Vie, Sydney
Bar Manager of the Year
- Sebastien Derbomez, Hemmesphere, Sydney
Operator of the Year (Single Venue)
- Elizabeth Green, Lisa Kelly, Sebastian Reaburn, 1806, Melbourne
Operator of the Year (Multiple Venues) sponsored by Customers ATM
- Keystone Hospitality, Sydney
Small Bar of the Year sponsored by Coca-Cola Amatil
- Grasshopper, Sydney
Bar of the Year sponsored by OrderMate
- Hugos Manly, Sydney
Cocktail Bar of the Year sponsored by Mixxit
- Der Raum, Melbourne
Wine Bar of the Year sponsored by Windowrie Wines
- The Winery, Sydney
New Bar of the Year sponsored by Schweppes
- Eau-De-Vie, Sydney
Best New Venue Design sponsored by Russian Standard Vodka
- Shady Pines Saloon, Sydney
New Hotel of the Year sponsored by Maravending
- Flinders Hotel, Sydney
Hotel of the Year associate partner BATA
- Ivy, Sydney
Cocktail List of the Year sponsored by Reserve Brands
- The Bowery, Brisbane
Best Specialty Beer Venue
- The Local Taphouse, Sydney
Best Bar Food Selection sponsored by S
- Laruche Bar & Supperclub, Brisbane
Best Drinks Selection sponsored by Belvedere Vodka
- Crown & Sceptre, Adelaide
Nightclub of the Year sponsored by Australian Venue Services
- Kit & Kaboodle, Sydney
Best Music Offering sponsored by APRA
- X&Y, Brisbane
Best New Launched Product sponsored by Bartender Magazine *NEW*
- Russian Standard Vodka, Beam Global
Training Programme of the Year sponsored by 4bars.com.au
- Diageo’s Alchemy, Diageo
Brand Ambassador of the Year sponsored by 4bars.com.au
- Dylan Howarth, Mixxit
Bar Team of the Year sponsored by Think Rewards
- Black Pearl, Melbourne
Best Marketed Venue sponsored by Bundaberg Rum *NEW*
- The Victoria Room, Sydney
Outstanding Contribution sponsored by Bartender Magazine
- Naren Young, Aussie Drinks Writer & Bartender