Month: January 2013

The Spirit: Vodka

“Ever since Ivan the Terrible cobbled together the various tsardoms and proclaimed himself Tsar of All the Russias, vodka has girded the seat of power.”

How To: Cooking with Cognac

I do have the odd drink at home and occasionally even whip up a cocktail. But I have to admit that mixing drinks often feels too much like work on my days off. Now if I really want to unwind on a Sunday it’s by cooking – a creative outlet that many bartenders not only enjoy but often excel at.

Drinking ‘en plein air’ at Metro St James

The space behind St James station on Hyde Park, Sydney, is finally seeing some action. “The name is Metro St James,” said French owner Phillipe Valet (La Brasserie, Surry Hills). “I just want to start with a nice wine and aperitif bar and build it slowly,” he said of the open-air space, which can be enclosed by large, bi-fold doors.

Young Henry’s opening a new bar in the ‘Loo

Woolloomoo has a new bar brewing that’s a creative collaboration between Oscar McMahon from Newtown’s Young Henry’s brewery (pictured), Jack Brown (ex-owner Chingalings and hospitality business consultant), with Alex Watts and Nick Watney from Camperdown’s Runcible Spoon.

Bar Profile: Cellar Bar

Perhaps food and drink got too serious there for a while, too self-referential. The experience became less about the company you kept and more about food for food’s sake. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a market for grown up food and drink – pounding back tequilas and tinnies of beer is not for everyone, after all. And it’s to those folks that Cellar Bar, Melbourne is looking. The place is grown up, refreshingly lacking in irony, and is a whole lot of fun.

Introducing: Davide Bernacchia

Former male model, member of the Italian army, globetrotting bartender and notorious double-dater, we’d like to introduce you to Goldfish’s man of the moment…

The World’s Best Bars Part 1

I got to thinking the other day about what have been my favourite bar experiences over the years and I wondered what other people might say was their all time best bar visits – excluding of course those places that they either own or work at. So I asked!

Operator Profile: The Local Taphouse gents

The Local Taphouse concept has been one of the instrumental players in bringing boutique beers to the the palates of the drinking public. We took a moment to sit down with team responsible..

Bottleneck created outside Eau de Vie

This week sees the opening of a new bar in the Speakeasy group’s stable: Bottleneck. Located in the space that the now defunct Art Lounge occupied in the Kirketon Hotel (and practically on Eau de Vie’s doorstep) the new bar from Sven Almenning and company…