Month: April 2013

Manager Profile: Bar Americano’s Hayden Lambert

Australian Bartender got to know Mr Lambert, a two-time Bartender of the Year in Ireland and who previously ran the award-winning Merchant Hotel in Belfast, through his vocal and sometimes controversial opinions on Twitter (others would say he just calls it as he sees it). When Matt Bax tapped him to head up the bar at Melbourne’s Bar Americano, he leapt at the chance. Meet the talented Mr Hayden Lambert.

New French liqueur, Pavan, launches in Sydney

Bartenders and industry folk alike gathered yesterday at Brasserie Ananas in the Rocks, Sydney to celebrate the launch of new French liqueur, Pavan.
Club Suntory put on an event that evoked a sun-drenched south-of-France glamour and included a variety of cocktails, with matching canapes provided by the Ananas kitchen.

Australian Bartender’s 150th issue bash!

That’s right, Australian Bartender is sending out our 150th issue this June. It’s a huge milestone and to celebrate we’re teaming up with Cafe Pacifico to host the tequila party to end all parties.

We’ve loved Pacifico over the years and want to give them a fond farewell for their 15 years of service to the Aussie bar industry with this invite-only celebratory bash next Tuesday the 7th of May. It will be Pacifico’s last night and it promises to be huge!

The birth of the big brands

Give a man a fish, and he will eat for one day; but teach him to fish, and sell that fish on and he’ll start making some money. Should he flake the fish up, adulterate it with something of a fish-like texture and then sell it on, he’ll make loads more.

Australian Made: Craft Beer

The trade in tap beer at Frankie’s Pizza is a good example of where brewing is right now: they’ve got their mainstream, chuggable Boags Draught (of which they plow through plenty, we’re told). But you’re just as likely to have your bartender put your plastic beer mug down on the bar, filled with a distinctly blue-coloured beer.

The craft beer tasting panel results: from .5 to 4.5 stars

This was an exciting blind tasting to watch unfold. As our 150th issue approaches we’ve responded to the feedback from readers and our advisory panel. Bartenders are having a greater say in the mag and we think that is great. We also think that the Australian craft beer scene is growing stronger and more and more bars are expanding their range, so we thought we’d put together a panel and a tasty beer line up to see just what was out there and hopefully identify some beers worth packing in your fridges

Mixxit Chronicles get rude and uncensored!

Mixxit Chronicles – winners of On Premise Training Program of the Year at last year’s Australian Bartender Bar Awards — is set to launch at the iconic 1806 next week 30th April & 1st May at 1pm, with a session titled “Scotch & Irish Whisky – un-Censored”! Led by Jason Crawley and Dylan Howarth, the lads are promising a fresh look compared with last year’s program, and best of all — it’s uncensored.

The Cocktail Studio connects bartenders with content

Campari’s National Brand Ambassador, Oliver Stuart, says that often the information that bartenders find most interesting during training sessions is the tidbits that come up in the course of presentations, often as an aside. And it’s this avenue he hopes their recently launched blog, The Cocktail Studio will go down. The blog has already had great feedback from bartenders, becoming the kind of place where bartenders can come and share ideas, recipes, stories — and these little gems of trivia.

Introducing: Sebastian Cosmo Soto

One of the nicest guys going, Cosmo is cast from the old-school bartender mould: that means he know his drinks as well as the next guy but he’ll be the one talking to you rather than at you. No pretence, no need to be a startender, and a great ‘tache to boot.