Bar Awards Bonanza – all the winners announced!

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The Australian Bar Industry Shines!

All the thrills, spills and live action from the ‘Oscars’ of the bar industry

Last night (Tuesday, 24th September), more than 500 bar industry professionals flocked to Doltone House in Pyrmont for the 13th annual Australian Bar Awards presented by Australian Bartender magazine. A week of bar industry events culminated in this flagship event that has been described as the ‘Oscars’ of the bar industry. With Sydney turning on some summer weather, the Australian bar community sipped on Cuba Libres, Penicillins, Manahattans, Tommy’s Margaritas and Gimlets presented by the guys from Trolley’d Bars.

Accomplished MC, Stu Gregor from Liquid Ideas and ABC’s The Gruen Planet took control of proceedings and launched straight into the awards. For the first time ever a series of state awards were presented with venues such as Zierholz in Canberra, Udaberri in Adelaide and Amor Bar in Hobart getting a nod for their achievements. In addition, a very happy crew from the Heritage Bar up in Townsville were honoured with the inaugural Regional Bar of the Year award after 20 years of operation.

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When it came to the national awards, the crew from Swillhouse Group took home a slew of awards including Best Bar Operator, Best Bartenders’ Bar for Frankie’s Pizza in Sydney and both Bar of the Year and Bar Team of the Year for The Baxter Inn, also in Sydney. They were not the lone Sydney winners, however, with The Keystone Group (Bungalow 8, Sugarmill, The Rook, The Winery etc.) taking out the prize for Best Pub Operator and Bulletin Place winning the Cocktail Bar of the Year award. (For a full list of finalists click here).

It was an emotional victory in the Pub of the Year category, with the Drink n Dine team taking out top honours for The Forresters in Surry Hills. Earlier this year, one of the founders of the group and a much loved member of the bar community, James Miller, passed away and his business partner Jaime Wirth dedicated this award to his memory.

Other bars who took home silverware included Eau De Vie Melbourne for the Cocktail List of the Year, Public in Brisbane for Best Bar Food Selection and of course, Mr Fraser Short (of The Morrison & Watson’s Bay Hotel fame) who took out the award for Outstanding contribution for his 20 years of hard work and dedication to the Australian bar industry.

It was also a big night for Brisbane bars with Public winning the Best Bar Food Selection award, the New Pub of the Year prize going to Alfred & Constance and Cabiria taking out Best Wine Bar. The ‘Brisbane Massive’ also brought down the house when one of their own took out the Bartender of the Year award at the very end of the night.

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In a unique twist this year the finals of the Bartender Magazine Bartender of the Year Competition (proudly sponsored by Absolut Elyx & Havana Club) were held live on stage between awards. After a grueling day of competition on Monday, 10 of the country’s top bartenders had just four minutes to prepare two signature cocktails in front of an esteemed panel of judges and 500 industry peers! It was nerve-wracking business. Taking out the top prize was a youngster, Sean Chow from Gresham Bar up in Brisbane, the first time a banana bender has taken out this honour. In addition to the title of ‘Bartender of the Year’ the folks from Absolut Elyx will also be flying him to Sweden. In second place was Ben Blair from The Corner House in Bondi and in 3rd place was crowd favourite Cristiano Berretta from The Rook in Sydney.

Once the awards had wrapped up the partying continued with taxi loads of bar personnel heading to Oxford Art Factory for another installment of Put it in Your Mouth, the official Bar Awards after party which was packed to the rafters and boasted a Jacuzzi, glitter guns and everyone in their best ‘prom’ attire — even if it was bad taste from the waist down!

The Australian Bar Awards are held in conjunction with Bar Week, a series of trade and consumer events dedicated to the bar business. For more information visit www.barweek.com.au

 

Bar Awards 2013 – The Winners

Pub of the Year (State)

Proudly sponsored by Havana Club

Winners:

ACT: Zierholz, Canberra

NSW: Forresters, Sydney

NT: Wisdom Bar & Café, Darwin

QLD: Alfred & Constance, Brisbane

SA: The Wheatsheaf, Adelaide

TAS: The Royal Oak Hotel, Launceston

VIC: Baden Powell, Melbourne

WA: The Brisbane Hotel, Perth

 

Bar of the Year (State) 

proudly sponsored by Cocktail Kingdom

Winners:

ACT: Treehouse Bar, Canberra

NSW: The Baxter Inn, Sydney

NT: The Deck Bar, Darwin

QLD: Super Whatnot, Brisbane

SA: Udaberri, Adelaide

TAS: Amor Bar, Hobart

VIC: Lily Blacks, Melbourne

WA: Mechanics Institute, Perth

 

Cocktail Bar of the Year (State) 

proudly sponsored by Belvedere

Winners:

ACT: Kremlin Bar, Canberra

NSW: Bulletin Place, Sydney

QLD: The Bowery, Brisbane

SA: Cushdy, Adelaide

TAS: Amor Bar, Hobart

VIC: 1806, Melbourne

WA: Luxe Bar, Perth

 

Best Bartenders Bar 2013

proudly sponsored by Red Bull

Winner:

Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney

 

Rookie of the Year 2013

proudly sponsored by Club Suntory

Winner:

Daniel Warren, 1806, Melbourne

 

Best Specialty Beer Venue 2013

proudly sponsored by Stella Artois

Winner:

The Local Taphouse, Sydney

 

New Bar of the Year 2013

proudly sponsored by Schweppes

Winner:

Mojo Record Bar, Sydney

 

Best Regional Bar 2013

Proudly sponsored by Trolley’d Bars

Winner:

Heritage Bar, Townsville

 

Bar Manager of the Year 2013

Winner:

Mark Patterson,

The Brisbane Hotel, Perth

 

Small Bar of the Year 2013

Proudly sponsored by Woodford Reserve

Winner:

Vasco, Sydney

 

Bar Operator of the Year 2013

Proudly sponsored by Club Suntory

Winner:

Swillhouse, Sydney

 

Wine Bar of the Year 2013

Proudly sponsored by Treasury Wines

Winner:

Cabiria, Brisbane

 

Bar Team of the Year 2013

Winner:

The Baxter Inn, Sydney

 

Cocktail Bar of the Year 2013

Proudly sponsored by Belvedere

Winner:

Bulletin Place, Sydney

 

New Pub of the Year 2013

Proudly sponsored by Red Bull

Winner:

Alfred & Constance, Brisbane

 

Pub Operator of the Year 2013

Winner:

The Keystone Group

 

Best Bar Food Selection 2013

Proudly sponsored by Schweppes

Winner:

Public, Brisbane

 

Training Program of the Year 2013

Proudly sponsored by Bartender Magazine

Winner:

Club Suntory

 

Brand Ambassador of the Year 2013

Proudly sponsored by Bartender Magazine

Winner:

Ben Davidson, Pernod Ricard

 

Outstanding Contribution 2013

Fraser Short

 

Cocktail List of the Year 2013

Proudly sponsored by Herradura

Winner:

Eau De Vie, Melbourne

 

Nightclub of the Year 2013

Proudly sponsored by AV Rentals

Winner:

Marquee, Sydney

 

Pub of the Year 2013

Proudly sponsored by Absolut Elyx

Winner:

The Forresters, Sydney

 

Bar of the Year 2013

Proudly Sponsored by Cocktail Kingdom

Winner:

The Baxter Inn, Sydney

 

Australian Bartender

Bartender of the Year

Proudly presented by Absolut Elyx and Havana Club

 

Bartender of the Year 2013

Winner: Sean Chow, The Gresham Bar, Brisbane

2nd Place: Ben Blair, Corner House, Sydney

3rd Place: Cristiano Beretta, The Rook, Sydney

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