It’s always exciting when we hear about a leading operator opening new digs. And so, we were excited to hear earlier in the year that Marty Lange, the man behind Cobbler and Death & Taxes (who he is in partnership with wife Wiebke Lange and Belinda and Blake Ward) was busy at work with a new bar. And like its sister venues, this would be a bar that was about good drinking with lots of booze on the back bar and of course, lots of stools at the bar where you can watch the action. This – the row of deluxe barstools and the exhaustive backbar – might be a staple of the Lange offering.
And it’s no different at Dr Gimlette. Opening in late September to a very receptive Brisbane clientele, things are looking bright in the early days of opening, even with a pandemic lurking. Dr Gimlette is located on Brisbane’s high end fashion district, Edward street, in one of Brisbane’s oldest buildings.
“The bar program at Dr Gimlette started with tapping into the the concept and namesake of the bar, a gimlet and martini section was the jumping off point when creating the menu.” – Anthony Burke
Matt Baker, who headed over from Death & Taxes to kickstart the new venues says: “Opening has been both challenging and rewarding. Our weekends have kicked off straight away and most week nights around 5:30pm we’ve been seeing an after work crowd come through just like clockwork.
“The customers are mostly blown away by the experience and atmosphere they find themselves in. Already our house cocktail list has taken off contributing to well over half our sales. The house gimlets are definitely the favourites so far.”
If you’re wondering about the name, the venue is in honour to surgeon Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette (1857–1943), who is said to have first added lime cordial to the daily gin tot of the men in the Royal Navy, to help combat the ravages of scurvy on long voyages. That combination of Gin and Lime Cordial was later adapted and served as the Gimlet Cocktail.
The beautiful nine-meter-long marble bar allows all guests to see the wonderful heritage brickwork and staff creating the exquisite cocktails from the menu. Luxury finishings of Italian leather booths, hardwood floors and brass light fittings will provide all guests with an escape within the city.
There are also two Martini Carts available to serve every type of martini with various garnishes, gins and methods to pick from.
Anthony Burke from Death & Taxes who set up the cocktail list at Dr Gimlette says: “The bar program at Dr Gimlette started with tapping into the the concept and namesake of the bar, a gimlet and martini section was the jumping off point when creating the menu.”
From there they came up with contemporary highballs, riffed stir downs, and spirit macerations/shrubs. “There is a focus on traditional cordials, bright flavour driven ingredients , and premium spirits,” he says.
They have also stepped away from just using rail spirits across the menu. “Tanqueray Ten, Ron Zacapa, Glendronach and Hennessy XO are a few of the incredible spirits we mix with,” add Anthony.
The menu is equal parts contemporary, new school and a little bit special. “All in all, layers of flavour, and a comfortable drinking experience if what was in mind for me,” Anthony says.
If cocktails are not your thing, there will be plenty of beer and wine to select from and a backbar of over 800 bottles of any spirit/aperitif/liqueur you can think of.
Brisbane bars are really hitting their cocktail straps and we can’t wait to check it out when borders open again.