At The Goodbar on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, long time friends, Ricardo Pinheiro and Jack Berry are shaking up more than just cocktails. What started as a simple bartending gig for Ricardo has grown into a shared vision, a space where creativity flows as freely as the drinks. From crystal-clear clarified cocktails to hardcore gigs on a stage they built themselves, the duo is reimagining what a neighbourhood bar can be.
In this interview, Ricardo and Jack share the story of their decade-long friendship, the challenges of running a venue at just 21, and how they’re blending music, art, and mixology to create a bar that feels like home, both for them and their guests.
You’ve been friends since you were kids – can you tell us a bit about how your friendship started and you both ended up working together at The Goodbar? (Jack)
It all started back in 2015, as two 12-year-olds starting high school together, Ricardo had been there for a few years of primary school already and I was a bit lost at sea. We were in the same sport house, had one quick chat and it was clear we were going to get along like a house on fire and the rest is history! Fast forward 10 years, years spent playing football together, studying together, we now live together with another one of our best mates. It’s safe to say Ricardo is getting a bit sick of me but unfortunately for the guy I’m sticking around, something that although he would never admit, I’m sure he’s secretly happy about.
As for the bar, it really is Ricardo’s brainchild and I am just grateful to get to be a part of it. I jumped on board in January and have really gotten to see him infuse a distinct personality into the venue and especially the drinks (Ricardo loves a boozy drink and it shows in our menu…). It’s a blessing to be working alongside your best mate and it makes being behind that bar feel more like home, a vibe we try to blend into our guests experience as well.
What made The Goodbar the right fit for you both? (Ricardo)
I first started at The Goodbar in April 2024 just working behind the bar, and by September I was suddenly the venue manager. At 21, with no management experience, it was definitely a bit scary, but also exciting because I could see so many changes I wanted to make.
Back then it was just me running the whole place, and as things started getting busier, I knew I couldn’t keep it up on my own. That’s when I brought in Jack. He’s my housemate and my best mate of over ten years, so it just made sense. He needed work, and I needed someone I could trust to help me build this.
The thing is, it’s easy to gel in a workplace when you’ve already got that kind of friendship! We like the same stuff, we bounce off each other’s ideas, and we both believed we could make this place into something special. The Goodbar felt like it was there for the taking. A space where we could put our own stamp on it and see how people responded.
For both of us, it wasn’t just about running a bar. We wanted to push ourselves, to learn, create, and connect with every aspect of what we were doing. That’s what makes The Goodbar such a good fit. It gives us the freedom to figure it all out and turn it into something that really reflects our personality.
You mentioned having creative freedom at The Goodbar – what does that look like day-to-day? (Ricardo)
For Jack and I, creative freedom at The Goodbar is kind of the whole point. It’s not just about the drink’s menu (though we love experimenting there) it spills into everything we do. We’re always chasing new ideas and never want the place to feel stagnant.
Some people think creativity in a bar stops at cocktails, but for us it’s way bigger. It’s the thrifted artwork we’re always hunting down, the posters we design for the hardcore gigs, the videos we put together for our socials, even moving furniture around just to see how the room feels different. The whole venue is a canvas.
Day to day, it looks like Jack and I throwing ideas back and forth constantly. One of us will have a spark and the other will push it further. Sometimes that means adding new techniques to existing drinks, changing procedures for efficiency, sometimes it’s just standing in the space and saying, “What if we…?” It’s a search for perfection, but the funny thing is, the more we learn and define our style, the more that “perfect” keeps shifting. And that’s what keeps it exciting.
Can you share an example of a recent experiment or technique you’ve been excited about? (Jack)
We have recently embarked on a new obsession of clarifying drinks which makes us feel a little more like scientists than bartenders, so one could say we are now mixologists (loosely). We recently crafted a refreshing twist on the classic Gimlet, which we call the Freshwater Banks. Initially it combined Goodradigbee’s Freshwater Gin, lime juice, sugar, fresh cucumber, ginger, and basil which was then shaken. However, Ricardo wanted it to deceive customers by disguising it as a Martini. To do this, we began infusing the gin with those fresh ingredients and clarified the lime juice using agar. The result is a crystal-clear drink that’s stirred, not shaken, and elegantly served in a Nick & Nora glass with a cucumber ribbon. A Martini while classic is still not everyone’s cup of tea and seeing some customers faces when they realise, makes all the effort worth it. We do have to keep ourselves in check though before we start clarifying everything!
What’s been the biggest challenge working in this industry so far? (Ricardo)
The biggest challenge has been figuring out how to define our image as a brand, and honestly, a lot of that comes from learning what you don’t know, then slowly working out how to know it.
When I first took over, our top seller by a mile was the margarita. Nothing wrong with a marg (I love them myself) but it didn’t give people a reason to really remember their night here. Jack and I wanted to change that. We started encouraging people to try drinks they might not usually order, to push a little outside their comfort zone. Once they did, it gave them a completely different experience, something meaningful that they could connect with, not just to the drink, but to us and the venue itself.
Then we had to change perceptions again, but this time with music. Who said a cocktail bar can’t put on hardcore shows? I’ve always loved alternative music, and you don’t really find it on the Beaches. So, Jack and I spent two days building a stage out of pallets in the distillery driveway, and we put on our first show. Everyone told us it was crazy, cocktail bars are meant to stick with jazz, right? But we did it anyway, and it worked.
That’s how the Goodbar Laneway was born. Now it’s something we are known for, and it’s still growing. What started as a challenge, changing people’s perceptions that is, has actually become one of our biggest strengths.
How do you keep pushing yourselves creatively when you’ve already got so much freedom? (Ricardo)
Honestly, it’s that constant search for perfection that keeps us moving. Jack and I are always learning. Not just new tricks or design ideas, but also figuring out what works and what doesn’t. A lot of the time that means failing at something, then turning around and asking, “Okay, how can we make this better?”
As The Goodbar’s gotten busier, we’ve had to change how we do things. Processes that worked when it was quiet don’t always work when you’ve got a packed room, so we’ve had to adapt without losing the creative side of it. That challenge in itself pushes us.
Each time we refine what the Goodbar looks and feels like, we’re defining our image more and more. But at the same time, we’re always testing the limits of what we can do, whether that’s with the drinks, the gigs, the art on the walls, or just how the space feels when people walk in. That mix of freedom and pressure is what keeps us on our toes and keeps our creative minds hungry.
Where do you see yourselves evolving over the next few years? (Jack)
Since the creation of our incredibly well engineered stage made of old pallets and plywood, we can really see the Goodbar becoming a staple for unique, original live music, something that is very hard to come by on the Northern Beaches.
But more importantly for ourselves individually, I can really see us just continuing to have fun with our mixing, we absolutely love surprising our guests with drinks that aren’t on our menu as we experiment and discover new products, and it really makes our work that much more enjoyable. The beauty of working for an independent brand is there is a lot of freedom for us to be quite playful with our drinks, something we really love doing. I’m currently experimenting a lot with the flavours of different teas, trying to blend them with our gins and malt spirits to come up with something warm and comforting to compliment the chilly winter we’ve been having. It’s things like this which we just love doing and I see us continuing to do over the years. I would love to see some of our creations be recognised as must-try staples of the Sydney cocktail scene.
Are there any dream projects or collaborations you’d love to explore together? (Jack)
As we put on more and more shows, it’s hard not to get excited about what’s next. Every gig introduces us to new artists and fresh sounds coming up from the underground scene, and that energy keeps us inspired. The stage itself was a dream project of ours, and even though it’s already become the heart of what we do, it’s still evolving. We’re constantly making improvements to make it better for both performers and audiences.
Looking ahead, our dream is to keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on the Northern Beaches. We want to create a platform that works with bigger and more established artists while still giving space to emerging talent that deserves to be heard! Ultimately, it’s about contributing to the revival of Sydney’s music scene. Bringing something unique and fun to a starving community that’s hungry for new cultural experiences.