Kim Berry sits down with Beverly bar manager – Rico Deang

Melbourne’s Beverly bar manager, Rico Deang, has worked all over the world before taking up his role at one of Melbourne’s favourite rooftop venues.

You’ve worked at high profile venues in Singapore, the Philippines, and the US before moving to Australia – what were some of the key learnings for you working in that calibre of bars?

A key learning is there’s always something new to learn! The industry is constantly changing with new products and trends emerging, and this makes putting the time in and having a real passion for our industry, the people, and craft essential. I learned a lot about the chefs’ palate during my five years at Wolfgang Puck’s CUT and Spago – from using ingredients like herbs so our drinks pair well with the food, to making our own syrups and tea infusions.

I’ve also found peoples’ tastes, as well as serving and service rituals tend to be different between countries, so it’s a must to be in tune with those.

Overall, it’s important to keep having fun and keep creating, while having that commitment to dishing out world class cocktails and top-notch hospitality.

What prompted your move to Beverly?

Beverly is known as one of Melbourne’s best rooftop venues, so to have the opportunity to work alongside the people behind it while placing my own little stamp on the bar inspired the move, as did having the creative freedom to develop the cocktail list and always evolving special releases – like for Summer Sunset Sundaze – our new weekly ritual for summer.

Tell us some more about the new menu – what was the inspiration, what’s your favourite, what can guests expect?

In a nutshell it’s filled with fresh and fun cocktails, which are made using quality ingredients, including a lot that we make here at Beverly.

The cocktails are inspired by what our guests like and the seasons, along with my experiences working overseas and in Melbourne, and I’ve balanced this with wanting them all to be accessible and simple enough for everyone to understand.

And the Yes Please – why did you select that cocktail to share?

People love their tequila, at least here in Melbourne, and who doesn’t like passionfruit? Pair them with some Asian herbs and a touch of heat from the Habanero chillis, and it’s just a great combo that appeals to everyone’s palate.