A bitter Italian; Amaro Montenegro takes on Brisbane

Amari are bitter-sweet Italian digestifs and while they are not to everyone’s liking, there are a few bar industry folks that are obsessed with these flavoursome, old-school gems. We asked Jackson Thornton, Amaro Montenegro’s Australian brand ambassador some questions about his brand and the craft spirits industry in general.

The Pisco People; a passion for the Peruvian grape spirit

“Even though they have pisco in Chile, the pisco in Peru was completely different. My passion for pisco developed as I started to learn more about the history, production subtle nuances in taste and flavour. Upon returning to Australia thought I would take a piece of Peru back with me – so I created The Pisco People and began importing Peruvian pisco,” Josie Healy, Founder of The Pisco People

Classic: this Manhattan recipe is simple, and spot on

The Manhattan recipe, much like many other cocktails that have gone down in history as staples to be savoured over the generations, has a murky origin story. But one thing’s for certain when it comes to bar room tales: most often they’re wrong.

Local bartender teams up with French winemaker; Maidenii vermouth is born

“I was going through a phase of trying to prepare ingredients for the bar that are better than anything available commercially. I attempted vermouth, it was ok, but not as good as commercially available products, Vernon [Chalker] suggested I should meet his French winemaker friend Gilles Lapalus, which I did.” Shaun Byrne tells of the genesis of his brand, Maidenii vermouth.