There’s loads of stuff going on during Sydney Bar Week, and if you fancy yourself a big eater and think that everything goes better with chilli, then you might want to load up on the world’s hottest nachos at The Norfolk on Cleveland on Monday the 23rd — they’re holding their first ever MAN vs FOOD challenge. Here’s the details:
There’s only 10 days until this year’s Bartender of the Year sponsored by ABSOLUT ELYX and Havana Club gets underway with a tough written exam. We asked the reigning champion Greg Sanderson for his tips on succeeding through the mystery challenge and Top 10.
Experienced Perth bartender James Connolly has moved on from his role at Perth’s Rockpool Bar & Grill, to open a new bar called Enrique’s. ”It’s a Spanish-themed pop-up bar in Mount Lawley,” said Connolly. “And like the bars of Barcelona we will be making the gin and tonic king,” he said.
Sydney Bar Week kicks off in just 9 days, and the weather in Sydney has been absolutely cracking — you could call it Mint Julep weather. So it’s just as well that Miss Peaches and Woodford Reserve are presenting a night at the Kentucky Derby…
I constantly hear winemakers, wine writers and wine lovers refer to a wine’s ‘size’. Full-bodied to lean, heavy to light, the list of size related adjectives used to describe a glass of wine goes on and on.
But what does it all mean, and why is it important to understand?
There are just 10 days until Sydney Bar Week kicks off on Saturday the 21st of September. There’s plenty of action happening during Bar Week and one of the biggest events will be this year’s Jameson Bartenders Ball, happening at a secret location on the Monday 23rd at 7pm.
So often the bars we write about look overseas for their inspiration, which is not to say that’s a bad thing. But it’s refreshing to see a new bar that looks no further than the outback for its inspiration.
The Sydney Morning Herald today carried a story that outlined the tragic course of events on the night that Sydney teenager Thomas Kelly died in Kings Cross and illustrates the problem presented by the practice of “prefuelling”.
Old Growler isn’t such a new bar anymore, having opened up in the first few months of this year. Things are cracking along well and recently hired ops manager Jordan Blackman (also an Australian Bartender Bar Awards Rookie of the Year nominee) has put in a new cocktail list to go with the Young Henry’s beer on tap.
The well-known and much admired Jeremy Shipley is moving on from his role as trainer and ambassador at Bacardi Lion, to take on a role with Sydney’s Solotel group overseeing their bars.
We asked Ben for his tips on keeping your nerves under wraps and preparing for this year’s Bartender of the Year competition at Sydney Bar Week — the exam is just two weeks away! He dishes advice on blind tasting, keeping your cool and going with “gut instinct”…
You may know him as the man behind Melbourne’s Agave Cartel. Alternatively you may recognise him by his collection of flower shirts (and his detailed knowledge of the origins of the different patterns on said shirts). Then again, you might recognise him from one of the dozens of bars he has graced over the years in his quest for knowledge and a great time. He also plays a mean honkytonk piano.