If you’ve been to Balmain recently, you’ll know that the blue collar crowd that once filled the terraced streets is merely a memory. This ritzy postcode with its sweeping city views is more ristretto than Nescafe but some of the vestiges of its proud working class roots are still on show. Mostly with its historic pubs (of which there are many!) and now, thanks to the Riversdale Group (the fellas behind Lo-Fi in Darlinghurst and more recently The Marlborough in Newtown), with a small bar called The Workers on Darling Street.
In our June issue, publisher Dave Spanton took a trip through Oaxaca as part of his agave spirit tour with the incomparable Phil Bayly and Tomas Estes. Oaxaca obviously is all about the mezcal, and we checked out just what it is that makes mezcal the elemental spirit that it is. See below for a guide on identifying traditional, artisanal mezcal.
Nowadays, when a bartender is throwing Scotch into their mixing glass, they’re most likely reaching for a blended whisky. That’s what we think of when we read “Scotch whisky” in a cocktail book, right? We think of consistent, all-rounder blends.
But in the days of Harry Johnson and Jerry Thomas, the Scotch they would have reached for most likely would have been a single malt.
The highly regarded tequila from La Fortaleza distillery have finally made their way to Australian shores, with Vanguard Luxury Brands adding the traditionally made, 100% agave tequilas to their portfolio in two weeks time.
It feels as those every other week we’re writing about a new bar opening up in the heart of Sydney’s CBD. The latest bar to hit the CBD — The Lobo Plantation —promises plenty of good eats and most importantly, rum.
“Julius Lobo was a sugar baron who owned about 17 or 19 sugar mills in Cuba in the early 1900s,” said Jared Merlino (ex-Ivy Pool Club), one of the owners of the new venture. “So he sort of defined that era in Cuba when Americans were coming down during Prohibition. Then it came to an end when the revolution came through and kicked him off the island,” he said.
Irish Whiskey or Scotch Whiskey? We hear the compelling arguments from both sides…
Though Australia might be in the miserable midst of dreary old winter right now, there’s one cocktail comp that will have you thinking of a warmer climate: witness the return of the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge for 2013.
This year the prize for taking out the national final has been bumped up to a cracking $10,000 in cash money and a trip to sunny Trinidad to compete in the global finals. The winner will also secure $5,000 worth of stock for his venue, so there’s incentives all round!
Since the end of voting in May, Bartender HQ has been buzzing – working tirelessly to thin down what was a jam-packed selection of venues, owners and bartenders. It’s finally done and the results are presented below. From what we can see they are the best and brightest of the Australian bar industry, drawn from a seriously talented pool who work tirelessly to keep their cities and towns at the forefront of fun
Why not a Taste the Spirit Movement to encourage more recognition for spirits, like wines, as products of nature and more, as products of history and legend, with tastes, flavours and colours to reflect an immense diversity of local custom and ingredients capable of generating drinks for every occasion?
I’m prompted to ask the question by Café Pacifico’s recent closure, surely a bar to represent a benchmark for expressing a team’s passion for a spirit and a bar that demonstrated everyone’s right to enjoy spirits beyond brand statements but as memorable drinking experiences particularly those who arrive at a bar full of prejudice or just ill-informed.
Cast your mind back to the early 2000’s and eating and drinking were two separate things, done in two different places. Without a strong history of restaurant bars like other countries — see London and New York for healthy restaurant bar culture — drinking used to be confined to the pub or the high-end style bars (as they once were called).
The Butterworth, in the heart of Perth’s CBD and located in Exchange Plaza, has been kicking goals with the food, but it’s the drinks that we’re interested in — and with good reason. The cocktail bar is headed up by Mike de Vos (check out our Introducing section this issue) who is lending the skills he’s used at Luxe and Bobeche while he waits for his own bar to get up off the ground.
A touch of Americana has come to Adelaide in the guise of Jack Ruby. Not the putz who assassinated the guy who assassinated JFK — but a bar that takes it’s cues from the great culture of diner food in the States, from New Orleans to the Midwest, Texas and California.