Tippler’s Tap

Beer is more important to Aussie bars than ever. Tippler’s Tap is testament to this – as manager Carl Rhodes describes it, Tippler’s “is a small neighbourhood bar with no pretense, no dress code and no crap beer.” Seems they’re clear about what they want to do with the place.

Gilt Lounge

Gilt Lounge is tucked away above Gowings Bar & Dining in the quirky QT Hotel, Sydney. It is luxurious, it is exclusive, but don’t take that as bywords for a lazy bar program – this place has invested seriously in doing drinks and drinks service well.

Bob’s Bar at Print Hall

It seems Bob Hawke is having a bit of a renaissance in the eyes of Australian drinkers – first, by christening the Workers in Balmain, and now as a part of the Print Hall venture that took over the The West Australian newspaper’s former headquarters (and including a $2.5m wine program). Bob’s Bar is adorned with the wise words muttered by the man himself: “Any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up to work today is a bum!”

Bar Profile: The Walkers Arms Hotel

2011 was a cracker year for the Walkers Arms Hotel. They scooped the pool at the South Australian AHA Awards and were given the title of best overall hotel. Yet this revamped and tech-savvy hotel, just a short distance from the Adelaide CBD, has had a long history that runs parallel with the history of South Australia itself.

Australian Made: Tamborine Mountain Distillery

We see more and more booze coming in from all corners of the globe at Bartender, so much so it is sometimes easy to forget that there’s plenty of good gear made right here in Australia – and no one wins awards for their booze like the guys at TMD.

Internationalist: think global, act local

By Philip Duff

I just survived a hurricane. Well, I say survived. Hurricanes ain’t what they used to be. Last year here in New York I bravely battled Hurricane Irene, which turned out to be mostly an opportunity for cute girls on the Upper East Side to walk around in short shorts and knee-high rubber boots ( a sight I found disturbingly arousing – must have lived too long in the UK in my youth). It rained a lot.

Grasshopper bounce into action

The team behind Sydney’s successful Grasshopper bar – one of the first small bars to brave the CBD – have opened their second venue with wheels already in motion for a third. Boston as the café cum bar is called is nestled at the base of the Gateway building just a stone’s throw from Circular Quay.

Tapavino

No one that we know of is putting sherry out there in as big a way that these guys are. There is a groundswell of interest building in all things Jerez in the States (bartenders like The Columbia Room’s Derek Brown have been raving about it for a while now) and we’re seeing the local winos talking about it more and more, particularly the Equipos Navazos bottlings which you can find here at Tapavino.