Finnbarr might have ended up behind a bar but before he turned to the art of drinks mixing he was on track for the a more divine calling. Now with six years of ‘tending under his belt the and currently holding court at The Crimean in Melbourne he could be found tucking into on of his favourite porters or drinking almost unpronounceable eastern European elixirs on his nights away from the bar.
Well known Sydney pub operators Jaime Wirth and James Miller are set to re-launch the iconic Forresters Hotel, once ‘home of the cheap steak’. With a host of successful venues already running (Norfolk, Flinders, Carrington, Abercrombie and Duke) their latest launch is set for mid-February and will showcase their love of simple, good quality and inexpensive Italian fare. “We’ll be offering pizzas, pastas and a rotisserie what will be different each day,” said Wirth.
On top of the Italian styled foods, the bar will be serving up an Italiano inspired cocktail list with Luke Ashton (Duke) preparing the offering. Miller explained that they’ve covered a range of different food styles with their current venues and that they see a good Italian offering at a pub as something that is missing from the area. Forresters is their biggest hotel yet; equal to both the Norfolk and the Carrington in capacity.
Absolut has launched Absolut Elyx – a vodka of real substance that honours the roots of Swedish spirit-making tradition. Manually distilled in a copper column still from 1929, Elyx is made from a single harvest of Swedish winter wheat and the resulting spirit has a natural pure taste and unique silky texture.
There are subtle, floral and fruity tones on the nose and the palate is fresh, pure and invigorating with a silky texture, a long-lasting smooth finish, and a subtle spiciness.
We’re conscious of an increased effort by Aussie ‘tenders to offer an array of tasty snacks and treats (sometimes complimentary) for their tippling guests. You don’t necessarily need an industrial kitchen to turn out interesting and flavoursome ‘bar-bites’ either, although a good relationship with a chef might be advantageous. Bar-bites can be as simple as a ‘toastie’, hot-dogs, oysters, nuts, popcorn, pickles or house marinated olives. They can also be more substantial and labour intensive, like the rustic ploughman’s plate and pork pies that are offered up at the Lord Nelson Hotel (Sydney), or in Melbourne where The Waiting Room’s serves up their Classic Cheeseburger and the Kodiak Club offers its face melting Buffalo Wings.
Double Bay is riding a bit of a wave at the moment, with the old Bollywood restaurant site now under the direction of a new team of talent. Andy Becher (co-owner Roxbury Hotel, Sydney), Daimon Downey (of Sneaky Sound Systems), and Charlie Hinckfuss are all involved and are set to launch the new – at print, yet to be named – venue in mid-January. The team is excited about their new bar and entertainment offering and what it will bring to the local area which has been off the radar for a while as a destination night spot.
The recently revamped Bellevue Hotel was the perfect backdrop for this month’s cocktail experiment on ‘whiskies’. We had a good line-up that included Jameson Gold Reserve, Dewar’s White Label, Bowmore Legend, AnCnoc and the Dalmore. Leading the experiment was Dan Woolley (Group Beverage Manager, Riversdale Group) and he was joined by a few of the Riversdale Group’s crew – Paige Aubort (LoFi), Kevin Peters (LoFi & the Standard) and Dean Sykes (bar manager of LoFi).
The consummate whisk(e)y educator, Woolley led the team through a tasting session that uncovered many of the wonderful characteristics, and potential cocktail styles, that each product was showing. The Jameson displayed delicate cereal notes and a light to medium body that was thought a good match to a spiced whisky sour, perhaps some agave or fig and cinnamon jam. The crew noted that the Dewar’s had a soft, creamy texture which would benefit from some orange zest or bitters – and ultimately it would end up served as a refreshing punch that incorporated tea and lemon curd.
The Valinch expression from Auchentoshan is an annual small batch release of the award winning Auchentoshan Classic expression, but bottled at cask strength and non chill-filtered.
This Drinks News item appeared in the December issue of Australian Bartender magazine. Beluga premium…
Not long ago, I wrote about inexperienced bartenders who have been creating nonsense cocktails and taking themselves far too seriously for my liking. I’ll stand by my words on that subject, but at the same time I’ve got to say that I’m so darned impressed at the innovations in the craft that I’ve seen coming from bartenders who understand how to put ingredients together in harmonious, ingenious ways.
Welcome to the modern era of the bar and restaurant. The rules have changed, venues have evolved and the customer reigns supreme. So what makes a successful bar and restaurant? Before we tackle this question ask yourself this: what do you think makes a venue successful? What distinctive traits do the venues that are doing well have in common? Think of your establishment as a tree.
To have a large strong healthy tree you must first develop a large extensive root system and the larger the root system the more support and potential the tree has to grow. This is where you have to start so from the ground up.
The land of the ragged student is getting another facelift in its ever developing makeover and now Newtown can boast something shiny and new in Jester Seeds. Owner Ray Vircansa has combined the best of Sydney’s burgeoning small bar scene with an edginess that’s sure to attract the local crowd.
There’s a bit of momentum behind NSW’s small bar movement at the moment, and it’s obvious. From Glebe (Mr Falcons and the Little Guy) to Redfern (The Dock) and Neutral Bay’s The Local as well as the city’s CBD there are DAs pending, doors opening and we are all benefiting from the spectrum of influences that new owner/ operators are bringing to the scene.