His latest offering is Banco Manly, a new 32 seat venue specialising in modern British food by executive chef Dan Webb, low intervention wine and fun playful cocktails.
Set within the deep old sandstone walls of Hobart, the name Mary Mary comes from the building itself, the former St Mary’s hospital, dating back to the late 1800s, now reimagined as part of The Tasman and Parliament Square.
Mikey Enright and Julian Train had already opened one of the world’s most respected gin bars in the Barbershop and then followed suit with an amazing representation of a classic old boozer in the Duke of Clarence. They have stepped it up a rather large notch in the opening of Hickson House.
Joining the hospitality industry two weeks before Covid lockdowns hit your city may not be the most auspicious of starts, but Australian Bartender Magazine Bar Awards Rookie of the Year Grace Rawlins has gone from strength to strength.
“That’s when we saw that Bank Corner Ground Floor had become available. The opportunity was too great to not take the risk. It’s a beautiful heritage building from 1922. I believe the foundations of the building go back even further and I’m very keen to look more into the history as it’s an iconic building for Newcastle. We are very lucky and thankful to get our hands on it!” – Prudence Farquhar, Co-owner
“It’s such a picturesque precinct filled with history and heritage, which is what first drew me to it when we opened The Doss House. Over the last couple of years, it has become a destination for unique, character driven venues so I’ve always seen it as the perfect destination for Frank Mac’s.” – Ciara Doran, co-owner
“Frozen Daiquiris were being served at La Floridita in the early 1900s, and when the electric blender was popularised by Fred Waring in 1938 he took it to famed ‘home economist’ Mabel Stegner who then included a Strawberry Daiquiri recipe in her 1952 book ‘Electric Blender Recipes’…”
“I chose beetroot because I love the flavour. Its earthy and fruity, kind of like Campari. Putting it in a Negroni just made sense. To get that ‘real’ beetroot flavour, I simply extracted the juice and compounded it into a homemade grenadine…” – Angus Payne, Bartender
With a specialty Negroni menu, featuring 10 selections, guests can select from six decades of vintage Gordon’s gins, Cinzano Rosso vermouths and Campari options for a birth-year based Negroni.
No matter where you ply your trade, there’s many lessons to be learnt from the pandemic as we all get accustomed to a new world order. Some things may never return to the way they were and that’s not always a bad thing.
The Boilermaker (whiskey mixed with beer) is king here. There’s even a list of “Baller-Makers” with pairings from the top shelf, like the limited release Woodford’s Baccarat bourbon, alongside American craft beers from their 6-foot, beer-laden fridge.
“The drinks are challenging, and boundary pushing, using the ingredients in different ways to create those memories of tropical plants and fruit…”