Features

Features

Lock, stock & smokin’ charred barrels

Sure, barrels were used to keep things in for a long time, from one harvest to another, say. But the idea that the character of the liquid inside happened to change — in a way that people found pleasing — is really a secondary, happy happenstance.

Drink up for Parched March 2013

Bars, dogs, drinks and a month of good times for a good cause: Parched March has kicked off for its fourth year. Once again, Sydney’s bars have whole-heartedly supported the city’s annual charity bar odyssey, joining long-time supporters such as The Keystone Group and Hugo’s.

Masterclass: Fortifieds

Fortified wines seemed to have had their day not long ago. Seen as the preserve of the stuffy and old, most bars might have a bottle of port or cream sherry kicking around on their back bar, gathering cobwebs and dust. But there has been a resurgence of interest in sherry and other fortifieds, and why not?

The Spirit: Aquavit

Aquavit (or akvavit as it is known in Denmark) is one of those social spirits. It is deeply entwined with Scandinavian drinking ritual of skål, and has for hundreds of years replaced wine at their tables.

And the winner is… Sydney!

Sydney is the new bar capital of Australia. Yes that’s right folks, after more than 13 years of publishing this humble little magazine and always referring to Melbourne as the city with the best bars I now feel it only fair to give credit where credit is due.

The Spirit: Vodka

“Ever since Ivan the Terrible cobbled together the various tsardoms and proclaimed himself Tsar of All the Russias, vodka has girded the seat of power.”

The Oyster Saloon Returns

Oysters have long been prized by foodies. Instagram is full of snapshots of latte art, glasses of wine framed by scenic views and oysters. Dozens upon dozens of beautiful bivalves.

Bring back the blender?

There was a time – not that long ago – when bars were filled with the sound of whirring metal blades blitzing ice and fruit and booze; a time when the cocktail glasses were large, the drinks coloured bright, and the bartender was the boss of the blender.

Milestone Melbourne bars

Over the past few months two prominent Melbourne bars have reached noteworthy milestones and I wanted to take a few minutes to congratulate them on their achievements. First up ,we see one of Australia’s founding modern-day cocktail bars, The Gin Palace, celebrate an amazing 15 years of operation. Most people should be well aware of this Melbourne institution and the man behind it Mr. Vernon Chalker.

Rum: King Cane & bottles of rum

In 1682, rum was big business in the American colonies. So much so that, when faced with the imminent arrival of a “hundred or more” heretic Quakers, Puritan clergyman Cotton Mather thought he could sell them for rum. “Much spoil can be made by selling the whole lot to Barbadoes [sic],” he wrote, “where slaves fetch good prices in rum and sugar”. Such was the appeal of rum – the New England colonists were crazy for it.