Philip Duff on charity, love cuffs, and things that go “bang”.
Features
Features
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.
“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.”
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.
Duff on women. In bars. By Philip Duff There is an elephant in the room,…
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.
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.
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.
Salt is the savior for this savory Negroni By Gary Regan I recently asked my…
There aren’t many iconic Australian brands that have enjoyed such an illustrious and colourful history than that of Bundaberg Rum. It all started in 1888, when a group of enterprising sugar millers decided to do something about a surplus of molasses trickling from the cane fields of Bundaberg…
Creativity is knowing how to conceal your sources**. Do you know who said that? No? Well in that case, it was me! Aren’t I clever? Now give me some money.
Painful is the only way to describe the story of Tony Mason , who claims to have invented the Lynchburg Lemonade in 1980 at his bar. A Jack Daniels’ sales rep who visited the bar learned the recipe, communicated it up the corporate food chain, and JD rolled out a national Lynchburg Lemonade promotional campaign. A few years later, JD even launched RTD versions of the Lynchburg. Millions were sold.
Never been to Tales of the Cocktail? Then you have to put it in your bucket list. Having celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, Tales has become the most happening event on the planet.