Australians take their beer seriously and while I’m sure most of the Foster’s brands will stay in the market and not much will change we also like the idea that something is owned by Australians and that the profits stay in the country. When something with so much history and connection to Australian culture loses it way and gets taken over I, like many Australians, see that as a real shame even though I’m sure new owner SAB Miller (the worlds second largest Brewery after InterBev) will do a much better job running the business based on their success around the world.
Features
Features
Bali is truly an international destination. It attracts visitors from all over the world including huge numbers of Japanese, Russians, Dutch, and French and of course Australians – unfortunately the latter don’t have the best reputation due to their well-deserved trouble making ways (at least try saying you’re a Kiwi if your having trouble getting into a club). Think planeloads of bogan Bathurst 100 supporters and Jim Beam & Cola Can drinkers all wearing Bintang shirts and braded hair running amuck. That’s our typical Aussie visitor.
From Harry Johnson to Salvatore Calabrese, Erik Lorincz and Francesco LaFranconi, the finest bartenders of past and present are those who have had to think about their words, who used smiles and body language to conceal their insecurity at speaking in a language not their own. The result? Charmed, entranced guests.
Now if you’ve missed it, I have a slight interest in history. Couple this with a fine passion for anything that’s undergone a stage of distillation or fermentation and you’re talking my language. But what of this month’s main charge – liqueurs, vermouths & bitters – how do they fit into the historic landscape of Australia?
Well it’s September 1877, Governor Hercules Robinson is in charge of NSWs hotel laden colony and imports are flooding in. On the 27th of the month a Mr G.B.Modini – interestingly one of the colony’s earliest Italian additions – ran a hefty notice in the The Sydney Morning Herald for what appears to be of the first time that Fernet Branca was available downunder.
After last year’s Bartender of the Year Competition written exam we noticed that a few Aussie barkeeps were a bit light on in the geek factor when it comes knowledge on hops. It’s understandable as there’s a lot to get your collective heads around, but we thought we should put together a few study notes to get you started – this isn’t the lot though, so do some solo research.
There’s no doubting that Sam Ross is ours, however for the better part of a decade he has been holding court at Milk & Honey, New York. In 2011 he took out the American Bartender of the Year award at Tales of the Cocktail and in December he popped his head up downunder to host a couple of seminars revealing a few tricks and insights to the NY bar scene. As they say in show biz….take it away Sam.
Merivale’s new live music venue, Upstairs Beresford, has been inspired by some of New York’s finest music spots and was specifically designed to give the performer and the patron a first class experience. Decadent décor, state of the art technology and a full suite of amenities backstage all combine to revitalize and invigorate one of Sydney’s iconic hotels.
To access this inner-city music hub you have to wind your way up the dark stairway and follow neon orange arrows as they lead you to a glowing amber pocket of glitz and decadence. The venue was designed so that the performers could connect with their audience and it boasts a large stage, tiered booths, a spacious dance floor and a state of the art sound and lighting system.
Backstage and away from the action the performers and their crew want for nothing. Designer décor, wireless internet, a full kitchenette, powder room with theatre lights, a private balcony, and a viewing window to the main stage give them the ability to run a seamless operation.
When Josh and Barbara Collins took the plunge to take on the Melbourne bar scene we knew that something special was coming with them. After all, we did get a sneak peak of the place quite some time before the doors opened and it was apparent that their love for the crazy, their ability to embrace the creative and above all their passion for tiki theming was set to rock.
“The LuWoW finally blossomed the same weekend as BarShow 2011,” said Josh Collins when we caught up with him to chat about the venue’s launch. “The name – LuWoW – is the name of the great south seas movie made by Erich von Stroheim. It involved all the classic clichés; giant octopus, clam attacks, scantily clad goddesses, rum consumption by the barrel load – and of course, stormin’ ukulele fuzz driven gogo soundtrack!”
With the 2012 wine vintage closing in and a quick jaunt planned to Adelaide wine country in the coming months we took a squiz at one of Adelaide’s – or ‘Radelaide’ as it can be sometimes known – small success stories. Grace the Establishment opened on the cusp of the 2011 New Year and since then has been ploughing ahead with good food, good wine and a friendly, congenial atmosphere – a good combination when you’re at the serving end of the hospitality scene.
This is another venture undertaken by the Trim Hospitality Group which is owned by Matthew and Olivia Trim. They have a string of venues under their belt, including; The Banque, The Queens Head, The Manse Restaurant and Sparrow Kitchen and Bar. Of their latest addition, there is no strict story behind the name, more of a feeling according the venue, ‘grace the restaurant, grace the bar….grace the establishment’ they say.
It had been many years since my last visit to our southern most capital city and to be honest I didn’t know what to expect as I generally get zero information come across my desk about Tassie bars. It’s a city that in 11 years I don’t believe has ever had a Bar Awards finalist and frankly I can’t remember the last time I even spoke to Tasmanian bar person? What was going on down there? Is anyone doing great things or is it just a quiet country town by the sea pushing cappuccinos and Cascade? Amy and I decided it was time to head down and have a few kids-free days and see for us what is or isn’t happening in Hobart and get this question answered!
I was at two book launches in the last two weeks, both in New York: the official launch of The PDT Cocktail Book by Jim Meehan and the launch of New York restaurant Eleven Madison Park’s cookbook.
The latter was also a celebration of Eleven finally achieving the coveted third star from Michelin and the announcement that owner Danny Meyer was selling Eleven to his protégés, the authors of the cookbook, general manager Will Guidara and chef Daniel Humm.
Jim’s book is gorgeous – beautiful, heavy and brilliantly written. It’s a manual too, detailing the philosophies of PDT, the tools and equipment they use, even diagramming their mise-en-place. An amazing achievement. The Eleven Madison Park book is, if anything, even more mind-bogglingly good than their party was, and their party was at least as good as Jim’s book. (How cool was their party? Well, Jim was bartending there!). The Eleven book weighs more than 3kg, and is as beautifully photographed and typeset as any such high-end food-porn cookbook from a posh restaurant you’ve ever seen.
What is it about Hurricane glasses I hate so much? Is it the fact that they scream my cocktail list is stuck in the 80s? Or maybe the bartender loved it so much they stole it from the Tropicana bar at Hamilton Island? Either way, I can’t tell you how much I cringe at the sight of this glassware.
I have visited enough cocktail bars and judged enough cocktail competitions over the past decade to know that if you fancy this 15 ounce mountain of glass that customers have to stand on their stool to take a sip from, then your drinks list is a concern.