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.
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“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
A bead of cold sweat rolls down the back of Sean’s neck when Lorenzo tells him what they wanted to create for their Never Never ARGO Dark Series collaboration. “A gin that will innovate the way people drink martinis” and sit at the heart of the cocktail list of Asia’s most exciting new bar. Oh, and of course be outrageously delicious.
“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’…”
Bombay Sapphire commissioned Australian visual artist, Ellen Porteus to use cocktails as a canvas and create bespoke cocktail garnishes, inspired by Bombay Sapphire, Bombay Bramble and Bombay Sunset.
“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.
Adelaide is often overlooked within the cocktail competition circuit, but they form a valuable development program for talent. The first round of the competition will be judged in the entrant’s home bar, which is intended to lower the barrier to entry to include up-and-coming bartenders.
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…”