You’ve heard of BYO right? It’s an Australian tradition not seen in much of the rest of the world. Well, here’s a new one: BYF (or at least that’s what we’re calling it). Cobbler is promising patrons that they can bring their own food to the beverage-only venue.
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In 1870 the Felix Lopez family officially registered and started crafting their tequilas on this historic site in Amatitan, Jalisco just a short drive out of the town of Tequila. Herradura (horseshoe) would be one of, if not the most picturesque distillery in Mexico.
Taka is a busy guy — the day we visit him at Gilt (he’s since moved on to Black by Ezard) he is sorting out two functions, meeting with reps and posing for our photoshoot. But he takes it all in his stride, which is an approach that has seen him compete successfully in a number of competitions. he’s a humble guy too, not wanting to give out too much advic e to newbies as he reckons he’s still not been in the game long enough. Read on for more…
Absinthe: perhaps no other spirit has held quite the attraction for writers that this green spirit has had. It is the spirit of writers, artists and vagabonds; perhaps this is why it is seldom called for in a bar. Taken with iced water or over lots of crushed ice, however, there’s something very refreshing about absinthe. It’s a little old-fashioned. It’s not a taste that someone new to drinking is going to like. Hell, drunk in this manner, you need to be a grown-up to like it.
At its simplest, Rock and Rye was little more than rye whiskey, its edges rounded out by a little rock candy syrup. Indeed, that was how Harry Johnson prescribed it in his 1882 Bartender’s Manual. It was a simple preparation: the barkeep only needed to place a whiskey glass in front of the customer, pour in some rock candy syrup, place a spoon in the glass, and “hand the bottle of Rye whiskey to the customer, to help himself.”
The team here at Australian Bartender are humbled and very proud to be able to…
You know an operator means business when they head to NYC, scouting out one of their best bar operators and getting them involved here in Australia. That’s exactly what Damian Griffiths — the man behind Alfred & Constance — did, snagging NYC tiki man Richard Boccato, with the result being a pitch-perfect Tiki bar by the name of White Lightning. Boccato was recently out in Australia to do some training at White Lightning, and we took the opportunity to ask him a few questions.
Easing the ills of mankind with booze and herbs has a long history. It goes back at least to the days of Hippocrates, the ancient Greek known as the father of western medicine, who proffered a recipe for vermouth to cure jaundice, rheumatism and menstrual pain, among other things. He died in 370 BC but the idea of a herbal potion would kick on.
Our 150th issue is now live in the Australian Bartender app in the Apple App Store. You can check out all three trends from the last 150 issues, watch the How To video (we step through the Tommy’s Margarita), and look at how trends in bar food have changed from the days when the $5 steak was actually a meal. We visit Mexico again for part two of the agave spirit tour, as Dave explores the rustic, boozy charm of Oaxaca. You can check out the Workers in Balmain, all the latest bars, and loads more.
That’s right folks, voting for the Australian Bartender Bar Awards — the biggest and most prestigious awards in the Australian bar industry that recognises the best and brightest in the bar business — is closing tonight! You’ve got until midnight this Friday to vote — that’s tonight!
Poor old blended whisky. In this brave new world of boozing, where ballsy ryes proclaim their 95% rye mash bill, of high proof spirits and super-hopped IPA’s, spirits like blended whisky can get a little lost in the noise. It’s not that the spirits aren’t well made — on the contrary, really, because the art of blending and creating a consistent product year in and year out is one of the toughest gigs in the business.
When you step off the street and enter the hot dog joint, you have to find your way through a secret entrance to get to this new bar. No, it’s not PDT in New York and you’re entering via a Coke machine door and not a phone booth, but you get the idea.
Inside the bar is stripped back and designed to look like a disused soda factory; the island bar that centres the room will be familiar to anyone who can remember a night at the old Mars Lounge, which used to occupy the site.