Bars & Clubs September - October 2016

TEQUILA

TURNING BRAND HERITAGE ON ITS HEAD

RUM

MAKE THE MOST OF AGED RUM ON YOUR COCKTAIL LIST

MICHAEL MADRUSAN & ZARA YOUNG THE DYNAMIC DUO BEHIND THE EVERLEIGH

APERITIF TIME From amaro to vermouth, and boozy to light – everything you need to know about the summer drinking trend.

PLUS: ROUND TABLE: STAFFING YOUR VENUE – THE RUSTY NAIL – LIQUEURS – ALL ABOUT LAGER

T RY B L E N D E R S ’ BAT C H E X P E R I M E N T N o1.

SMOOTH, SWEET & SPICED. MIX, SIP & SAVOUR.

FIRST DRINKS

I

“How can we innovate?

How can we as an industry create amazing venues and nurture the incredible people that work in the industry?

How can we do better?”

t’s that time of the year when awards are flying around thick and fast – hats have been awarded, and soon (if not already, depending on when you’re reading this) the ALIA trophies will have been handed out.

Awards are always a strange beast, everyone has an opinion and someone always wants to argue the results.

Our industry is an opinionated one to be sure, and that’s not a bad thing. That’s also why we ask you to nominate the bars and then a panel of industry stalwarts to vote on who, out of those nominations, deserves the gongs.

Whether or not you agree with who went home with the trophy on the night, the important thing is that we have these awards and we discuss the winners, the runners up and all the great bars that missed the nominations lists – because it’s creating a discussion that needs to be had.

How can we innovate? How can we as an industry create amazing venues and nurture the incredible people that work in the industry? How can we do better?

Of course to learn how to do better, we need shining examples of how to create killer bars – and that’s where the awards come in.

Yes, there are the usual suspects that everyone knows, but there is always someone new on the Best New Bar list who is killing it straight off the bat. So for the rest of the industry – often in different cities and states – to be able to look at what they’re doing, take inspiration and then refresh their own offering is a process that shouldn’t be diminished.

And as for those usual suspects – they are on top of their game, year after year. They’re obviously doing something right, and for someone coming into the industry all fresh-faced (and not yet cynical) the teams that keep these bars at the top of international awards lists are a fantastic source of inspiration.

And I think that is worthy of praise.

Cheers,

Stefanie Collins Editor, b&c

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34 APERITIFS

This summer is going to be a big one for all things aperitif – learn the specifics and how to capitalise on it in your venue.

FLAVOURS IN

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER FEATURE LIST

REGULAR LIST

39

14

As interesting expressions flood the market, make space on your cocktail list for some intriguing drinks.

The rat packs’ favourite cocktail is having a renaissance.

RUM

THE RUSTY NAIL

24

8

Our panel weighs in on how to find staff, how much to train them, how to reward them and, importantly, how to keep them happy.

All the latest industry news.

ROUND TABLE

NEWS

18

OPERATOR PROFILE

12

Michael Madrusan and Zara Young on The Everleigh and their new book.

OPENINGS The new, the revamped and the rebranded venues opening around the country.

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42

While brands are creating new innovations, we chat about opening a tequila venue and all it entails.

Think lager is just like ‘sex in a canoe’? Think again. There is plenty to learn about this beer category.

TEQUILA

LAGER

22

CATEGORY SPOTLIGHT Build your flavour game with these stellar liqueurs.

bars&clubs 7

NEWS VIBE THE BARS, BARS, THE THE EVENTS, EVENTS, THE THE DRINKS, DRINKS, THE THE PASSION BRANDS

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MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY JOINS WILD TURKEY And the Academy Award goes to actor Matthew McConaughey in the role of new creative director at Wild Turkey, for a “multi-year partnership”. No we haven’t walked into an alternate universe. A declared Wild Turkey fan, McConaughey will be the brand’s chief storyteller both in front of, and behind, the camera. And to kick things off he is currently directing a series of television and digital adverts, to help “reintroduce” the world to Wild Turkey.

BELGROVE DISTILLERY NABS INAUGURAL IN THE BOTTLE AWARD In the 2016 delicious. Produce Awards, Tasmanian distiller Peter Bignell of Belgrove Distillery took home the brand new award, In the Bottle, which celebrates Australia’s artisan drink makers.

Belgrove Distillery is situated 45 minutes north of Hobart in Tasmania and is the first rye distillery in Australia and the ‘greenest distillery’ in existence. Bignell hand crafts 100 per cent rye whisky in his handmade, 700 litre direct fire copper pot still.

He also coopers and reconditions his own casks, which are predominantly 100 and 200 litres in size. The left over mash from the distilling process he feeds to his sheep which in turn provide fertiliser for the next crop of rye. A truly green, single estate process.

ADD TO YOUR BOOZE LIBRARY The Australian Spirits Guide by Luke McCarthy (who also tends bar at Melbourne’s Whisky & Alement) is a celebration of the complicated heritage and promising future of the distiller’s art Down Under. Australia’s unheralded distilling industry has arrived, and this book will show you where it came from, where it’s going, and how it rose to produce some of the world’s finest booze. For each spirit, discover the history and passion behind its creation, as well as expert tasting notes, serving suggestions and cocktail recipes from the country’s best bartenders. The spirits industry has expanded rapidly in the past few years, with craft distillers cropping up in every pocket of the world.

Australian-made spirits are among some of the best – in the same year that multiple Australian gins won gold medals at international competitions, an Australian single malt whisky was crowned the best in the world.

NEWS

ARCHIE ROSE DISTILLER’S STRENGTH LAUNCHES Archie Rose Distilling Co. has released a new gin: the Archie Rose Distiller’s Strength Gin, designed for drinkers who enjoy “bigger, bolder flavours”.

Archie Rose Distiller’s Strength features fifteen individually distilled botanicals, including fresh pears, rose petals, elderflower, a pronounced juniper hit, and honey direct from Archie Rose’s rooftop beehives.

Created from the desire to have a gin that directly reflected the tastes of the Archie Rose team, the gin was distilled to reflect their preferences, rather than to pay homage to the tradition of Navy Strength gin. According to Harriet Leigh, venue manager at Archie Rose, the resulting gin is one that she herself loves to knock off with.

“Distiller’s Strength is the kind of gin I want to unwind with. Made by our distillers for people who like serious gins, it was created for mixing,” she says. “We’re immensely proud of its forthright character in the greatest of all spirit and mixers – the G&T; as well as assertive nature in a Martini; and quite possibly the greatest illicit ménage-atrois addition to the marriage of Campari and sweet vermouth in a Negroni.”

The team has apparently put a lot of research into using the gin in cocktails and Leigh has plenty of suggestions for using it – and she assured us that it’s not just because it is her job to make it sound delicious.

“It’s as tough as the last shift at the end of an 80 hour week, but as gentle as the massage I need after,” she says. “It’s honestly my favourite gin to play with, and that’s not because they’re paying me to say that. I love this gin. Try it in a Last Word, a South Side, a Collins or a Bee’s Knees.

With each incarnation this gin transforms. Don’t believe me. Play with it yourself.”

ARTEMIS DISTILLED AUSTRALIAN GIN A new Australian gin is on the market after Artemis Gin reached 90 per cent of its Pozible campaign goal within five days. The team behind Artemis Distilled Australian Gin had set a target of $17,000 for the launch of its classic dry gin that is inspired by history, cocktails and the scientific method.

Artemis is created by Dervilla McGowan and Sebastian Reaburn at the Craft & Co in Collingwood, Melbourne. McGowan is a scientist, Reaburn is a

INTRODUCING JOHNNIE WALKER BLENDERS’ BATCH Johnnie Walker is releasing a range of limited edition, experimental whiskies: Johnnie Walker Blenders’ Batch.

The first release in the series, Red Rye Finish, is the result of experiments into the influence of Bourbon and rye whiskey flavours on Scotch, inspired by the time master blender Dr Jim Beveridge spent blending Bourbons and ryes in Kentucky in the 1990s. Available in limited quantities Johnnie Walker Blenders’ Batch Red Rye Finish includes whisky from now-closed Port Dundas and has been created using an incredibly small number of malt and grain whiskies, exclusively drawn from first fill ex-Bourbon casks. Following this, the whisky is finished up to six months in ex-rye casks for a perfect balance of intense sweetness, layered fresh fruit and spice.

bartender turned distiller, and Artemis is the first craft gin to be distilled in the City of Melbourne.

According to the team, they bring complementary ways of thinking to crafting their gin and their namesake botanical Artemisia is matched to classic and native Australian botanicals. The spirit is described as a “juniper dominant, dry gin with our namesake botanical Artemisia filling out the middle palate, and native eucalyptus to boost the juniper”.

“There’s plenty of sweet spice with nutmeg and cassia, then savoury notes from grains of paradise and Thai red ginger. The clean finish is juniper and bright citrus from native finger limes and coriander. Artemis is bottled stronger than usual at 44 per cent alcohol to give the juniper a little extra punch.”

The duo distil the gin using a traditional one shot method, with all the botanicals macerated then distilled in tiny batches – each batch takes a few days of maceration and two days to distil.

“You can’t rush our gin, the traditional batch method takes time, and every step is done by our hands,” McGowan and Reaburn said in a statement. “Artemisia is also the dominant flavour in vermouth and that makes our gin the perfect drop for a classic Martini or G&T.”

bars&clubs 9

NEWS

JAIME WIRTH AND MICHAEL DELANY LAUNCH INTERNATIONAL WORLDWIDE Jaime Wirth and Michael Delany, the co-founders of the Drink’n’Dine pub group, have established their own hospitality consulting business, International Worldwide. The pair sold their venues, including The Oxford Tavern, The Norfolk and Queenies, to Dixon Hospitality Group at the beginning of the year, and have been consulting on several venues since then, before deciding to officially offer their services to other pubs, bars, restaurants and clubs.

Wirth and Delany, who between them have 35 years of experience in various aspects of hospitality – from DJing to owning and operating nightclubs and pubs – decided that their expertise could help other industry operators in many different facets of their businesses.

“After many years of running our own venues, we thought we could take some of this knowledge and experience and help some other people with their own projects.

Help others learn from some of our mistakes and triumphs,” stated Wirth.

“We have always been very hands on with our own businesses and think we can apply this experience to helping other operators. Some occasionally crazy ideas too.”

Since selling Drink’n’Dine, Wirth and Delany have collaborated on House of Crabs in Melbourne for Dixon Hospitality Group; and small bar Dim Dooley, and nightclub Mary’s Poppin for Terry Board in Adelaide.

WHAT MADE LAB SO ICONIC? After many years serving Soho, the iconic bar and industry hangout Lab closed its doors as of the beginning of September.

The site will reopen in November as a new bar run

by Bobby Hiddleston and Mia Johansson, who will own the bar in partnership with fellow husband and wife team and founders of Speakeasy Entertainment (Nightjar & Oriole), Edmund Weil and Rosie Stimpson.

The iconic venue was a training ground of bar industry greats, including Dre Masso, Andrea Montague, Tim Stones, and John Gakuru.

Gakuru was the general manager of LAB from 2000 to 2005 and has some insight into why it was a key destination for bartenders from around the world.

“It wasn’t one particular thing. It was the sum of all of its parts,” says Gakuru. “If you laid all the pieces of LAB out in a carpark, it wasn’t incredible in any one particular area but if you put all of those things together – interior design, music policy, cocktail list, bartenders, customers, Soho, even the toilets – all those things together in one package that was 1999 through the early 2000s, and you have something that was, at that time, evolutionary.

“What I mean by that is that the best cocktails at the time in London were in classic London hotel bars – the Savoys and the Langhams and the Ritzs and so on – but if you wanted a good time or a laugh you only had TGI Fridays, Planet Hollywood, or nightclubs.

“There wasn’t something that brought an uptempo energy, with incredible cocktails, and with bar

DRINKS WITH DE NIRO WINNER VDKA 6100 and The Drink Cabinet are sending Christopher Ford from WA off to NYC to have “Drinks with De Niro”. Ford was the inaugural winner of the cocktail competition that will be sending him and a friend to New York to not only share a few cocktails with Robert De Niro, but also experience Manhattan’s best bars. The competition was a carte blanche for the entrants to explore ultimate creativity, as the only requirement was a measure of VDKA 6100. Competitors were encouraged to create and add any compounds, liquids or textures they pleased. Ford’s winning drink was The Whey Home and featured: VDKA 6100, fig and beeswax infused Lillet Blanc, lemon juice, and coriander seed syrup; and garnished with a dehydrated lemon wheel and a piece of dehydrated fig. Ford will be jetting off to the US in late October.

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staff who gave as good as they got and could banter with guests, and give them an experience that not many people were used to and drive that energy and passion for a great guest experience.

“Guest experience is a better term than customer service, because there were many times when we were clearly rude. But even when being clearly rude to a guest, you can create a great guest experience. They enjoyed it.

“As a result of really caring about the ingredients that went into a glass and the way those were then presented to a guest, was as important as loving what we did for a living. There was this amazing magic that happened.

“When I took over as general manager, the old team moved out. My team came in and I had them for the whole time I was manager, basically. There was hardly any staff turnover behind the bar for five years.

Which is amazing.

“We knew we were doing something new and special and we knew we were a destination for bartenders from around the world. We were a rite of passage but there was never an arrogance about that – it was more an onus of responsibility to deliver on everyone’s expectations.

“I definitely felt it at the time but I also had the freedom and the autonomy to have fun and love what I was doing. Pushing boundaries and making sure that LAB stayed open – we had to stay busy and profitable, and it was all pre-social media too. There was no ‘boost post’.

“Our reputation was built through word of mouth – ‘Have you been to LAB? Have you seen those fucking idiots blow fire on the ceiling, and they’re all drinking shots of tequila behind the bar at 9pm. You have to check this place out’.

“LAB was about each small detail building up a picture and a guest experience and a career experience that was second to none.”

NEWS

What are some of the small details that bartenders miss when creating an experience?

I’m not here to criticise, but generally, it’s about taking all the different elements and putting them into a context so that they make sense.

So I think the most common mistake is when people take certain things out of context and put them together, and even though each thing is oh-so-cool they don’t make any sense. When it comes to drinks it’s the same – what role does this ingredient play in this flavour profile, does it make sense, or did you just put it there to be cool?

What makes a great hotel bar?

I think we have seen a huge shift in the hotel bar world, because back in the day, most hotels had a bar because that is what you had to have. And I think that has changed a lot over the last decade – it went from a necessity to a very important revenue centre, and on top of that it generates a lot of PR and can put the hotel on the map. So I believe it’s really about people. It’s about hiring the right people, which can be difficult within a big corporate company because bartenders are mostly creative people who enjoy a lot of freedom. So it can be challenging.

FIVE MINUTES WITH: ALEX KRATENA Alex Kratena is widely credited for reinventing the traditional five-star hotel bar experience, making it relevant for modern drinkers. Attention to detail, playful presentation, an exceptional approach to service are all hallmarks of his unique approach to bartending. Kratena is the former head bartender of the Langham’s award winning bar Artesian, in London.

Why is creating theatre so important?

I think it’s always important to understand what kind of venue you’re running because different venues need to meet different needs. I think theatre is important to engage the guest and to provide and experience and create something memorable. We go out and we never remember what we ate or what we drank, but what you will remember is how you were with this person and that happened.

How should bartenders work on creating a personal style that people will remember?

I think it’s about realising who you are as a personality and the type of person that you are. Then take all the different influences and experiences you have and build your signature style.

So how do you design a great bar, for a hotel or otherwise?

I think the most important thing to think about is this: when you’re designing a table, you don’t think about designing a table because you’ll just design a table. And it’s the same thing when it comes to hotel bar. Our success came hugely from the fact that we have done something completely different from what other hotel bars have been doing. A hotel bar is always going to be about the looks – no matter what – and it will be about the staff, and it will be about providing a unique experience.

So I think what the trap is, is that many hotel companies just want to make a hotel bar for everyone. But that is impossible. You cannot create a brand that everyone will like, and that is the same with a hotel bar, so realise what you are, choose your style, and stick with it.

Sometimes we see extreme things but they work because that’s the philosophy and the staff have a relationship with that and it works.

So if you’re doing a crazy Tiki bar in a hotel, stick with it. It doesn’t matter that you will have some people who will come and will expect you to behave a certain way and expect a typical hotel menu with club sandwiches. It’s fine to do things differently.

NOW IN 750ml

OPENINGS

LONG

CHIM

SYDNEY

J

ames Connolly, who looks after Long Chim Perth’s bar, and Keegan Hartslief, bar manager for Long Chim Sydney, are both looking forward to expanding the cocktail menu at the freshly opened Sydney restaurant and bar. The opening menu features a few classics from the Long Chim Perth list, which has been developed over the last 10 months, like the Thai Basil smash (gin, Thai basil, chilli and lime) and the Tropic Thunder (rum, pineapple, passionfruit and burnt orange). As the dust settles on the anticipated opening Hartslief and the team will develop their own recipes, helping to create a “whole recipe book to choose from across all the Long Chims” according to Connolly.

“There are a few interesting ideas I want to play around with and put my own spin on,” says Hartslief. “I’ve had experience in Thai restaurants before and I’m hoping to work alongside the chefs a lot more. The wine list is so geared to what the food is like and the drinks are like that too – very different to the cocktails you get in other venues. Chefs’ taste profiles are a little bit different to what we’re used to in bars so you can learn a lot.”

Connolly points out that a lot of wine drinkers have been impressed by the cocktails and how well they match with the food.

“We always try and use Thai ingredients where we can and there are new spirits coming out of Thailand all the time, it’s like a burgeoning craft spirits industry over there and I make people bring them back from Bangkok. We have lots of people on the ground,” he says.

He adds that, if Perth is anything to go by, the wine and cocktail menus will be an even split revenue-wise.

“At the end of the day we have to remember that everything we do revolves around David Thompson’s food,” Connolly says.

With that in mind, the wine list has been put together by Greg Plowes who was the head sommelier at Tetsuya’s and also at Nahm, Thompson’s restaurant in Bangkok.

“So for the last 10 years he has been working with wine and Asian food, so what he doesn’t know about it, isn’t worth knowing,” says Connolly. “It’s an eclectic list – a few from NSW, Canberra, Yarra Valley, WA, then some French, German and Italian. Everything is geared toward the food but drinkable on their own too.”

Long Chim also has its own beer that is made for it at Indian Ocean Brewing in WA. “It’s called Little Red Fish, and it’s a Kolsch-style beer that contains about half the amount of salt as a Gose,” says Connolly. “And they throw in roasted coriander seeds and lemongrass, then it uses Equinox and Melba hops, in the kettle and dry hopped. The salt content makes you realise how sweet some beers are, so it’s quite savoury and quite moreish.”

The back bar customisation continues with an Americano collaboration with the team at Maidenii. Built on a gentian base, with Riesling and Viognier wines for texture, the Long Chim Americano features star anise, chilli, Thai basil, kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass, and a dose of salt.

Connolly says they’re also in the midst of working on a gin with the team at Hippocampus that should be ready soon.

OPENINGS

NEW, REFURBISHED, REFITTED & RESTORED VENUES NOW OPEN AROUND AUSTRALIA.

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OPENINGS

TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD Bar and restaurant Tequila Mockingbird is bringing a taste of Latin America to the Sydney suburb of Paddington. Located in a restored threestorey terrace, and co-owned by restaurateur Michael Fegent (ex-Sake) and executive chef Regan Porteous (ex- Riley Street Garage, Toko, Zuma, Maze). There are two bars – downstairs features stool seating for up to eight, and upstairs enjoys rooftop views with an all-weather retractable roof and terrace. Bar managers Mark Crawford and Luca Bielli (both ex-Sake) are keen to educate guests about the 32 tequilas and 10 mezcals available over the bar. The cocktail menu features the venue’s signature drink – the Tequila Mockingbird (Don Julio blanco, St Germain elderflower liqueur, jalepenos, fresh lemon and agave nectar) – alongside creative options such as the Volcan de Fuego (Don Julio anejo, Coralillo joven mezcal, Aperol, fresh grapefruit juice, fresh lime and agave nectar). There are also more than 100 wines from around the world, with 16 available by the glass, and all hand-selected by sommelier Sam Jones (ex-Monopole). The seasonal menu currently starts off with a ‘Raw’ section that includes kangaroo tartare, while the ‘Streets’ section features alpaca and mozzarella empanadas.

HACIENDA Bar owners and consultants Applejack Hospitality have collaborated with AccorHotels to redesign and completely transform the hotel bar at the Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour.

With views overlooking Sydney Harbour the new bar, called Hacienda, is inspired the Miami hotels of the 1950s and the grand plantation architecture of Cuba.

Ben Carroll from Applejack Hospitality says: “We drew inspiration from the Miami hotel lobbies of the 1950s, which works well being in a Pullman Hotel. So it had that grand architecture and the venue really spoke to us, but we also thought that Miami on its own is a little bit boring at the end of the day.

“We loved the idea and the glamour of it, but we were thinking, ‘How do we make it sexy and fun?’ and that’s where the Cuban side came into it. That just spices it up a little bit, you can have more fun and more colour and it’s just a little bit more eclectic. Also adding the Cuban aspects lets us play around a lot more with the food and beverage component.”

LUCKY SUZIE Popular Malaysian bar Lazy Suzie has rebranded to Lucky Suzie, marking a new era for the Darlinghurst venue. Opening in March under their original trading name of Lazy Suzie, the owners – Derek Puah, Noni Widjaja and Zacharay Tan – were made aware that there was a potential trademark conflict with the Lazy Susan venue in Brisbane. To usher in the new name, Lucky Suzie has introducing ‘Lucky Hour’ from 5pm-7pm; with select $10 cocktails and a range of beers and wines for $7. The cocktail collection sees a fusing of Malaysian flavours with classic drinks, like the Rama-Rama Spritz (Tanqueray gin, citrus, blue-pea flower and jasmine, and dandelion and burdock bitters), the Peranakan Fizz (Campo De Encanto Pisco, goji berry, calamansi, egg white, sparkling water, and chocolate bitters) or the Tebu Julep (Bulleit Bourbon, Vietnamese mint, Thai basil, finger lime, fresh sugar cane, orange bitters, and Angostura Bitters). The bar has also launched a new menu, which emphasises local, seasonal produce. The fresh, bar food includes crispy-fried quail, Aunty Yulia’s beef rendang, pork belly satay, and pandan custard spiced layer cake.

VERNON’S BAR Vernon’s Bar is an innovative new concept by the owners of suburban Sydney favourite One Penny Red. The bar, located in the Inner West of Sydney, features a beverage menu full of inventive twists on classic cocktails, including the Willy Chapman (sloe gin, apricot and prosecco), the Shiso Sour (Nikka whisky, shiso leaf and absinthe), as well as easy drinking cocktails such as head barman Nick Donelan’s favourite – the Basil Gimlet (vodka, basil and elderflower blended and served straight up in a basil garnished Martini glass). The bar has a menu of modern seasonal dishes with an added dash of Chef RJ’s (formerly of Longrain) signature flair. Dishes include hiramasa kingfish crudos with ruby grapefruit, cucumber and horseradish; a chestnut, Jerusalem artichoke and Portobello pie with sauce soubise; and, staff favourite, Vernon’s fried chicken wing dings.

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CLASSIC COCKTAIL

The Rat-Pack classic is having a a revival of late, with popular television shows and a renewed interest in obscure drinks leading the way.

A

ccording to cocktail authority Dale DeGroff, the invention of the Rusty Nail should be credited to bartenders at the 21 Club in Manhattan who came up with the idea sometime in the early 1960s.

The cocktail’s name was then settled in 1963 after one Gina MacKinnon, who was the chairwoman of the Drambuie Liqueur Company endorsed the moniker Rusty Nail.

The drink hit popular culture thanks to the infamous Rat Pack taking a shine to it, creating a drinking trend.

THE RECIPE Interestingly, there was no hint of the Rusty Nail in the first 28 years of commercial Drambuie production. Cocktail historian David Wondrich has traced the origin to something called a B.I.F. from 1937. Credited to a F. Benniman, the drink comprised three parts liquor to one part liqueur, with a dash of Angostura bitters.

There were then a few other pretenders to the throne, including something called a Knucklehead in the upper Midwest of America that is probably best left alone.

It wasn’t until the drink pretty much lost all semblance of ‘cocktail-ness’ – no more bitters or stirring – and became the epitome of simplicity that Wondrich says it became the popular drink that it was.

And so it was the short ingredients list, and easy construction (as Wondrich says: “there’s really no way to fuck this one up”) that combined to make this drink a classic.

BUT WAIT… THERE’S MORE!

GLASS: Old Fashioned INGREDIENTS: • 60ml Blended Scotch whisky • 15ml Drambuie METHOD: Combine the Scotch and Drambuie in the glass, add lots of ice, and stir.

NOTE: Blended Scotch is traditional, but other kinds can be used. The quantities in the recipe are a rough ratio, some people prefer half and half for the sweetness – ask your customer what they prefer.

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If you feel like putting a twist on the classic, there are plenty of spirits that can step into the place of the blended Scotch whisky.

The Rusty Bob substitutes Bourbon, while the Smoky Nail and the Clavo Ahumado (which is, incidentally, Spanish for ‘smoky nail’) see Islay whisky and mezcal subbed in, respectively.

The current trend for adding cold brew coffee to everything will give you a Railroad Spike – it is four parts coffee to one part Drambuie, served in a highball over ice.

Oh and if you add Canadian rye whisky instead of Scotch you’ll get a Donald Sutherland. So now you know.

TV IN YOUR GLASS For the television fan, the cocktail is poured and commonly drunk by character Saul Goodman of the cult television series Breaking Bad and its spin off Better Call Saul. It was also a preferred drink of the character Tony Blundetto in the iconic mobster show The Sopranos.

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‘Bartending is an old and honourable trade. It is not a profession and I have no sympathy with those who try to make it anything but what it was. The idea of calling a bartender a professor or a mixologist is nonsense.’

– Patrick Gavin Duffy Official Mixer’s Manual, 1934

MICHAEL MADRUSAN & ZARA YOUNG With one of Australia’s best bars in their portfolio, it’s only natural that the duo would want to share their knowledge of all things cocktails with the world. And there is plenty for the trade to learn from the pages of their beautiful book as well.

Why did you think it was important to share what you know about bars and cocktail service?

MM: There’s no one right answer or key to the secret when it comes to our industry. Hospitality is active and collaborative by nature and we all need to keep adding to the conversation to continue to see the industry progress and grow.

The perspective that we share in A Spot at the Bar from our time with The Everleigh is just one piece of the pie.

ZY: Those that frequent and love The Everleigh are always keen to talk about why we do things the way we do, what’s notably different about our style of service and the roots of our philosophy. By telling our story in A Spot at the Bar we’re able to extend this conversation outside of the bar, to other bars, restaurants, and people’s homes around the world.

What makes a great bar just that, a great bar?

MM: The Everleigh ethos relies upon the strength of what I like to call the four pillars – service, quality, atmosphere and efficiency.

A great bar should be defined solely by the customer experience. Having outstanding

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drinks is not enough. There should be no ego or pretence, it’s about customers not us. We constantly review the four pillars and how we need to shift and change things to ensure we are still hitting the mark. A great bar should never be complacent. It’s essential to pay attention to the way drinking culture is changing and think about how we need to adapt as a result.

How do you ensure that your staff create an experience for guests?

MM: The Everleigh team use their experience and training to give each guest an individual and personalised experience. We hire personality over skill every time. We can teach you how to make drinks, no problem, but it’s essential our staff share a passion for people and personalised service. At The Everleigh we greet everyone with a big hello and a smile, we handwrite our bills with a big ‘thank you’ at the bottom, we do our utmost to make you feel relaxed and comfortable. The drinks should always be perfect, that’s a given, so it’s the other variables that we turn our attention to.

What can bartenders learn from your chapter on Bartender’s Choice?

ZY: As one of the defining and most unique aspects of our service style, we were very excited to get the chance to discuss Bartender’s Choice in A Spot at the Bar. For us, the best thing about Bartender’s Choice is that we get the chance to get to know people. We work with each guest to get what they want out of their time with us. We listen closely and are personal and playful with our service. The Bartender’s Choice model means that what each guest is drinking is a result of a collaborative effort between the server and the guest. It’s full of mystery and fun for both parties. For the server, Bartender’s Choice is a challenge, ensuring we are constantly learning new drinks and extending our knowledge of the Cocktail Branches. By understanding our experience of the Bartender’s Choice method other industry professionals might further appreciate the value of opening up conversation with guests and learn how to create a journey through drinking during the course of their evening and beyond.

EXTRACT FROM A SPOT AT THE BAR

s ’ r e d n e t Bar e c i o Ch

A GUIDE TO BARTENDER’S CHOICE

Bartender’s Choice involves a series of questions that engage the customer and also strengthen our relationship with them. This systematic approach allows us to navigate our way through our vast collection of classic cocktails (known as the branches) and find exactly what it is you’re after.

Much like a game of ‘Guess Who?’, Bartender’s Choice is a process of elimination that we go through together in order to find just the right drink for you.

Male, bald, beard, brown eyes, handsome? Bingo! Here’s an example of how we do it with cocktails.

SPIRIT PREFERENCE Do you like light or dark spirits? This is almost always the first question we ask.

Light spirits typically refer to gin, vodka, tequila or light rum. Dark spirits include Cognac, whisk(e)y and aged or Jamaican rum. Tequila isn’t everyone’s cup of tea so although we’re big fans, if you don’t specify that you’re into it we will clarify this before moving forward.

Are there any spirits that you don’t like? Most people have a gin, whisk(e) y or tequila story. Usually, it’s that they stole a bottle from their parents’ liquor cabinet when they were a teenager and learnt their lesson. There’s only a certain extent to which we will try to broaden your horizons. If the sheer thought of a particular spirit makes you gag, we’ll be sure to steer well clear.

‘W

hat’ll you have?’

It’s fair to say that ‘Bartender’s Choice’ is what makes the Everleigh experience

so special.

When I opened the bar, I was haunted by the all-too familiar scenario encountered when ordering a drink in a ‘cocktail bar’. You know, the one where the customer is faced with a drinks menu the size of War and Peace, which they spend an eternity reading before eventually ordering a cocktail that they probably won’t even like.

Perish the thought.

At Milk & Honey we avoided this entire awkward affair by having no menu at all, allowing every encounter with a customer to be a wholly personal and unique experience.

At The Everleigh, we believe the most important thing is getting to know our customers. To do this, we have to provide an environment where they can relax and enjoy themselves. We spend more time here than we do anywhere else, so needless to say it’s a space we feel at home in. Our goal is to make everyone else feel the same way, even if it’s just for one night.

All the magic here happens on the floor. The server you chat to as they top up your water will be the person telling the bartender which cocktail to make for you. The difference in The Everleigh experience is that we want to make sure you’re drinking exactly what you want to drink. The success of Bartender’s Choice relies on us understanding what you want out of your evening – even if you don’t quite know what that is yourself! That’s okay.

That’s the fun of it all.

So get comfy and tell us what you like, or perhaps it’s easier to tell us what you don’t like. Hell, tell us what you had for breakfast! Allow us to listen. Allow yourself to be surprised. No big menu, no words you can’t pronounce, no efforts to make you feel uncomfortable. Just a few questions.

So, tell me, are you after something tall, did you say?

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EXTRACT FROM A SPOT AT THE BAR DRINK OF CHOICE What do you usually drink? If everyone in your group has been to The Everleigh before, we’ll save you the full spiel.

Not that it’s long and boring, we just don’t want to leave you parched for any longer than necessary. If you’ve had a drink in the past that you can’t fully remember but would love to recreate, let us know the overarching flavours and we’ll get to work.

Alternatively, if you come in every week and order a Negroni because you love our Negronis, hell, order a Negroni! It’s one of the best drinks we can offer you.

However, if you drink Negronis all the time and are keen to see what else is out there, why not try something similar but different? Tell us what you like about that drink and we’ll do our best to find you something that follows similar rules.

STYLE OF DRINK

FLAVOUR PROFILE

Do you feel like something refreshing with citrus or something serious, stiff and boozy? Any drink shaken with ice will contain fresh citrus. However, don’t confuse ‘citrusy’, which can simply refer to a drink containing lemon or lime, with ‘fruity’ or even ‘sweet’. We’ll get to that.

Here, we decide whether you’re after something bold and booze-forward, stirred or built and served on the rocks, or something lighter, shaken with fresh citrus. There are a number of drinks that don’t fit comfortably into the above two categories, but your response to this question will help us understand which end of the scale you’re leaning towards.

If it’s refreshing with citrus, are you after something tall with ice or short and sharp? Tall drinks, such as Collins, Rickeys, Bucks and Highballs, are topped with soda or occasionally sparkling wine. Short, sharp cocktails include sours, gimlets, daiquiris and sidecars.

Boozy and stiff more your style? You might like an Old Fashioned, Martini or Manhattan, for example.

If you’re after something creamy and dessertlike, or a hot toddy perhaps, it’s highly likely you’ll tell us. If you want something short and citrusy but don’t like ‘fiddly cocktail glasses’ we can throw a drink that’s usually served ‘up’ in a coupette into a rocks glass with ice, no problem. It’s our job to find those things out, but don’t be afraid to speak up. No question is a stupid question.

Do you feel like something on the sweeter side, more sour and tart, or dry, spicy or bitter?

Establishing what flavours you usually like, combined with what you feel like drinking right now, is really important, and the two can differ quite considerably. For example, you might generally be inclined to order a dry or even savoury-style drink, but your dinner at the restaurant around the corner was on the salty side and now you’re craving something light, citrusy and slightly sweet.

For boozy, stirred or rocks drinks without citrus, tart flavours are out the window.

These drinks often deal with more complex flavours and it’s important to determine whether you’d prefer something on the drier or sweeter side before moving forward.

Sweetness in this case can come from anything from sweet vermouth to honey, and from chocolate bitters to Campari. Drier ingredients include dry vermouth, sherry and absinthe.

In cocktails, ingredients such as absinthe and peaty whisky are used sparingly, so don’t be alarmed if we make this suggestion. For example, a dash or two of absinthe can really dry out an otherwise sweeter-style drink, giving it that little extra edge and spice without overpowering the other flavours.

This is an edited extract from A Spot At The Bar by Michael Madrusan & Zara Young, published by Hardie Grant Books (RRP $45) and available in stores nationally.

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OFF LIMITS

THE PROOF IS IN THE DRINKING

Is there anything we should avoid? Last but by no means least, it’s vital that we take note of any allergies or aversions before putting pen to paper. Knowing what a customer doesn’t like is just as important as knowing what they do enjoy. For this reason we’ll always do a final check through the most commonly debated fruits, fixings and flavours prior to making our decision. Cream, eggs, absinthe and ginger are the big ones, but orange isn’t far behind – who knew so many people didn’t like orange juice?

So, what do you think? The real tools of bartending are our ears, eyes and mouth. Before we begin to make drinks, it is essential we perfect the skill of communication. This is something we take very seriously. Bartender’s Choice isn’t as simple as answering the questions above. For example, when someone says they want a sour drink, how sour do they want it? We use our experience and training to hone a sort of inner GPS, focused on pinpointing exactly what each guest is after, and assuming it will be vastly different to what the person sitting next to them would like.

Once perfected, this method is fast, fun and exciting for all involved. Most of all, it’s accurate and gives great results. Returning to a customer after they’ve had a sip or two to hear that it was ‘exactly what I was thinking of’ or to be told ‘you hit the nail on the head’ is why we do it. And if you don’t like it, how about I have that one and we’ll get you something else.

S R U E U LIQ TO CURE ALL

‌

ESPRIT DE FIGUES Esprit de Figues is crafted in France, from a recipe that was refined over seven years of research and development. Using traditional French techniques, Violette de Bordeaux figs are carefully infused for three months in a 150-year-old distillery in Burgundy. The rich dark purple colour in the bottle softens to a pale mauve when poured, with sweet fresh figs giving way to berry jam, honey and vanilla on the nose. The palate offers fresh fig and raspberry jam with a hint of peach and honey. Esprit de Figues is specifically designed to be mixed, holding its flavour and its stunning purple hue in both simple mixed drinks and creative cocktails.

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LIQUEURS PROMOTION

SOLERNO BLOOD ORANGE LIQUEUR Solerno Blood Orange is the world’s first blood orange liqueur, created by master distiller Leslie Gracie, best known for creating Hendrick's Gin. Vibrant, delicate and complex, Solerno is a true expression of Italian radiance.

Made using the fragrant essential oils from the freshest Sanguinello blood oranges, picked at the peak of season on the Island of Sicily. Solerno celebrates the original and naturally intense flavour of Sicilian blood oranges. The nose bursts with wholefruit blood orange, orange blossom and a hint of bright and zesty lemon.

The palate yields a velvety sweetness, balancing tartness, and a lasting, dry finish.

DRAMBUIE

AMARO DI ANGOSTURA

The taste of Drambuie is the result of infusing a unique blend of aged Scotch whisky with a secret combination of spices, heather honey and herbs. Its origins can be traced to a secret recipe created for Bonnie Prince Charlie by his Royal Apothecary in the 18th Century.

The elixir was infused with spices such as cloves for their medicinal purposes, and saffron to give the liquid its rich golden colour. It became the prince’s personal draft, and he drank a few drops each day for strength and vitality. A unique Highland spirit, the name Drambuie is derived from Scots Gaelic ‘an dram buidheach’, which means ‘the drink that satisfies’.

The House of Angostura’s rum and bitters manufacturing techniques are legendary. Impossible to replicate, Amaro di Angostura is derived from the bespoke process used in creating the House of Angostura’s iconic bitters. Bottled at 35% ABV, Amaro di Angostura is a deep amber colour, offering aromas of cinnamon, dark chocolate, and unmistakable Angostura aromatic bitters. The flavours explode on the tongue with warm cinnamon and liquorice notes. The finish is balanced and exotic, reminiscent of its home’s tropical climate and beauty. Amaro di Angostura can be enjoyed on its own, over ice, and offers a delicious balancing element in cocktails and mixed drinks.

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THERE’S NO ‘I’ IN ‘TEAM’ There is a second part to that statement (involving finding an 'i' in the 'a hole'), however, staffing a venue and creating a team can be one of the hardest aspects of running a bar. We gathered a few managers and an owner who have been at the coalface of the issue.

THE PANEL • Alex Morris – Bars Manager, Paddington Inn (Solotel Group) • Toby Hiscox – Casoni • Lachy Sturrock – Group Bars Manager, Applejack Hospitality • Pasan Wijesena – Earl’s Juke Joint

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ROUND TABLE

CHOOSE WISELY

STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM, NOW WE’RE HERE

PW First and foremost, I ask myself if they are someone that I want to be served by. Can I spend 12 hours a day with you?

Literally you see these people more than you see your own family. So, that being the case, personality is the most important thing.

You can teach everything else. If they have great skills and experience, then, perfect, but primarily I’m after someone I like and someone who has a bit of je ne sais quoi.. We’re selling hospitality at the end of the day, so it has to be someone that fits that

TOBY HISCOX

mould first and foremost.

LS The key is personality for sure. You need to get along with them because you can train someone to pour a beer and make a drink but you can’t train personality.

TH It’s really important that they fit with the existing team as well. You can get great people, and I’ve had this with friends, you can love working with them but then you bring them into a team and you just think, “Oh that was a really bad idea”. Some people just clash. So someone might be a hospitality all-star but just wrong for that particular venue.

AM I always look at it two ways. One staff member might be hired purely on personality and another person might just be super keen and you can mould them into something. Or there is always that person who can be an influence on the team as well and bring their style or approach to hospitality, rather

LS We have an interview then do a trial – so in the bar it will be with the bar manager or supervisor, someone senior, then they’ll work side-by-side with that person and within the team as well. Generally we try not to do it on a busy night, like Fridays and Saturdays, but a night that has some decent trade – Wednesday, Thursday, or Sunday.

Basically you want to throw them in the deep end but not into the shit. See if they can swim, but don’t ruin them in the process.

TH You want to set them up to succeed, and you also don’t want to stitch up your guests either.

LS Exactly, and usually for those shifts we have enough staff on that they can meet the team and learn what they’re doing.

PW I like to get them to come in for a drink first.

Sit them in the bar, they can talk to the team over the counter and get the vibe of the bar. Instead of trialling it’s often, ‘Come and barback or glassy for us’. I know even Lewis (Jaffrey) did that at Shady Pines before doing Baxter Inn. You get a really good sense of the flow of the bar by doing that, rather than just kind of getting in everyone’s way. You get a vibe for the service, how it flows, and then you can jump in. And usually by that time, they have met everyone at least once.

LS All the really good venues do that really. They get bar staff in and start them from the bottom no matter how good your experience is. You work your way up.

TH It’s always good to get the bar staff to do the floor, the barbacking, all the really lowly jobs first so that they are more useful to me, because then they know how everything works and it gets them exposed to the kitchen staff, the front-of-house staff, everyone across the board. It helps them gel a little bit better and when you know all of the different aspects of working in a venue, you’re a little bit more polite to the others – you don’t give them shit because you know what their job is.

AM I always get them to buddy up and their buddy will set them a bunch of tasks and see their initiative. Usually they’re barbacking tasks, real simple, but if they go for it and they get stuck in that’s a really good sign. If they stand back and shadow the person, then nah maybe not.

PW You can usually tell within the first few minutes, whether or not someone is going to be good or not.

than saying, ‘this is my way and this is how I want my staff to be’. That person can also influence the way the staff behave as well.

So if it is someone who is a hospitality all-star and you’ve seen them at work and worked with them before and you think their style is totally different to mine, you can bring them in because you see their influence on the team being a good one. But it can also be a risk as well.

“BASICALLY YOU WANT TO THROW THEM IN THE DEEP END BUT NOT INTO THE SHIT. SEE IF THEY CAN SWIM, BUT DON’T RUIN THEM IN THE PROCESS.” – LACHY STURROCK. bars&clubs 25

CLEAN THE DAMN TOILET

NA PASAN WIJESE

“IT STARTS FROM THE TOP. IF I’M THE ONE WITH A GARBAGE BAG OVER MY ARM, SHOULDER DEEP IN THE TOILET, I’M NOT ASKING THEM TO DO ANYTHING THAT I WOULDN’T DO.” – PASAN WIJESENA. 26 bars&clubs

PW You have to be able to lead from the front as well, as an owner slash manager.

It starts from the top. If I’m the one with a garbage bag over my arm, shoulder deep in the toilet, I’m not asking them to do anything that I wouldn’t do. It creates a better team environment.

TH Literally my first day on the job 14 years ago, the general manager of the hotel was doing that in the girls’ toilets and I have never worked so hard for anyone in my life. That guy was being paid a shitload and I was the glassie. He could have asked me to do that, but he saw it needed to be done and just got in and did it.

AM It’s the classic line from anyone in leadership, ‘Oh, I lead by example’ but so often it’s not true. But seriously, since I’ve been a manager I’ve just been a glorified barback – filling ice wells and cutting limes during service, that’s about it.

PW Not tolerating sexual harassment is a big thing, in our industry especially.

Very being very male dominated – look around right now – I’ve had cases where it isn’t overt harassment, it could just be disparaging comments and that sort of thing, but you have to nip it in the bud straight away.

TH I’ve just be literally dealing with this exact thing – trying to change a culture. Back of house is always bad, the kitchen especially, and I have been struggling to break that cycle. It’s a huge part of the venue culture – to make everyone feel welcome.

THE C WORD: CULTURE PW Out of work bonding is really important.

We won some comp last year and were given $10,000 so we all flew to Singapore and had a big 24 hours of power there. And we tied it ALEX MORRIS into work somehow, like we did a little takeover at 28 Hongkong Street, but basically it was just a piss up. But do things like that, involving everyone. If someone is leaving we’ll go to Golden Century and have a big dinner. We try and do that regularly rather than just a yearly staff party. You have to be open about communication as well. Be receptive to feedback. My big thing is promoting from within as well, rather than bringing someone in for a management job. Train your glassies up, they really respond to it, and I think now pretty much my whole team is ex-glassies. It’s builds a nice level of loyalty.

LS We’ve all been we’re they are, we’ve all started out as a barback so taking feedback and listening to what they have to say is really important. We’ve got a big thing about promoting from within as well. Nearly all of our managers used to be barbacks or bartenders or floor staff.

TH The work/life balance is so important. People can love their job but get miserable and burnt out if you don’t listen to them. And I’ve had a lot of staff who ask to work 15 hour days, or seven days a week but no one can do that continually.

You need to keep an eye on them so they don’t get burnt out. Look out for their best interests – listen to what they’re saying but think a bit more about it too.

AM Make it fun. But the fun doesn’t have to be during service time. It can be things after and other stuff during the week. If you have someone working for eight weeks straight on six days and they say, ‘Hey, I need this weekend off’ you’ve got to be able to accommodate them. I think that some smaller bars have a key team and if someone needs a Friday off it’s like, ‘Oh shit, we don’t have another bartender’. You’ve got to really figure out the balance otherwise you’re screwed.

ROUND TABLE

UPSKILL YOUR PEOPLE LS We have heaps of training. It’s non-stop with us. So, first thing is with induction plans for new staff, so that they have full venue walk-throughs, bar walk-throughs, back of house, cocktails specs, on-shift training. Every time there is a new menu we have a full cocktail, beer and wine training. We activate with all our wine suppliers. We just had LACHY STURRO a new wine list at The Butler and for six weeks, CK every Monday we had an hour and a half with new wine suppliers. We tried all the wines and matched them with food. Then we do cocktail training. We do in-house cocktail competitions as well. Every four months I’ll activate with a supplier, so within the five venues we set a date, set a theme – we had the last one at Della Hyde with all the staff coming in for a masterclass beforehand so they can learn about the product and then go on to sell it.

It’s pretty jam-packed.

PW We do a little bit of that too, generally speaking, whether it’s product-based, tasting, or venue training. But more and more we are doing non-cocktail-based training. So we do tea blending, or pickling classes, so we can draw something from it and take a skill back to the bar. It may not be about a spirit but we know how to pickle cumquats – and we can make something out of that.

TH I usually aim for at least one training session for at least one hour a week. And I like to spread it out, so one week is wine, one week is cocktails, one week is spirits – and then maybe it will be service oriented. Then we’ll get the chefs involved and get them to do a food tasting, then as was mentioned, every time we have a new menu for anything, everyone is in. It is so important. Usually two weeks out we finalise the menu, get everyone in, match the food with the drinks, and then a week out we have tests based on what they should have learned the week before. If everyone doesn’t get 85-90 per cent then we need to reassess the launch. I never roll anything out if someone doesn’t know about dietaries ready for the first day. It’s up to us as managers to empower our staff to be good at their job so they can give the guest a great experience. A month out I need all my bartenders to have their submissions is so that we have time to tweak them if needs be. Then it can be all ready two weeks out and all programmed into the tills a week out. There are no surprises for anyone.

AM In terms of formal training, at the moment it feels like we’re doing three trainings a week because we need to make sure that everyone knows the wines – there is about 60 – and things like the low intervention wines are unfamiliar for most people. Informal training is just about getting in a rep about a whisky or a gin, or getting people tickets to GABS [Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular], or a tasting session.

Try to make those things fun. It’s important that they fall in love with the products like I have, so I try and make it fun. I guess it’s like backhanded training. Try and tie it in with incentives from reps, make it fun.

KEEPING THE TEAM TOGETHER LS Culture is a really big thing for us. Bartenders do like to move around but you do need to have that fun culture and team family orientation for the people that do want to stick around. For us because we are relatively small in terms of operations, our bosses are always in, meeting the teams, having a drink. It about being their mate as well I think and generally if you’re on that level, if you’re with us, they tend to stick around longer.

PW From my point of view, being a solo venue, you have to look after them. Pay them well, first and foremost. They are doing a lot of hours so if you want good staff, pay them accordingly. Recognise that they have lives outside the bar as well. We’ve got guys in bands, guys that play sport and whatever. It’s about getting the work/life balance right for those guys. Don’t work them down to the bone. Full-timers were doing five days a week but it was just becoming too much because they were doing 12-14 hours a day, so two days a week off wasn’t really enough. They were getting to the point where they just get sick or burn out. So we cut it down to four days. Get a bit more balance.

LS Reward them too. If you get absolutely fisted on a Saturday night, when you close up say “guys, let’s get a round of beers on me” and sit down and recap and talk about the night. Ask if anything went wrong and just get on their level. That’s key.

TH The groups that have really good training programs that can lead to progression for junior staff keep them. There are so many new and shiny venues opening all the time, bartenders have very short attention spans and they see all these new shiny things and disappear off into the distance. If you’ve got a very strict training progression set out for them so that they are always developing on the job, they’ll stick around. It’s harder in smaller venues because there is less room, but incentive schemes are great too. If you can work with your suppliers to get free stock or movie tickets or that sort of thing. Anything you can give back to the staff is really important. It’s about creating a culture that is serious enough because you’re all here to work, but where you’re really good mates.

You have to be family because sometimes you’re together 90 hours a week.

AM Give people a voice. So when it comes to writing a cocktail list or something like that, listen to their input and actually implement it. So many people, the longer they stay, the more voice they should have in these decisions. It’s difficult in a group situation where you have group managers and things are decided from the top. So it’s really important to fight for your staff’s ideas.

PW If you have talented staff, give them the chance to write a new menu, or develop a new system for the bar. It’s good strategy to keep them involved.

“IT’S UP TO US AS MANAGERS TO EMPOWER OUR STAFF TO BE GOOD AT THEIR JOB SO THEY CAN GIVE THE GUEST A GREAT EXPERIENCE.” – TOBY HISCOX. bars&clubs 27

BROUGHT TO YOU BY THOSE WHO DRINK IT

CASAMIGOS.COM DISTRIBUTED BY THINK SPIRITS. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT US: 02 4577 7800 OR ORDERS@THINKSPIRITS.COM THINK RESPONSIBLY. FOR PEOPLE 18+ ONLY. ENJOY IN MODERATION

TEQUILA

AGAVE NATION

In a category ruled by tradition a number of brands have found innovative ways to marry old-world techniques with new-world ideas.

M

exico is a place of cultural extremes, from the traditional heritage of tequila to the vibrancy of modern day Mexico City.

So how are tequila brands tackling the divide and bringing premium spirits to an expanding market?

According to Rande Gerber, bar entrepreneur and co-owner of the fastest growing ultra-premium tequila in the US, which recently launched in Australia, it is still all about the liquid in the bottle.

“Everything we do for Casamigos Tequila is done in house, our own way. We are the fastest growing based on the authenticity and quality of our tequila. We don’t pay attention to industry trends or competition.

We focus on what is inside the bottle, the best tasting, finest tequila in the world.”

As the thirst for premium brands continue however, Paul Hannan, of William Grant & Sons which distributes Milagro, points out that consumers are after more value on

their purchase – and asking brands and bars to offer more.

“Consumers are now asking brands to match to their values and beliefs, stand out, keep innovating, but most importantly, add value,” he says.

CREATING A POINT OF DIFFERENCE Importantly, while brands are focused on creating great spirits and adding value, bars can leverage that to bring drinkers into the premium tequila space.

“Milagro positions itself as a ‘new expression of tequila’ – not bling, celebrity endorsed luxury but an exciting, vibrant tequila that bridges two worlds of traditional tequila heritage and the vibrant creativity of modern day Mexico City,” says Hannan.

Milagro has been collaborating with Mexican artists to create murals and other communications, engaging consumers through such activations as the Museo of Miracles

art exhibition. The event, which is currently travelling key accounts around the country, features a new photography commission by Mexico City-based photographer Mark Alor Powell.

Casamigos has leveraged the brand’s intriguing back story to back up the premium liquid in the bottle – it’s not every day that two famous stars create a tequila to suit their personal tastes, then proceed to corner a market with its quality rather than star power.

“We are seeing people drinking Casamigos that never drank tequila before,” says Gerber. “Consumers are smart and can’t be fooled by fancy bottles and big budget marketing campaigns. They want the best.

It’s not about categories as long as they find that perfect shot, drink on the rocks or mixable spirit they are looking for.”

SIPPING OR MIXING? It’s the eternal question when it comes to premium spirits – should

you put it on the cocktail list or should you let the liquid speak for itself?

Gerber is all for sipping, and that’s what the Casmigos brand has been designed for. That said, there is always an exception.

“Once you find tequila that you love, that is as smooth as ours, you don’t need to add anything to it,” he says. “We enjoy all three tequilas neat or on the rocks but they also mix well with fresh ingredients and juices.”

To truly appreciate tequila and the nuances of the agave plant, you should drink it neat, according to Hannan, however that might not be your customer’s preferred way of drinking.

“Nothing beats a great tequila cocktail, if the ingredients complement and heighten the tequila’s individual characteristics,” he says. “There is not one best way to drink tequila, as it can be enjoyed in many different recipes and forms based on personal preference.”

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TEQUILA

TRENDING

TEQUILA

The tequila category is still growing in Australia, and has a long way to go before it catches up to the US, so what is the risk involved in opening a tequila focused venue these days? Michael Fegent of Tequila Mockingbird explains why he made the leap.

WHY A TEQUILA VENUE? I suppose it’s related to my personal experiences. I’m very passionate about tequila and mezcal, I’ve been drinking it for ages, and it’s a massive product overseas and should be a lot bigger than it is in Australia. Funnily enough, the amount of tequila we are selling as a restaurant is phenomenal, especially in cocktails. It’s just one of those things. I love tequila, it’s just such a great food pairing spirit and you can drink it so many ways – either straight or in cocktails. And there are so many different variations of cocktails that you can make. And it’s improving. I’ve worked in hospitality for 16 years and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a restaurant sell as many cocktails as we are selling. We go through seven bottles of Don Julio on a Saturday night. For a 110-seater restaurant, that equals two shots per person.

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THE TEQUILA HATERS? I think the thing right now is that people have it embedded in their heads that tequila isn’t a go-to beverage. But we’ve noticed at Tequila Mockingbird that the minute people arrive in the venue, they’re ordering cocktails, and we sell an astronomical amount, because they sit down and they see the name and then they see the menu.

But for people who don’t particularly like tequila, what we have trained our staff to do is to know the different styles and flavour profiles. So somebody who might drink vodka for example, or a neutral-based spirit, we push them to go for a blanco or a purer type that is a bit easier to drink.

Otherwise if people drink whisky I will push them toward a mezcal, because they have all those secondary, caramelised, toasty sort of flavours to them.

We have done a lot of training. We’ve worked alongside a lot of great people. We had Happy from Tio’s come in for training, he’s fantastic and a good friend of mine, and all the guys from Tio’s really know their tequila and their mezcal. And the thing is, that’s what we’re doing – we’re training people to know what to say. Just always ask them, ‘what do you normally drink?’, that’s what I always do anyway. Find out what they normally drink and find out alternatives. If someone wants something fruity, we have that on the menu, or if someone wants the classics we have that too.

HOW DO YOU ACHIEVE BALANCE ON A TEQUILA HEAVY MENU? Trial and error. I’ve worked with our bar guys for over ten years now and you just get to know your balances and you just look for new things and adapt. So that’s what we did. Consistently kept making cocktails. We wrote out of a list of what we wanted – which included different flavour profiles for everyone.

You have to focus on balance. What is in fashion right now is people going back to basics, so we tried to be dynamic so that we’re catering to a range of drinkers and their palates.

SO WHAT’S ON THE MENU? Tequila Mockingbird – which is our biggest seller – is an easy one to drink, and it’s just so fresh and it sums up the venue so well. It’s brand new, easy, and it’s got a kick to it. It’s like the food – we use really good products – it’s just palatable. The recipe has muddled cucumber and jalapeno, Don Julio Blanco, St-Germain, and citrus. It’s fresh but it’s got a kick. We’ve also got a Mezcal Mule – we make our own ginger beer. Almost all of our products are made here and we do it all fresh. b&c

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APERITIF

AN APPETITE FOR

The Europeans have been at it for years and now the trend is permeating the Antipodes thanks to changing drinking habits (partly thanks to the impact of lockout laws in certain parts of Australia).

We investigate how you can capitalise on the growing trend in your venue.

SO, WHAT IS AN APERITIF? Roughly translated, the term means ‘to open’ or ‘opener’ and refers to an alcoholic beverage that is meant as an appetiser. Digestifs, on the other hand, close out a meal, however the only real difference between the two drinks are the stage of the evening you’re at – the herbal bitterness both gets your palate ready and settles your stomach.

The tradition of settling in for a few sneaky, low ABV drinks before your evening meal historically began in Italy in the 1700s, however the tradition has a stronghold on most of Europe.

The drinks work as a way to reset the palate, says Kelly Viles, brand manager for Galliano.

“All day your palate is exposed to new flavours and tastes, through the variety of foods and beverages you consume,” she says. “By the time you sit down for that meal once the sun is down, your tastebuds are well, exhausted, and in need of reinvigorating.”

Manu Conde, from Cerbaco which imports a wide range of aperitifs, says the term is both a beverage category, and an actual moment.

“The category gathers relatively well-known products such as vermouths, amari or mistelles,” he says. “The moment is about getting together, before dinner, around a drink and (most of the time) a bite to eat.”

He says classic drinks for aperitif time are wines, pastis or absinthe, cider or cocktails, while

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classic foods for aperitif are breads, cheeses, charcuterie, and olives.

Max Allison, head bartender at Boilermaker House in Melbourne, breaks it down even further.

“Similar to an amuse bouche in cooking, it’s something that gets you ready to experience something else – whether that is more drinks or food,” he says. “It’s typically dry, as sweetness messes with your palate a little bit and inhibits your ability to taste other flavours, and low alcohol because no one wants to get super wasted before the main course arrives.”

WHY SO POPULAR NOW? “Surrounding us everywhere is edification of food,” says Viles. “Think MasterChef, food exhibitions and consumer events. People are becoming more educated about food, drinking more premium products, and being particular about what they consume. A lot of venues are implementing this style of dining, and therefore drinks to accompany the meals respectively.”

Allison likewise believes the trend is food and produce driven, rather than being about people deliberately wanting to drink ‘aperitifs’.

“A lot of people don’t just order a negroni, they order a Four Pillars negroni or they’ll ask, ‘What vermouth do you use?’ or, ‘What gin do you use?’,” he says. “They want a drink tailored specifically for their experience. Consumers are more savvy these days. There is a huge range of

options out there and especially with things like the craft beer movement and the craft distilling movement, people like locally sourced products, and people like to know more about what they’re drinking. They just care more.”

And as Conde points out: “It’s not much of a new concept. What’s the difference between after work drinks and aperitif? Not much.”

IT’S THE VIBE OF THE THING “Aperitif is about the moment: more than just a drink, it’s about the feel-good vibe you can offer,” says Conde.

And that’s what you should be selling your customers, rather than just: here are some drinks.

“I heard of a Pizza and Pastis hour for example. A Cognac flight (young, fresh, lively ones) with chocolate will also work. Wine and cheese is a classic, while French cider and cheese (try blue cheese) is a bit more outgoing,” he says.

As Viles points out, some customers are extreme creatures of habit.

“They walk into a venue, typically won’t look at a cocktail list, request from the bartender the same drink or one of, from their known repertoire,” she says. “Whereas on the flip side, other consumers, love to be entertained by bartenders and their recommendations. Crafting your cocktail list around the occasion and segmenting them into Aperitifs and Digestives is an easy way to introduce the consumer.”

bars&clubs 33

APERITIF

INTRODUCING BITTERNESS Allison: I’ve made my fair share of Americanos for people who say they like bitter drinks and they’ve kind of half-drunk them and left them on the bar, which is always a bit disappointing. But I think something like a really dry sherry – a Fino or a Manzanilla – in a cobbler-style drink could be a great way to introduce somebody who typically drinks dry white wine, or even something quite fruity like Marlborough Sauv Blanc, into making the transition to a cocktail.

“They’re not necessarily wanting lower alcohol but they’ve tried a spritz, and it’s a nice fun drink to start a meal.”

– Rachel Hand

THE WELCOME DRINK

Allison: I saw this in America and the only place I’ve seen it out here is the now defunct Bar Exuberante. So when you sit down, whether it is a bar or a restaurant, the bartender will give you a little somethin’ somethin’ to get you started and making that in an aperitif style – so, yes a little bit dry and a little bit bitter – could be a good way to introduce people. Because it’s free, and you can explain what it is. Everyone loves free booze so it’s a great way to introduce people to something they wouldn’t normally order.

DO PEOPLE ACTUALLY WANT LESS BOOZE? Max Allison, Boilermaker House: I feel like it is something that the industry is pushing more that something that consumers were really looking for, beforehand. Not to say that they’re not interested in them now, but it’s one of those things.

Rachel Hand, House of Correction: Yes, but I don’t think they’re doing it on purpose.

They’re not necessarily wanting lower alcohol but they’ve tried an Aperol Spritz, and it’s a nice fun drink to start a meal – like a glass of sparkling – but they just don’t understand that these spirits are lower in alcohol.

GET YOUR SNACK ON

Max Allison, Boilermaker House: Always taste what you’re matching. There is always going to be those micro variances with cheese and charcuterie and if you’re making an aperitif style drink with different kinds of booze, they are all going to react differently together. Charcuterie is a little fatty and oily so you want something like a spritz made with a dry sparkling or a dry sherry cobbler to cut through. Also aged jamon and aged Champagne is always a winning combination for when you’re feeling super fancy. As for cocktails – I have to give a shout out to my bar manager Josh Crawford who turned me onto drinking bone dry, overproof martinis with a couple of dashes of Absinthe in them – which he calls a Bon Vivant – it’s a great drink for having with Italian food, it gets you just happy enough to get you really enthusiastic about what you’re eating.

Mikey Nicolian, Continental Deli: I would say it’s similar to matching wine – go like for like. So things that are heavy and dark, for something like bresaola, you want bigger, richer styles of amaro – Cynar or something herbal will go with that heavier cut. And then lighter styles, things like prosciuttos and mortadella, you should go for things that are a little bit lighter in body, so something that is made with more citrus at the front like Aperol.

Manu Conde, Cerbaco: I'm a big fan of Le Pere Jules Pommeau de Normandie with a blue cheese on a chunk of bread. The classic Absinthe ritual with the fountain and spoons is a bit magic, and definitely gets you ready for the night.

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GALLIANO LIQUEURS

MIX SOME ITALIAN SPIRIT INTO YOUR LIFE FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT CCA ON 13 2653

APERITIF

JUST FOR STARTERS

“What's the difference between after work drinks and aperitif?

Not much.”

– Manu Conde THAT’S AMARO: LEARNING TO LOVE BITTERNESS WHAT IS AMARO? Amaro is the Italian for bitter and the drinks pretty much do what they say on the label. They also contain a lot of botanical elements explains Rachel Hand, bartender at Melbourne’s House of Correction.

“They contain a lot of herbs and spices – 30-plus generally – and that’s why they’re used to settle your stomach after a big meal,” she says.

Equally, their bitterness makes them a good start to a meal.

Mikey Nicolian, bar manager at Continental Deli in Sydney’s Newtown, goes on to explain that amari are quite region dependent and vastly different in flavour.

“Some are sweeter than others, some are more chocolatey, some are more citrusy, and some are very herbaceous.

“Some people drink the more bitter styles of amaro straight – just knock them back – while other amari that have a bit more richness and sweetness to them are quite nice on the rocks with a slice of orange – that’s quite a common serve.”

INFLUENCING THE INFLUENCERS “Honestly I think it has a lot to do with the respect that the bartending industry is now getting. People are treating it like a trade, like chefing,” says Hand.

“So people are trusting their bartenders more and bartenders are now able to point people in new directions, so they’re getting more knowledgeable.”

Nicolian agrees, saying that the influence of bartenders on drinking patterns has steadily increased over the last decade.

“It’s becoming more normal for people to, and

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they are happier to, be guided by bartenders. So things like amari and sherry – anything where flavour leans more toward the bitter or the interesting – is always going to be at the forefront,” he says. “So like you won’t see fillet steak on every menu, bartenders want to serve up booze that is going to push boundaries a little more.”

START SLOWLY Sure you might love Fernet Branca, but it’s probably not going to go down too well with a newbie to the amaro category. So where to begin with the particularly try-shy?

“Start by putting a little bit into cocktails that they normally drink,” says Hand. “So ask people what they want and build an amaro into it. Then just let them ask questions about it, and from that you can work them up to trying the spirit itself.

“I always like to recommend Amaro Montenegro because it is nice and sweet and easy to drink with a bit of ice. It’s well-known enough too – people like to drink something they’ve heard of – and mixes really well in cocktails.”

“There are many different variations of styles of aperitifs,” says Viles. “Think outside the norm from the glass of Champagne, or gin and tonic – Galliano, has a great range of liqueurs that are either dry and/or herbal. The range is extremely versatile to be consumed neat, or over ice or mixed into some new concoctions.”

Galliano has shared some jug serve, lower alcohol and summer-drinking appropriate recipes to ease your customers into the concept of a drink as an “amuse bouche”.

AMUSE 1 GLASS: Rocks • 15ml Galliano L’Autentico • 40ml Vodka • 25ml Dry vermouth METHOD: Stir ingredients down over ice and pour into four glasses or a jug. Garnish.

GARNISH: Cucumber skin

AMUSE 2 GLASS: Rocks • 10ml Galliano L’Autentico • 40ml Gin • 30ml Sweet vermouth METHOD: Stir ingredients down over ice and pour into four glasses or a jug. Garnish.

GARNISH: Orange twist.

MIX IT UP

AMUSE 3

“I always think that things with big character and flavour should be handled with caution, but amaro is something that is quite nice to take the edge off heavy booze. Even so, less is more,” says Nicolian.

“We have a house spritz with Averna which is an amaro from Sicily, and a citrus cordial that we make out of our leftover citrus garnish at the end of the night – nothing is going to waste and we’re using all the scraps. The cordial takes the edge off the bitterness, then we lengthen it with soda and serve it in a wine glass with a slice of orange and an olive. It’s really refreshing.”

GLASS: Rocks • 15ml Galliano L’Autentico • 30ml Gin • 20ml Fresh lemon juice • Champagne METHOD: Stir ingredients down over ice and pour into four small glasses or a jug. Top up with Champagne and garnish.

GARNISH: Lemon twist.

APERITIF

START EARLY, START SLOW

PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR (VER) MOUTH IS WHAT IS IT? Basically, it is a style of aromatised wine that was created in ancient times, when homeowners and wine merchants were trying to extend the life of their wine. There was also a health element to it with herbs and spices added for medicinal purposes.

Creating vermouth was also a way of flavouring bland or low quality wine back in the day.

The name comes from the German word for wormwood, which is a major component of vermouth to this day.

PUT IT IN THE FRIDGE There has always been a big misunderstanding of the category as a whole says Loy Catada, brand ambassador at Bacardi-Martini.

Sans titre-1 1

“There has been a lot of injustice done to vermouth by people putting it on the back bar after it has been open, and a lot of bartenders hadn’t been trained on how to look after their vermouths properly. You’re supposed to put in the fridge and it only lasts a certain amount of time after you open it.

It’s a wine based product and it doesn’t last as long as spirits.”

CLASSICAL REVOLUTION “The resurgence has been due to the use of vermouth in classic cocktails,” says Catada. “But I think the major factor is the popularity of the Negroni. That has really been pushing the vermouth category alongside the trend for aperitivo that has started to develop a lot in the last 12 months.”

Catada says the Martini has been working on some signature serves that also feature the other spirit of the moment: gin.

“We have been working on a few – one is The Laverstoke cocktail which features Bombay Sapphire, Martini Bianco, elderflower cordial and ginger ale,” he says. “But it’s not just about new ways of consuming vermouth.”

Catada explains that the lower ABV of vermouth makes it perfect for one of the driving factors behind the popularity of the aperitif hour: earlier closing times. He says that people are starting to drink a lot earlier in the afternoon and evening so venues need lower alcohol options on the menu.

People are also drinking better and looking for more premium products in the marketplace, hence Bacardi-Martini’s release of Martini Riserva Speciale Ambrato (using wines from Moscato d'Asti and three types of wormwood, Absinthium, Pontica and Vulgaris) as well as Riserva Speciale Rubino using wines from Piemonte, including Langhe Nebbiolo and the aforementioned three types of wormwood).

According to Catada these Vermouth di Torino are designed to give consumers more premium choices in the vermouth category, to match with the more premium spirits they are ordering off the back bar.

Catada also notes that while the trend for lower alcohol, wine-based drinks is in its infancy in Australia, it is growing and predicts a big summer ahead for vermouth and aperitifs.

12/07/2016 15:53

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RUM

YO HO HO & A BOTTLE OF‌

Rum is going through an image change in Australia with new and interestingly aged rums arriving all the time. So what to do with them? Put them on your cocktail list of course.

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RUM

R

um has had a bit of a interesting history in Australia, despite being one of the most popular spirits – particularly in Queensland. So what is driving the sudden appreciation of the spirit?

According to Blake Kramer, senior brand manager – Rum Co. of Fiji, the expanding number of brands on the market are giving consumers varieties in style, regions and taste profiles, and driving a new appreciation for premium offerings.

“I believe it’s because brands are seeing the potential of offering their products here in Australia and therefore are investing in distribution, training, education and events,” he says. “I also think that the spiced rum segment has expanded, bringing consumers into the rum category and helping convert people.”

He adds that on a recent trip to Fiji he was lucky enough to taste some of the rums on wood, not yet release to any markets in the world.

“It was really mind blowing stuff and a great experience to be able not only try these rums, but be involved in bringing them to the world.”

Alissa Gabriel, head bartender Eau De Vie Sydney and 2015 Bacardi Legacy Australian Champion is pretty enthusiastic about rum and it’s potential. Hailing from Queensland she has seen firsthand Australian drinkers’ love of rum and the changing attitude to it as a premium spirit.

“Rum makes a great substitution for any of the classic cocktails you can think of, even things with gin, like a Negroni.”

– Mary White “I think with the rise in the number of bartenders that have a good knowledge of rum and with the rise in the number of new spirits we have coming into Australia consumers are being further introduced to higher quality spirits and the different varieties that they may not have had an opportunity to try before,” she says.

Mary White, bartender at The Lobo Plantation, says she is mystified as to why Australians are only just now cottoning on to how varied rum can be.

“Australia is just now starting to pick up on it and really love rum as much as the rest of the world,” she says. “Largely it’s due to a lot of companies stepping their game up with a lot more aged rums coming around. Now you can get things that have been aged for 15-20 years in different types of barrels. There is a lot more variety in the products and it just makes them really smooth and delicious, so people are appreciating them like they appreciate fine, aged whiskies.”

IT’S LIKE, A TOTAL CLASSIC So you’ve added some killer rums aged in interesting ways to your back bar – what are you going to do with them now?

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SELLING THE STORY A lot of rum brands have rather interesting origin stories, though there is some debate over the usefulness of these to engage customers.

“I think having a brand story is often about making the bartender fall in love with it, rather than the consumer,” says Gabriel. “Obviously Bacardi has their marketing about the family, however a lot of the selling is focused on the product.”

White concurs that she loves a good brand story and does use it in her chat, with a few caveats.

“I think that’s just because I get really excited and start talking about it,” she says.

“A lot of times I will talk about the style of the rum and then if people seem interested I will go into it, especially with some of the back stories of rums that have great tales behind them, I’ll just dive right in. They end up loving it and they end up caring a bit more about the product as well.”

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN Gabriel: “Customers are more aware and they can know more about the spirits than we do because they have such an interest in it. For instance when I went back up to Rockhampton, there was this guy – an ex-customer – who always used to order Bundy and Coke. And he said to me, “I’m drinking Diplomatico now, it’s so much nicer with Coke”. So even though his way of drinking it may not be the best way, even in the rural parts of Australia customers are being opened up to these amazing products.”

RUM

RUM IS THE INTERNATIONAL SPIRIT Kramer: “Rum can be produced anywhere in the world by distilling the by-product of sugar cane, molasses and ageing it for two years. A lot of consumers probably think rum is Caribbean due to the fact that a lot of rum brands started there in the early days, due to the Golden Trade Triangle after Columbus took sugar cane from Asia back to the Caribbean and it became an important trading commodity. It also became an official ration for the British Navy until Black Tot day (21 July 1970) when it was ceased.

“Different origins are key in brands history, flavour profiles and selling points. From local climates and agriculture that affects the rum (like our Rum Co. of Fiji brands; Bati & Ratu, where the sugarcane is growing in rich volcanic soil) to harvesting techniques (like hand-cut or machine harvest sugarcane) along with maturation process and climates (for example the Fijian tropical climate allows the rum to interact with the wood more vigorously). To the final brand heritage which incorporates many stories, myth, mysterious and a way of life for certain cultures.

“Whether it is as a trading commodity back in the days of the Golden Trade Triangle; to rum being a ration for the British Navy; to Bill McCoy and the rum runners throughout prohibition; to Australia’s one and only ever Military Coup – The Rum Rebellion; to the Mutiny of the Bounty, where Captain William Bligh of the H.M.S Bounty was overthrown in the Pacific by Lieutenant Christian and the crew. There is rich history and stories related to rum that helps people connect with brands and the liquid within it.”

CONVERTING THE STUBBORN White: “People are pretty stubborn and they can get a little nervous trying new things. But we always start with an open mind and try to figure out what it is in whiskies, for example, that people like, then find rums with similar characteristics.

People often automatically think that rums are quite sweet when it’s not the case and there are a lot of dry styles of rums that can appeal to whisky drinkers.”

Peaty whisky drinkers: “We have this great rum from HSE [Habitation st Etienne] and they actually age their rum for an additional six months in an Ardbeg barrel, so while the rum itself is not peated, you get these smoky characteristics on the back of the palate. I also go for dry-style rums. While not smoky, a lot of people enjoy dry styles of whisky like the El Dorado 15 – it’s dry and it’s got a bit of spice to it. Even some of the agricole rums that we have can go down well with whisky drinkers.”

Vodka and gin drinkers: “People like that I find tend to have a bit of a sweet tooth, so a lot times I’ll go for something a bit more on the smoother, sweeter side. One of my go-to rums is Diplomatico Exclusiva. It’s really smooth and easy to drink in an Old Fashioned or on the rocks. And that is a baby step for people who are nervous. Then from there you can branch out and get into something a little bit more interesting.”

“Ask yourself, ‘Is it worth putting that much in a mixed drink or do we just serve it neat?’” – Alissa Gabriel

“I think they are being used a lot more, even outside of the El Presidente or Rum Old Fashioned, just because the prices are coming down a lot more and they’re easier to get your hands on,” says Gabriel. “Having the availability of something like Jamaican overproof rum makes the category more versatile to use on a cocktail list.”

She does however caution that it might be worth looking at your GP and other pricing factors, suggesting you ask yourself, “Is it worth putting that much in a mixed drink or do we just serve it neat?”

“We have about 14 rum cocktails on the menu, and I know since I’ve started our tequila range has gone down dramatically and I’ve introduced a lot more rums onto the back bar,” Gabriel says. “A lot of the cocktails are with aged rum, for example the Zacappa Blazer with the Zacappa 23; the Colonel’s Pearl has Appleton VX; and we have the Hops & Honey with Havana 7YO. So a lot of them have a focus on the darker rums to bring out the flavours.”

Gabriel also suggests that for those trialling the idea, introducing something really easy, like Havana 7YO or Bacardi 8YO, is a good start. And pair it with a darker, heavier sugar that will work a little bit more softly with the flavours of the rum – rather than going from a dark rum to a white sugar and having it be a little bit too full on.

White believes that aged and interesting rums are “absolutely versatile” on a menu and suggests beginning with the classics.

“Anything you can do with a non-aged rum, you can do with an aged rum, and rum makes a great substitution for any of the classic cocktails you can think of,” she says. “Things that usually have whiskey, like a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned, or even things with gin, like a Negroni, if you swap that main spirit for rum it’s a great new variation. It’s also a great way to introduce people to rum.

“One of our bestselling cocktails is the Rum & Rye, and it’s a twist on an Old Fashioned.

So we have a selection of three different rums you can choose from, which gives people a bit of flavour profile versatility as well as price versatility.”

Kramer concurs about the mixability of rum and its usefulness as a substitution.

“It is an incredibly versatile liquid that works with numerous flavours,” he says. “Exchange ambassador Michael Nouri says, ‘If you can make a cocktail with bourbon or vodka, you can make it with rum’. I think that captures the versatility of rum in cocktails.” b&c

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BEER

LA LA(GER) LAND Despite the resurgence of ales due to the global craft beer boom, nine out of ten beers drunk in Australia are lagers. Contrary to popular belief, mainstream macro-lagers are not the beginning and the end of the lager category – there is plenty more to explore.

WHAT IS IT? Like the general divide between red and white in wine, beer can – in broad strokes – be divided into lagers and ales.

As such, lager isn’t a beer style, so much as it is a broad category – in fact, according to the Brewers Association (BA) guidelines there are 30 distinct lager styles. These styles range from the proverbial ‘sex in a canoe’ American light lager, right through to Eisbock, which can hit 14.0% ABV and higher.

SO WHAT DOES LAGER MEAN? Glad you asked. What makes a lager actually a ‘lager’ is the fermentation process. While ales are fermented warm using ‘topfermenting’ yeast, lagers are made with ‘bottom-fermenting’ yeast at much cooler temperatures.

A cooler fermentation means a slower one – lagers generally take at least twice as long to turn around as ales. In addition to the slower fermentation, traditionally-brewed lagers then undergo a lengthy period of cold conditioning called ‘lagering’, which can range from a couple of weeks to several months in time.

Hence craft brewers with their small margins and tiny breweries tend to shy away from brewing lagers – it takes

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a long time to make and ties up their tanks for too long.

WHEN DID LAGER BECOME A THING? While the cold storage of beer – often in caves – was a common practice in the medieval period, bottomfermenting lager yeast isn’t believed to have evolved until the early 15th century. Since the beginning, however, lager brewing has been centred around the area of Bavaria in Europe.

Interestingly, lager was generally brown in colour until Pilsner Urquell’s bright, golden-colour debuted in 1842.

PILSENER IS A LAGER The big daddy of the lager category is the Pilsener (often spelt Pilsner or shortened to Pils).

Bohemian Pilseners are typically deep gold in colour with deeper malt flavour and a rounder, more balanced character.

German Pilseners are lighter in both colour and body, and have a balance more towards hops and bitterness, although their IBU (International Bittering Units) count tends not to be any higher.

COME TO THE DARK SIDE Dark lager styles include Munich dunkel (a brown, very malty beer with little

to no hoppiness), schwarzbier (darker but less malty than Munich dunkel, made using de-husked roasted malt to achieve its near-black colour without much roasted flavour) and American dark lager (like most US styles it is light in body with low malt flavour and little hop character).

INDEED YOU ARE STRONG Traditional bock is a rich brown lager with toasty malt flavour and considerable sweetness while sittin on about 6.0 to 8.0% ABV. The strongest of all the lager styles is eisbock, which is made by freezing a doppelbock and removing the ice to intensify the flavour and increase the alcohol content.

Ever wondered how BrewDog got their beer The End Of History (the bottles were housed in specially made roadkill taxidermy cosies and sold for $900 per 330ml bottle) to 55.0% ABV? They froze it repeatedly at a local ice cream factory.

Other lager styles listed by the BA include the smoked Bamberg-style rauchbier, and the kellerbier – any generic unfiltered German lager.

Finally, there are a handful of new, and not so official lager styles created by craft brewers, such as the ‘new world’ Pilsener, imperial Pilsener and the India pale lager, or IPL. b&c

FUN FACT With the exception of Guinness in Ireland, the most popular beer in every country in the world is a lager.

POUR IT OUT Lagers are best enjoyed at relatively cold temperatures, so it’s best to avoid standard pint glasses, which warm up with handling. Stemmed glasses like tulips and flutes are good glassware choices for lagers, but you’ll do just as well with a good old beer mug in a half-pint or pint size.

bars&clubs FOR BAR PROFESSIONALS WHO WANT MORE

NOW WITH GREATER REACH THAN EVER PREMIUM MIXERS

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR MIXER SELECTION

FRED SIGGINS

PREMIUM MIXERS

THE COCKTAIL TRENDS YOU NEED TO KNOW

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR MIXER SELECTION

SUSTAINABLE BARS

FRED SIGGINS

THE LITTLE CHANGES YOU CAN MAKE ACCORDING TO MR LYAN LTD

THE COCKTAIL TRENDS YOU NEED TO KNOW

BUILD THE RIGHT CAREER

THE LITTLE CHANGES YOU CAN MAKE ACCORDING TO MR LYAN LTD

SUSTAINABLE BARS

THE EXPERT ADVICE YOU NEED TO READ

BUILD THE RIGHT CAREER THE EXPERT ADVICE YOU NEED TO READ

AUTHENTIC

AMERICA Why American whiskey is bigger and better than ever

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AUTHENTIC

AMERICA Why American whiskey is bigger and better than ever

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AUSTRALIAN DRINKS FESTIVAL

editorial: Stefanie - scollins@intermedia.com.au advertising: Samantha - smiller@intermedia.com.au | 02 8586 6123

Keep tabs with Albert, the clever EFTPOS tablet.

If you own a seaside restaurant, a hidden bar, or even a lobster wholesale business, you can let your customers start a tab. Maybe they’re in for their weekly dinner, or just want to grab the next round. With some help from Albert and his Open Tab app, you can quickly start and manage customer accounts.

Imagine what Albert can do for your business.

Call 1800 730 554 or visit commbank.com.au/albert