Bars & Clubs Winter 2018

WINTER 2018

&clubs

BELVEDERE Matt Pomeroy on terroir, rye and the way forward for vodka

WINTER COCKTAILS Keep your customers warm and merry

RUM

Ian Burrell on spiced rum as an entry-point

FLAIR GURU

The man behind Tom Cruise’s moves in Cocktail

PLUS: THE RETURN OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD BAR – JAMES IRVINE IN MEXICO – AUSTRALIAN SPIRITS

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first drinks

CAUSE FOR OPTIMISM

“While small concessions have been granted to the industry over the last four years, bars in Sydney – and indeed, across the state of NSW – still face an

uphill battle.” @BARSANDCLUBSMAGAZINE

MANAGING DIRECTOR Simon Grover PUBLISHER Paul Wootton pwootton@intermedia.com.au EDITOR Tam Allenby tallenby@intermedia.com.au PHOTOGRAPHER Simon Taylor: Australian Spirits

/BARSANDCLUB

Tam Allenby Editor

@BARS_AND_CLUBS

GENERAL MANAGER SALES – LIQUOR & HOSPITALITY GROUP Shane T Williams stwilliams@intermedia.com.au NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Andrea Diaz adiaz@intermedia.com.au GRAPHIC DESIGN Ryan Vizcarra ryanv@intermedia.com.au

It’s no secret that the nightlife economy in Sydney hasn’t exactly been booming in recent years.

An incalculable number of words have been dedicated to that great evil, the lockout laws, since they were introduced way back in February 2014, and I’m sure many of you know operators and friends who’ve had to shut up shop because of them.

But the numbers are still shocking. As the Sydney Morning Herald reported in May of this year, 418 licensed premises have closed in the Sydney CBD and Kings Cross since 2014, but only 242 new small bar and on premises licenses have been granted – amounting to a net loss of 176 venues. In other words, Sydney has lost one venue every eight days since the lockouts.

While small concessions have been granted to the industry over the last four years, bars in Sydney – and indeed, across the state of NSW – still face an uphill battle. Nonetheless, one recent development is cause for significant optimism: the launch of the NSW Independent Bars Association (read all about it on page 6).

It may be a cliché, but it’s true: together, we are stronger. Finally, the small bar industry in NSW will have a unified voice – it’s time to make it happen.

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BARS&clubs 3

WINTER 2018 28

Features 22 BITTERS, SYRUPS & MIXERS Sacha Delfosse on sugar, spice and everything nice.

28 RUM Ian Burrell, one of the world’s leading rum personalities, zeroes in on spiced rums.

32 WINTER DRINKS Charlie Whitting chats to some of the country’s top bartenders about their exciting winter menus.

40

36 AMERICAN WHISKEY There’s so much more to this category than bourbon.

40 PALE ALE Every brewery makes one, but they don’t tend to dominate beer headlines like the IPA, writes Luke Robertson.

Regulars 6 NEWS What you need to know.

22

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

10 NEW FACES Keep an eye on these up-and-comers.

12 INSPIRATION

32

Belvedere’s new terroir-driven vodkas, James Irvine’s Mexican adventure, Oscar Eastman on the rise of the neighbourhood bar, and more.

20 CATEGORY SPOTLIGHT This time, it’s all about the booming Australian spirits scene.

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12

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BARS&clubs 5

news ORLANDO MARZO WINS DIAGEO WORLD CLASS AUSTRALIA

STRONGER TOGETHER: INDEPENDENT BARS ASSOCIATION LAUNCHES

The NSW Independent Bars Association (IBA) was officially launched in late May, as all the key players in the state’s bar industry gathered at Restaurant Hubert in Sydney’s CBD. The association aims to give small bar operators across NSW a singular and unified voice, in an effort to make NSW and Sydney global nightlife icons – rather than laughing stocks.

With the vast majority of the key NSW small bar operators gathered to learn and embrace what the association aims to bring, there was a palpable sense of optimism and positivity as the CEO of House of Pocket, Karl Schlothauer, outlined the plans for the association.

“After a painful process of trying to extend the trading hours on one of my small bars, which involved a massive time, resource and financial commitment over 10 months, I was granted one hour,” Schlothauer told those gathered at Hubert.

“When I looked back on this I wondered, ‘why is it so fucking hard?’ There must be other guys out there facing the same challenges, if not more than me. This is why the IBA has to exist. It’s a collective community and an organised united voice… Maybe I could have had more traction with council if I was speaking on behalf of 120 operators rather than just one.”

The IBA now has an interim board with Luke Ashton as its Treasurer, Charlie Lehmann as Secretary, Pasan Wijesena as Vice President and Schlothauer as President, all of whom are also founding members of the IBA, along with Tim Philips Johansson, Anton Forte and Jason Scott.

Catching up the day after the event, Schlothauer told BARS&clubs that he has already had more than 40 bars submit their application forms, and will aim to have over 100 bars as members in time for the AGM in September.

Image credit: Cass Hannagan

BOMBAY X VIVID Bombay Sapphire launched a successful pop-up bar at the MCA in Sydney – on the museum’s picturesque Sculpture terrace – for three weeks during the annual Vivid festival. Guests were immersed in a multisensory environment of light and projections, while enjoying illuminated, LED-lit G&T’s and other exclusive gin cocktails.

6 BARS&clubs

Orlando Marzo of Lume Restaurant, Melbourne, took out the coveted title of Australia’s 2018 Bartender of the Year at the Diageo World Class Australian final in late April, beating a record number of 500 entrants. Marzo was awarded the top prize after completing two days of intense workshops and challenges, battling it out against 19 of Australia’s best bartenders.

Held at Fred’s Bar in Sydney’s Paddington, this year’s World Class final included four live cocktail challenges hosted by various experts, hand-selected by Diageo for their contribution to the industry. “I’ve met so many great people and made so many great connections during the competition,” said Marzo during his winning speech. “I’m incredibly proud to call Australia home and I cannot wait to represent you all.”

Marzo will now embark on a once-in-a-lifetime, all expenses paid trip to Berlin to represent Australia on the world stage at the Global Finals in October.

WEST WINDS START CROWDFUNDING Popular Western Australian gin, West Winds, has launched a crowd-funding page as it looks to raise capital to help with domestic and international growth. Investments start at $500 and go up to $10,000. Money raised will be used to cover production costs, marketing and domestic and international expansion.

MERIVALE PROMO Merivale venues offered Sydneysiders 49% off all drinks between 5-7pm for the entire month of June.

The offer, called ‘Bottoms Up, Sydney’, was available at 37 of Merivale’s bars and pubs around the city, and applied to all drinks up to the value of $200.

“This is our small way of saying thank you to Sydney,” said Merivale CEO Justin Hemmes.

news JAMES IRVINE PODIUMS BACARDI LEGACY, TAKES UP FOUR PILLARS GIG James Irvine took out a top three finish in the 2018 Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition with his Bocado cocktail in Mexico City in early May, losing out to eventual winner Eric van Beek from Netherlands. Following his impressive podium finish, it was revealed that Irvine would be taking up a new role with Four Pillars as their Creative Director – capping off a busy and successful few months for the Sydney bartender.

AUSTRALIA’S CHIVAS MASTER CROWNED The Australian winner of the Chivas Masters Cocktail Competition for 2018 was recently crowned, with The Baxter Inn’s Louis Macpherson taking out top honours in a tightly-contested final in Sydney. At the time of publishing, Macpherson was preparing for the Global Final to be held in London late June. The global winner will receive an allexpenses paid trip to this year’s ‘Tales of The Cocktail 2018 in New Orleans’ and represent Chivas Regal on the global stage.

BLACK PEARL ALUMNI TO OPEN NEW BAR Four Black Pearl alumni will open a new bar called ‘Fancy Free’ in the Melbourne CBD later this year. Sharing over 50 years of industry experience between them, Rob Libecans, Chris Hysted-Adams, Matthew Stirling and Ryan Noreiks are keeping the concept for their new bar simple: a neigbourhood bar, but in the middle of the CBD. “We have been working towards this point since we met,” says Hysted-Adams. “It’s always been our dream to open a bar and now the time is right for all of us to do it together. Kind of like the Avengers, but with drinks.”

SAN FRANCISCO WORLD SPIRITS COMPETITION RESULTS ANNOUNCED

0.01% Premium Awards at the prestigious annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition went to Kavalan Distillery in Taiwan (Distillery of the Year), Sazerac Company (Importer of the Year) and The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (Director’s Award of Excellence).

The 2469 entries received in the competition – from over 65 countries on six continents – was the largest in its 19 years, marking an 11% increase when compared to 2018. Also, an interesting sign for market tastes and the industry at large was the fact that certain categories saw major increases in their number of entries; Bourbon entries were up 60%, Baiju entries up 24%, Rye entries increased by 20% and Gin by 10%.

Winners in the top drinks categories were: Best in Show Unaged White Spirit: Cazcanes Blanco Tequila Best in Show Aged White Spirit: Plantation Jamaica 2002 Vintage Rum Best in Show Whisky: The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Cask No. 29.224 Single Malt Scotch ‘We Arrived!’

Best in Show Brandy: Gautier Cognac 1755 Extra Best in Show Liqueur: Montenegro Amaro Best of Class awards in some of the major categories included Best Gin, which went to Batch Industrial Strength Gin from the UK; Best Vodka, awarded to Austria’s NEFT Vodka; Best Bourbon, awarded to Henry McKenna Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon, and Best Blended Scotch, which went to Cutty Sark Prohibition Blended Scotch.

Full results are available on the SFWSC website.

How much total global alcohol consumption grew by in 2017, following a decline of -1.25% in 2016.

Wine contributed the largest gain in global volume, followed by cider; spirits declined marginally.

(IWSR Global Alcohol Consumption

by Category – 2016 vs 2017)

HAVE YOU SEEN BARS&CLUBS ONLINE?

All the latest industry news, along with features, tips and tutorials

BARS&clubs 7

openings

A

THE DOSS HOUSE

new whisky bar, tucked into the sandstone depths of one of Sydney’s oldest suburbs The Rocks, officially opened its doors in late March.

With an opening collection of around 150 whiskies from Australia, Scotland, Ireland, Japan and America, whisky takes centre stage at The Doss House, a unique basement bar with an eclectic history. Colourful former tenants include a bootmaker and an opium dealer, their stories entwined within the interior and theme of each of the five cosy bar spaces.

Signature cocktails such as The Dusky Scotchman (Laphroaig 10yo, Branca Menta, honey, saline), Blackberry & Lemon Myrtille Fizz (blackberry-infused Stolichnaya, lemon myrtle, fresh lemon, Cynar), and My Name is Earl (Earl Grey-infused gin, peach aperitif, orange marmalade, fresh lemon, basil) sit alongside a selection of classic cocktail favourites.

Accompanying the drinks are a handful of 8 BARS&clubs

sharing platters, which all feature a selection of pickles, chutney, cheese and meat. Of particular note is the Aussie platter, with emu prosciutto and kangaroo salami served alongside damper and artisanal Australian cheeses.

The Doss House is co-owned by school friends and Irish expatriates Colm O’Neill and Eoin Daniels. Daniels’ other business, Top Knot Carpentry and Joinery, has fitted out venues including Opera Bar, The Clock Hotel, and The Golden Sheaf. Another of Colm’s school friends, Bobby Carey (Big Poppa’s, Shady Pines) has consulted on the menu, along with bar manager Alex O’Brien (Bar No. 5, Archie Rose).

“Understandably, we couldn’t touch the walls or ceilings, all the bars and cabinets had to be free-standing and we had to insert a protective layer over the floors but during the process we have retained the character and

original feel of the building,” explains Daniels.

“You just have to take one look at those gorgeous sandstone walls and you want to create something around them that does justice to their beauty.”

“My favourite type of bar is one that you can find a cosy nook in, or a little bar you can sit up at and have a chat, with a tidy collection of drinks to choose from and with a smile,” he says. “The reality is there’s some great bars in Sydney that already do that well.

“What makes our experience a little special is the fact you have this rare opportunity to choose a whisky from one of Australia’s finest producers or one of the best from abroad and enjoy it in a space that has this rich history attached to the walls, unlike anywhere else.

The building is steeped in stories you’d expect to hear from your granny; old and romantic.”

Address: 77/79 George St, The Rocks NSW

openings Alibi

Sydney’s latest cocktail destination and the first Australian hotel with a 100% plant-based dining menu has opened in Woolloomooloo. Alibi, part of Ovolo Woolloomooloo Boutique Hotel, is spearheaded by a renowned US chef, restaurateur and plant-based dining pioneer Matthew Kenney, and is his first venture in Australia. Trained at the French Culinary Institute, Kenney and his team use a combination of classical and innovative cooking techniques to give locally-sourced plant-based ingredients a creative makeover. The cocktail list also offers guests a unique experience, incorporating molecular techniques, cooking and even pastry. Signature drinks include ‘Enchanted Forest’ (Sol Tarasco artisanal rum, Jägermeister, white cacao, steamed Portobello mushroom, citric acid, green apple and absinthe foam) and ‘Beetroot Beatbox’ (Plantation Dark Rum, Belgian dark chocolate, freeze dried beetroot, aquafaba and walnut oil), while the wine list shines a light on a selection of smaller Australian producers.

Promise Bar

Hidden behind Promise Café in Prahran is Melbourne’s newest speakeasy – a venue you wouldn’t know existed, if it weren’t for a few key signs. A neon-blue Japanese turning signal on top of the building points patrons in the right direction; walking into the café – open suspiciously late – the next clue is an out-of-place ‘Staff Only’ sign above a glass-paneled door. Once granted entry by a barista, you’ll find Promise Bar. The grungy, late night cocktail lounge is owned

by Vaughan Marks, also the owner of skate company Parlay, who has long been intrigued by the culture of speakeasy bars. Alongside friend and artist Daniel Hernandez, whose work features throughout the venue, the two came up with the concept of Promise Bar. One unique element of Promise Bar’s offering is its lack of a set menu or cocktail list. Instead, patrons are offered a ‘Pick your Promise’ card, highlighting their likes and dislikes so that a bartender can create a specially curated cocktail to suit their taste.

The Collaroy

The Collaroy, Merivale’s new Northern Beaches pub, recently opened its doors – celebrating everything that its prime beachside location is known for. Relaxed and fuss-free, the venue offers a variety of casual drinking and dining options, from a place to pop in for a beer after a swim to a whole day experience. The wine list focuses on fresh, crisp white and rosé, while the cocktail menu has been designed to be enjoyed by the sea and has been created by Merivale’s finest bartenders from The Newport, Papi Chulo and Coogee Pavilion. Food options differ on the venue’s two floors, but suffice to say it’s seafood heavy with plenty of snacking options, as well as wood-fired pizza. It’s Merivale’s second Northern Beaches venue, following the launch of The Newport in March 2016; interestingly, they’re also offering free transport to The Collaroy from The Newport every Friday and Saturday night to keep the punters partying.

The Store Room

Another new Melbourne speakeasy – where an automated phone sitting inside the doorway grants patrons entry – opened in St Kilda in early May. The Store Room, which fills a space that used to house a barbershop on St Kilda Road, is packed with a variety of eclectic collectables and knick knacks and specialises in gin, whisky and cocktails. The comprehensive spirits list is divided into categories and subcategories; customers can enjoy a dry, floral, spicy or fruity gin flight, a selection of aged or unaged agave spirits, or their pick of American, Japanese and Australian whiskies or Scotch. Head bartender Madeline Loughran is in charge of the cocktail side of the equation, and there’s also a curated wine list of mostly Australian and Kiwi reds and whites, available by the glass or bottle. And while The Store Room mightn’t have a designated kitchen it does offer a selection of hand-picked cheeses, cold meats and that ever-reliable drinking food: the jaffle.

Address: 6 Cowper Wharf Rd, Woolloomooloo NSW

Address: 173 High St, Prahran VIC

Address: 1064 Pittwater Rd, Collaroy NSW

Address: 2-12 St Kilda Rd, St Kilda VIC

BARS&clubs 9

new faces

Chelsea Lamperd, Beneath Driver Lane (VIC)

I became a bartender because… It’s a chance to be creative, challenge myself and have an awesome time doing so. There’s always something to learn and new people to meet which is pretty cool. My service weapon is… A good attitude and a kick ass bar blade. The best part of the industry is…The people who work in it! The support and friendship everyone gives each other is amazing. Feels like one big weird hospo family. The worst part is... The hours. Being a night owl and working every weekend has its perks but it also makes it hard to find time to see close friends and family who work ‘normal’ hours. The international bar I want to visit is… Bar High Five in Japan or Death & Co in New York. If I could serve someone famous it would be… Hamish Blake. The cocktail I would make cool again is… French martini. Drinkers are paying attention to… Sustainability in bars. Guests are excited to see the use of metal straws and ‘trash’ syrups which is awesome to see. If I ruled the world, I would make everyone… Drink more daiquiris!

Marina McCaul, The Wild Rover (NSW)

I became a bartender because… No-one would let me become a psychologist because I apparently give terrible advice, but I can make them a darn good drink to help forget about their problems. My service weapon is… The really, super good relationship advice I give to guests followed by a shot of Whiskey Mac and a tall, fruity cocktail. The best part of the industry is… Hosting a party with your work mates for strangers every night who, by the end of it, become part of the venue family. Also, suits like to party too, they just need some encouragement. The worst part is... Suits that absolutely do not want to party. The international bar I want to visit is… In New Orleans again to check out French 75 Bar for some fancy cultured stuff, then hit up a strip club on the wonderfully tacky Bourbon St. If I could serve someone famous it would be… Salvador Dali or Martin Scorsese because boy, would that guy know how to get krunk. The cocktail I would make cool again is… Frozen strawberry daquiri. Drinkers are paying attention to… Us Rovers shirtless on the bar top whenever Tiny Dancer by Elton John comes on. If I ruled the world, I would make everyone… Always wear superhero costumes and start the day with a glass of red wine because life shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

Michael Keogh, Maybe Mae (SA)

I became a bartender because… I love the challenge of service. Juggling customer chat, bar operations and ambience, and putting a drink together that will make my customer’s night. My service weapon is… My customer chat. The best part of the industry is… The sense of family and belonging with coworkers and other industry professionals alike. We all work these crazy hours and do it because we love it. The worst part is…

Those nights where everything feels like it’s going wrong. You know the ones I mean; when it feels like you’re working in quicksand. The international bar I want to visit is…. Dandelyan for all the weird and wonderful creations they concoct, and The Dead Rabbit because I was raised on Irish whiskey – it has a special place in my heart. If I could serve someone famous it would be… Danny Meyer because after such a long career I’m sure he’s got a whole lot of legendary stories to go along with his wealth of knowledge. The cocktail I would make cool again is… London Calling. Hands down my favourite gin classic. Drinkers are paying attention to…

Ambience first and foremost; temperature, lighting and music define your venue before you even get a chance to have a chat. If I ruled the world, I would make everyone… Serve as a bartender and/or waiter for at least a year.

Jahmila Gensen, The Marlborough Hotel (NSW)

I became a bartender because… I was getting back into music, and I knew having a night life bar job would get me connected with other artists. My service weapon is… My hands of course! They literally do all the work, mixing vodka lime sodas, shaking espresso martinis, you name it. The best part of the industry is… The amount of different people you come across, you can network in so many different ways in this industry. The worst part is... Often the hours can be quite exhausting, but I work with awesome people which helps you get by. The international bar I want to visit is… Rosa’s Lounge in Chicago. I’ve never left Australia but I would love to check out blues and jazz clubs in Chicago and New Orleans and LA. If I could serve someone famous it would be… Will Smith. I would then ask him to rap me the intro song for The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. The cocktail I would make cool again is… Piña colada. Drinkers are paying attention to… Good manners and a big smile :) If I ruled the world, I would make everyone… BOOGIE.

10 BARS&clubs

inspiration

TERROIR IN VODKA Luxury vodka brand Belvedere recently lifted the curtain on its new Single Estate Rye Series, which aims to bring the concept of terroir into the world of vodka. BARS&clubs caught up with Matt Pomeroy, Belvedere’s Global Education and Advocacy Director, to chat about the two exciting new expressions in the series.

HOW LONG HAS THE SINGLE ESTATE RYE SERIES BEEN IN THE WORKS? We have been exploring character and the expression of rye’s flavour through our vodka since we were launched, but it was around three years ago that we really started the deep dive investigation into the effects and variance of different terroirs on our liquid.

CAN YOU EXPAND ON THE CONCEPT OF TERROIR IN RYE? The Belvedere Single Estate Rye Series is an exploration into the idea of terroir (soil, topography, and climate) in vodka, demonstrating that climate variation affects the taste yielded from the same superior Polish Dankowskie Diamond Rye used in each expression.

HOW DO THE TWO VODKAS IN THE SERIES COMPARE? Bold and savoury Smogóry Forest is made entirely from Dankowskie Diamond Rye grown at a single small estate deep in western Poland. The pastoral region is known for its vast forests, short, continental weather fronts, mild winters and fertile soils.

This lush, forested terroir is reflected in the new distinctive vodka. With notes of salted caramel, a touch of honey and white pepper, the liquid boasts a bold and savory finish.

Fresh and delicate Lake Bartežek is crafted from Dankowskie Diamond Rye grown at a single farm in northern Poland’s Mazury lake

district, a region renowned for its crystalclear glacial lakes, weather shaped by Baltic winds and long, snowy winters.

In fact, the rye in this region spends over 80 winter days buried in snow – conditions that add to its character and flavour profile. The name comes from Lake Bartežek, which runs along the estate’s eastern edge. This lakeside terroir is reflected in this distinctive vodka. With notes of black pepper, toasted nuts and cream, the liquid finishes with a delicate, fresh flavor.

WHAT MAKES BELVEDERE STAND OUT IN THE VODKA WORLD? Belvedere vodka is made from 100% Polska Rye. Rye is famed for its ability to withstand aggressive temperatures and poor soil, giving it a reputation for defiance and tenacity. It also imparts more flavor and character into our vodka versus more neutral style ingredients. Taste, character and a passion for Polish rye and terroir represent the brand, reflecting the key ingredients that make Belvedere such a fantastic vodka, while always celebrating over six centuries of Polish vodka heritage.

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THOSE WHO UNDERESTIMATE VODKA’S FLAVOUR POTENTIAL? Vodka has had quite a challenging time over the past few years and I think that largely other categories have had strong innovation and development, while vodka was just lacking that ‘something special’ to talk about, that little bit of magic that creates a conversation.

I truly believe that our Single Estate Series, through our exploration of terroir in vodka, will ignite that spark and cause that conversation again.

Vodka is back, with substance, with innovation and with conversation.

In a nutshell, there are thousands of vodkas of many different personalities and styles. Some are lighter in style and some are rich and full of character and complexity, such as Belvedere. It’s a big and diverse category and we should celebrate it and enjoy exploring it.

DO YOU ENCOURAGE BARTENDERS TO EXPERIMENT WITH THESE VODKAS? Absolutely, bartenders are so creative today. We challenge them to use their own style, journey and even their own terroir to really elevate these two expressions.

BARS&clubs 11

inspiration

WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME Oscar Eastman raises a glass to the ‘new local’.

T

he resurgence of the respectable cocktail, piggybacking on the digital revolution and the burgeoning craft spirits industry, has resulted in a veritable cacophony of crazy creations and tantalisingly niche bars becoming commonplace in Australia’s cities.

But perhaps the most fantastic consequence of the return of cocktail culture is its establishment of a new standard of quality in what we drink. Quality small bars are no longer confined to the cities, but have spread to the suburbs and regional cities of Australia.

Long after the last embattled city hospitality worker burns out, and long after robots have replaced humans as the go-to labour source, the humble neighbourhood bar will persist. Armed with no more than a couple of bottles and some genuine old fashioned hospitality, there is a certain permanence to this style of hospitality these local institutions offer which I cannot resist. So in the interest of spreading the good word, I’d like to take this opportunity to name a few of my favourite, unique locals worth travelling for.

THE ROOKS RETURN (VIC) The Rooks was one of the first bars I ever stepped foot in when I moved to Melbourne. Like home, it never quite feels as though I’ve left, and despite me being as regular as the furniture, this bar escapes pretence. Boasting the humblest staff in town, it’s a refuge from the chaos of Brunswick St with cosy spaces, great live music (including house band The Rookies), board games, great Australian beers and solid cocktails. You’ll be very unlucky to get out without a handshake and a smile.

THE BEARDED TIT (NSW) Hidden away in Redfern, The Bearded Tit is one of the most unique bars where I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying a cold drink. The space itself is a noisy symphony of motifs, with walls adorned in sexual crochets and taxidermy and plenty of booths for you and your dearest to get lost in conversation. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, priding itself as a melting pot for Sydney’s LGBTQI+ community, and while the drinks are of 12 BARS&clubs

course delicious, they take a backseat to sporadic artistic performances and the general good vibes found within.

STRANGE COMPANY (WA) Located just a stone’s throw from the beach in Fremantle, Strange Company is one of the better places to sink a drink on the sunset side of the country. Being a Sydney boy now in Melbourne, I often lament the lack of a lingering beach smell to complement the satisfying end of the day. Luckily, with its collective of former Melbourne veterans and WA locals, the Strange Company team have managed to unite the superb food and beverage scene of the east with that laid back Fremantle attitude.

MR WEST BAR & BOTTLESHOP (VIC) Though Josh Hodges and Caleb Baker need no introduction, their marvellous Footscray haunt is well worthy of its immediate induction into the top tier of Melbourne hospitality. As pioneers in Melbourne’s Wild Wild West, these cowboys have established themselves as top purveyors of craft beers, fancy drinks and cheery faces. Though they do offer some cheese and charcuterie offerings, they are also amenable to you sneaking in your own snacks from any of the wonderful restaurants which abound the Footscray sidewalks.

Though I’ve barely scratched the surface, these bars serve as examples of what I see as the most wonderful emergent trend in hospitality. The spread of small bars beyond the niche and elite and into the accessible spaces of suburbs and towns signals not only the evolution of the small bar movement, but of the Australian cultural landscape. These bars occupy a special place in my heart not because there is some remarkable gimmick to their venues or their drinks but because of the absence of selfindulgent hospitality culture. They embrace their guests like old friends and encapsulate the notion of community which evades so many of our modern interactions.

To those trying to build something in the hospitality industry, remember that true hospitality is not building a bar in a community, but building community in a bar.

FOR BAR PROFESSIONALS WHO WANT MORE

NOW WITH GREATER REACH THAN EVER &clubs

AUTUMN 2018

AUTUMN 2018

BARTENDER’S BIBLE What’s hot in 2018?

AGAVE SPIRITS No slowing down the agave train

VODKA

Neglect it at your peril

VANGUARD

10 years in the liquor game

&clubs

BARTENDER’S BIBLE What’s hot in 2018?

AGAVE SPIRITS No slowing down the agave train

VODKA

Neglect it at your peril

VANGUARD

10 years in the liquor game

P L U S : L I F E O N T H E R O A D – T O M C O L L I N S – N E W FA C E S

P L U S : L I F E O N T H E R O A D – T O M C O L L I N S – N E W FA C E S

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AUSTRALIAN DRINKS FESTIVAL

editorial: Tam - tallenby@intermedia.com.au advertising: Paul - pwootton@intermedia.com.au | 02 8586 6155

inspiration

EXPERT KNOWLEDGE World renowned mixologist, author and expert bar consultant Grant Collins opened his latest venue, Gin Lane in Sydney’s Kensington Street precinct, at the tail end of 2017. With a successful few months of trading now under the belt, BARS&clubs thought it was as good a time as any to pick Collins’ brain.

WHY THE GIN FOCUS FOR THE NEW VENUE? Walking into the space, it felt like a Victorian townhouse and it had gin written all over it. It wasn’t like I was trying to force a concept into the space, it was really just what came to mind, and a bit of a no-brainer really.

WHAT’S THE DRINKS PROGRAM LIKE? We have about 120 gins now. The cocktail list is about 10 signatures, six classics, and then a few sharing drinks.

Then we’ve got drinks specials, gins of the month, cocktails of the month, we do a happy hour… it never stops moving, there’s always new stuff on the menu, even if officially it only updates every couple of months.

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE SIGNATURE COCKTAILS FOR GIN LANE? It’s almost a balance of trying to find something that is unique, innovative or experiential – but nobody wants to wait 20 minutes for a drink, no matter how good it is! By the time it gets to the guest they’re already pissed off and it’s too late. So it has to be able to come out quickly. And that’s been one of the challenges of the venue too: it’s not a purpose built hospitality venue. Because Gin Lane is a listed building, original 1820s, we couldn’t put a massive bar in there so we have to be clever with some pre-batched cocktails. Some of the drinks might look a little bit more complex than they are, and then we’ve got the Gin Lane G&T on tap, for example. It’s all about finding new ways to batch drinks, and then trying to put a bit of an experiential touch on it while staying within the theme of Gin Lane.

AND IT’S ALL GOING WELL? We extended our capacity recently with a terrace out the front so it’s sitting at 100 now, and that’s working well, increasing revenue by about 400% – we’ve gone from selling about 20-30 cocktails a night to the other week, when we hit 450 for the first time. It’s going better than we could have imagined, and we could do with a bigger venue really – there’s a waiting list on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from five o’clock! Gin Lane’s really just hit a mark, people want a fun environment, and I think bars can sometimes be a little bit serious – we’ve sort of broken down those barriers.

I UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE A STRONG PERSONAL FOCUS ON FITNESS? I was always pretty sporty, so going into the fitness business was always what I had planned to do. I did a degree in sports science when I was in my early 20s, but did a bit of travelling and ended up collecting glasses and bar-backing in the US. But in this industry, it’s been my saviour. I’ve seen too many people get gobbled up, it’s extremely sad and I think it’s something that people don’t talk about enough. I started in my mid-to-late twenties so I was a bit of a late starter, and it’s been almost 20 years now, but the thing that keeps me going is having that balance. It’s something the industry should talk about more really.

ANY OTHER ADVICE FOR YOUNG, AMBITIOUS BARTENDERS? In the age of social media, it’s really easy to just get directed by other people.

While I think it’s extremely important to be inspired by others in the industry, it’s really important to keep your own ideas and to have your own direction.

Use social media as inspiration, but don’t copy what you see on there just because it’s ‘on-trend’.

BARS&clubs 15

TO MEXICO AND BACK, BOCADO STYLE James Irvine was the deserving winner of the Australian leg of the Bacardi Legacy Global Cocktail Competition earlier in the year, earning himself a trip to Mexico to compete in the Global Final in May – where he eventually placed on the podium. In this column for BARS&clubs, Irvine shares his thoughts about the experience and his tips for success in what is one of the world’s premier cocktail competitions.

B

acardi Legacy is recognised as one of the world’s largest format cocktail competitions. Recently the 10th anniversary was celebrated with the competition hosted in Mexico City. 34 countries and bartenders were chosen to represent on the global stage and I was the fortunate candidate for Australia.

Australia has a great history at the global level, being in the competition’s last stage (aka The Top 8 or Ocho) four out of the five times that we’ve competed. With this in mind, the bar had been set with high expectation, and as a team we approached the global final with thorough preparation and eagerness.

16 BARS&clubs

Prior to arriving to Mexico City, the team incurred two slight issues involving glassware. Although bubble wrapped and kept in our carry-on luggage, two Riedel Coupettes and a less-than-fortunate Asanoha mixing glass didn’t make the journey. Alas, the perils of international travel! Enter Bacardi Brand Ambassador Loy Catada to the rescue. Pro tip: back everything up. We, as a team, double packed everything in the case of an emergency and it proved to be worth our every caution.

The first few days had an almost Olympic Village feel, with all the meeting, greeting and mingling amongst competitors and the global Bacardi family. The first

inspiration

formal dinner saw the drawing of the 34 nations’ competition order, to be held over two days.

Day one countries were to present their Legacy cocktails and day two their promotional campaign presentations. Although competitors had no control of the order their name was to be drawn out of the hat – or in this case, a vintage cocktail shaker – the competitive edge started to come out.

Team Australia felt more comfortable being drawn in the order of promotional campaign first and Legacy cocktail second. This was the case, however being called 16th out of 17 on the last day almost had us thinking “are we at the right dinner?”

With the stage set brought on, it was time for what is, in my opinion, the greatest challenge in the Bacardi Legacy global finals: the promotional campaign presentation. Just seven minutes to talk about six months of hard work, providing insights, results and all whilst making it engaging, interesting and different? We succeeded in this by highlighting key facts, focusing on creative approaches and being as personable as possible.

In the end, this approach worked in our favour – go figure…

Although I was prepared with both my drink and promotional campaign content, the feeling of presenting in the semi-finals, and eventually the global final, is unparalleled. On both occasions it was a clockwork routine; hair and makeup, photo, prep time, shot and pre-show tunes with Loy Catada (seriously, the dude is the best) and then show time!

Whatever happens on stage is totally up to you, and in hindsight I wouldn’t change a thing.

But I did have a guy propose to his girlfriend only minutes before I went out for the global final… how do you follow that? Own it. It’s your seven minutes, make it what you want it to be.

The pressure of making two drinks on stage on the other side of the world shouldn’t faze anyone – you make hundreds of drinks in one night, so you might as well make them the same way you do in your bar every night. That’s what got you there in the first place, right?

Things I learned that abetted my experience through Bacardi Legacy were definitely from an organizational perspective; like I said, you’ve made the drink, now you’ve got to make the legacy.

Listen to the people that are in the places that you’re not. Digital and PR support are great tools for getting your Legacy cocktail out there. Brand reps are there to support you and the overall goal for sales, so spend time with them in the trade.

And finally, offer more to bars and bar teams than just your spec on how to make your drink – they’re not just your friends now, they’re your support network.

I’d like to thank everyone involved with BOCADO over the past 6 months, I couldn’t have made it anywhere without your support.

BARS&clubs 17

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BARS • COCKTAILS • CRAFT SPIRITS • BEERS • BUSINESS

inspiration

THE GRANDFATHER OF FLAIR

The 1988 film Cocktail, starring Tom Cruise and Bryan Brown, undoubtedly inspired a generation of bartenders and helped embed flair bartending in the popular consciousness.

In this interview courtesy of the World Flair Association, the man behind the movie magic, John Bandy, reflects on his experience.

HOW DID YOU START FLAIR BARTENDING? actually looking for someone to train Bryan Brown and The funny thing is, I started flair purely out of boredom Tom Cruise for an upcoming film. So I gave them the one day. I was working at TGI Fridays in Los Angeles video of the Bartending Olympics contest from a few and I was new there, so I was getting all the jobs no one weeks before and I got the gig! Before I knew it I was wants to do and the boring stuff. I was getting a little being flown out to all these places, spending a month tired of saying the same things over and over again when filming in New York, another month filming in Toronto people came in, so I thought I would try something new! and another month filming in Jamaica – it wasn’t just I started by messing around with glasses and shakers a dream come true, it was beyond my wildest dreams! at home, flipping them After Cocktail I spent the next 8 years being asked whilst standing on the by juice and beer couch so I didn’t break companies across the anything. Eventually I US to go around the took it into the bar and world flipping bottles started doing it with and teaching seminars bottles and other stuff. in over 30 different I was making work fun countries. for myself and as it happens it was making WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO it fun for the guests TRAIN TOM CRUISE as well – what I was AND BRYAN BROWN? doing was catching Both Tom and Bryan their eye. Before you were very capable, know it some of the ambidextrous guys. Tom other bartenders who was a real ‘guy’s guy’ I worked with started and Bryan Brown was having a go and TGI really cool and laid back.

Fridays decided to The two had a bit of a Bryan Brown, John Bandy & Tom Cruise. take it up a notch competition between each Image credit: World Flair Association and hosted the first other over the course of flair bartending the filming to see who competition I knew was going to break more of at that time, the Bartending Olympics. stuff – Tom won!

Seriously though they were great guys, very easy to AND THAT LED TO YOUR ROLE IN THE FILM teach and get along with. They were agile and worked COCKTAIL? hard, although most of what you saw in the film was I happened to win that first contest, then a few weeks for the cameras. Quite often Tom or Bryan would get the later a couple of young ladies walked into the bar. I trick right just enough while the camera was on them approached them to ask what they wanted to drink and and then they would drop it out of shot. A great example they replied that they didn’t know. This can happen a lot of where Hollywood would use their tricks was a scene when working behind the bar so I gave them my usual where the shaker bounces off the rubber mat and it pops answer which was, ‘I’ll make you a drink, if you don’t like back up into his hand. In reality the shaker never left it, I’ll buy it’. This would always go down a treat and they Tom’s hand. When the shaker went below the bar and always seemed to like it! out of sight of the camera, they did the rest, inserting So I made the ladies their drink in my normal way, the sound of the shaker bouncing off the floor. I think throwing in a bit of flair, and next thing I know one of the we may still be there now if we tried to actually pull that ladies is telling me she works for Disney Studios and is one off!

BARS&clubs 19

SHOT AT

Poor Toms Gin Hall

LOCAL

HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU, KID WILD ROSE GIN

STARWARD (NEW) OLD FASHIONED

On first sip you appreciate the deep floral and citrus flavours; the next sip could reveal the earthy tones that weren’t apparent before.

And it’s followed a moment later by a sweet, smooth finish – but don’t mistake this complexity. Versatile enough for a starring role in a cocktail or classic G&T, but smooth enough to be enjoyed straight.

Here’s Looking At You Kid

The first release in a series of bottled whisky cocktails from Starward, the (New) Old Fashioned highlights the distillery’s signature whisky red wine barrel flavours and adds an Australian twist to a classic drink, with a unique blend of wattleseed bitters. The (New) Old Fashioned is ready to serve, designed to simply be poured over ice and garnished with a twist of orange.

SouthTrade International

20 BARS&clubs

JAPHET WHITE DRY GIN Named in honour of Bathurst’s first distiller, who founded the Bathurst Distillery in the late 1820s.

This juniper forward gin features saltbush that grows in Western NSW, and is accompanied by lemon myrtle, Macedonian juniper and a host of other botanicals to yield a rich and complex gin, weighing in at 46% alcohol. Produced by Stone Pine Distillery, NSW. Nip of Courage

australian spirits promotion

TALENT TIMBOON CHRISTIE’S CUT SINGLE MALT WHISKY

POOR TOMS STRAWBERRY GIN

A premium, cask strength whisky produced in small batches. Named after Inspector John Christie, who at the turn of the 19th century captured Tom Delaney who was an illicit distiller in Timboon. It has a deep character and a long, full flavoured finish. Burnt raisins, silk, smoke and spice. It’s a cracker of a whisky! Produced

by Timboon Railway Shed Distillery, VIC. Nip of Courage

Originally created by the distillers to loosen the mood at family weddings, Poor Toms’ Strawberry Gin is set to be released in July.

Fresh strawberries are steeped in Sydney Dry Gin, along with hibiscus flower: lending a rich red hue and depth of flavour.

The beefed up spice distillates of ginger, cubeb pepper and cardamom cut through the delicate sweetness of the strawberries.

Poor Toms Gin

TWENTY THIRD STREET DISTILLERY NOT YOUR NANNA’S BRANDY Old Chardonnay barrels don’t die but some go to heaven, maturing this elixir that blasts brandy off its doily and into the present millennium. Toasty oak unites single and double pot distillation character of vanilla, honey and apricot.

Mix with: irony.

Vok Beverages

BARS&clubs 21

SUGAR, SPICE, AND EVERYTHING NICE How are some of the country’s best bars and bartenders getting creative with bitters and syrups?

Sacha Delfosse finds out.

22 BARS&clubs

bitters, syrups & mixers

A

ny bartender worth their weight in shots knows that bitters and syrups are the sugar and spice of cocktails. Not only are there an array of excellent bitter and syrup brands on the market, but with all the tools and techniques now available, more and more venues are also making their own.

Over at Sydney’s Bar Tapa, they make a handful of house bitters including a Habanero Bitters, as well as a Rosemary, Cumin, and Rhubarb Bitters, with a Jamon Bitters currently being workshopped.

“Basically, I do an infusion and compounding process to make our bitters. [We] use a wormwood tincture to compound the bitter element into our bitters,” explains owner-operator Manuel Terron.

“With homemade bitters you can tailor-make them to specific needs that reflect the style of drinks that are made, which in our case is a Spanish influence.”

House made bitters tend to be less common than house made syrups, mainly due to abundance of quality commercial bitters flavours on the market, and the difficulty of making your own bitters. However, some venues choose to make their own blends of commercially available products.

“We sometimes blend bitters together; our ‘Banana Rum Old Fashioned’ uses Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters and Aztec Chocolate but we call it a Chocolate Walnut Bitters,” says Jared Thibault, QT Gold Coast’s Director of F&B. “We also use a Spicy Mango Agave in our ‘Day of the Dead’ Cocktail, which is a blend of Crawley’s Agave and Monin Spicy Mango syrups.”

Similarly, at Sydney’s Lobo Plantation, the bar makes its own Falernum blend using both Crawley’s and Fee Brothers Falernum. “It’s quick, easy and delicious and suits our needs behind the bar,” bartender Daniel Hilton says.

In addition, Lobo Plantation uses up to 10 different house made syrups and tinctures for its cocktails, experimenting with a variety of techniques with each different menu. The venue has also started making acid solutions.

“We’ve currently got a solution that replicates lemon juice without any of the flavour or sweetness. It’s 100 per cent about the mouthfeel and adding length to the flavours in the drink rather than introducing one, it also offers up another dimension for drinks visually.”

At Clarence’s in Perth, aside from Crawley’s Grenadine, Agave and Orgeat, all other syrups are made in house, and while they rarely make their own bitters, they do use a house blend of Angostura Orange (20%) and Angostura Aromatic (80%) in their Trinidad Sours.

“I find that the quality versus the ease of buying bitters and making them far outweigh each other. If the product is good and consistent then K.I.S.S – keep it simple stupid,” explains bar manager Bruno Serra-King. “Syrups on the other hand I find that – apart from Crawley’s Orgeat, Agave and Grenadine – are better when made in house, compared to bought in. I find the flavours [in bought syrups] fake and super sweet.”

Sydney’s Restaurant Hubert also make a small selection of their own syrups, including Ginger syrup, a Raspberry syrup, an Orgeat, a Macadamia Orgeat (see recipe) and a Watermelon oleo-saccharum.

“We tend only to buy commercially made products if there’s no possibility that we can make our own to a higher standard,” says senior bartender Jenna Hemsworth. “We don’t use a high volume of the syrups we make so it’s quite easy to keep on top of our batching and make sure everything’s fresh and being used best in our drinks.

WHAT BITTERS & SYRUPS ARE YOU CURRENTLY RANGING? “Fee Brothers, Australian Bitters, Peychaud’s, Dr Adam Elmegirab’s, Bittermens, Angostura Bitters, and Monin for syrups.” – Manuel Terron (Bar Tapa) “I currently use a mixture of Bitter Truth, Fee Brothers and Angostura.” – Nathan ‘AJ’ AllenJones (Drinks By Design) “Fee Brothers Orange Bitters, Peychaud’s, Australian Bitters and Boker’s” – Colin Perillo (Peg Leg Pyrmont) “Angostura full range, Fee Brothers full range. Bittermans full range. Crawley’s Agave, Grenadine and Orgeat.” – Bruno Serra-King (Clarence’s) “Angostura Bitters, Regan’s Orange Bitters, Peychaud’s bitters, Crawley’s Agave Syrup.”

– Jenna Hemsworth (Restaurant Hubert) “Mister Bitters Honeyed Apricot & Smoked Hickory, Mister Bitters Fig & Cinnamon, Angostura Bitters, Angostura Orange.”

– Jason Soto (Stockade Brewery) “Bitters: Peach, Regan’s Orange, Angostura, Black Walnut, Chocolate, Hellfire Shrub, Yuzu, Chamomile. Syrups: Jack Rudy Elderflower Tonic syrup, Hudson Honey Ginger Pear Shrub, Monin: Coconut, Elderflower, Spicy Mango.” – Jared Thibault (QT Gold Coast) “Angostura for our Orange and Aromatic bitters. We also use a blend of Fee Brothers and Crawley’s for our house falernum.”

– Daniel Hilton (Lobo Plantation) BARS&clubs 23

TWO RECIPES FROM PS40 Sandalwood Tincture: Leave 50g of red sandalwood in 300ml of 96% NWS for 6 weeks.

Coconut Bitters: Sous vide the flesh of one coconut with one bottle of Angostura bitters at 50 degrees for four hours.

“We have very regimented recipes that we follow to make sure we are getting a consistent product each time, which could definitely be a challenge when making your own syrups. We don’t make or blend our own bitters as we’d be kidding ourselves if we could come up with a better product in-house than Peychaud’s or Angostura.”

Other venues such as PS40 prefer to make all their syrups (as well as shrubs, infusions, ferments and oleo saccharums) in-house, which are crafted specifically for their monthly rotating cocktail list.

“At PS40 we make all our syrups in house… so that we can control 24 BARS&clubs

the sweetness level, ingredients, balance etc.,” PS40 owner-operator Thor Bergquist states. “We do have the basic bitters selection of Angostura, Peychaud’s and Orange Bitters but if we want to have something more specific we will either make our tincture or use one of these bitters as a base and further infuse it.”

Over at the new Stockade Brewery in Sydney, venue manager Jason Soto is taking cues from the beer side of things and has crafted an ‘Old Money’ syrup (using the brewery’s barrel aged imperial stout), a Galaxy hop honey and ginger syrup and a Hibiscus and Mosaic hop shrub. He is not the only bartender experimenting with beer and syrups.

But bartender beware: “I have previously worked with a red ale syrup which was a sweetened beer reduction,” Char Char Restaurant head bartender, John ForbesMacphail, explains. “While a unique and zingy syrup, anything

hopped – particularly a dry hopped beer – will often yield a cloying bitterness that catches at the back of the throat and I found this to be somewhat the case with beerbased syrups.”

“This can be alleviated to some extent by mixing the beer reduction with malt syrup or dissolved Belgian toasted candy sugar to yield a malty flavoured syrup that still has the zing you get from a beer reduction.”

While commercially made syrups offer consistency, quality, and for many venues a more costeffective product, making syrups in-house gives a bar the ability to “create the exact flavours” it needs for a cocktail, as owneroperator of Peg Leg Pyrmont, Collin Periilo explains.

“We make a watermeloncinnamon syrup, a passionfruit syrup, and a pepper and lavender syrup. They are all made using a hot infusion method. Hot infusion is easy, consistent and very

bitters, syrups & mixers

effective. Cold infusion is too, but requires more attention paid to time. It takes longer and needs to be monitored over that time.”

When it comes to making your own bitters and syrups, Terron advises bartenders to “be wary of spending too much time on the elaboration of homemade products and ensure they work and will be used in the venue.”

For those bartenders interested in experimenting with making their own, Perillo suggests reading HOUSE MADE FALERNUM SYRUP Ingredients: • 2 star anise • 10 cloves • 1 broken cinnamon stick • 1 pinch ground nutmeg • 3 limes • 1 lemon • 1 orange Method: Infuse all ingredients for a week. Strain out and bottle. Recipe per 1 bottle of rum.

(Courtesy of QT Gold Coast)

Liquid Intelligence by Dave Arnold, while director of Drinks

By Design, Nathan ‘AJ’ AllenJones, recommends purchasing a Hella Craft Your Own Bitters Set. “It’s inexpensive and a great starting point for someone wanting to dabble, and I love the array of vintage butters bottles available online,” AllenJones says.

Research, patience, and a bit of good old trial and error are all required when making in-house bitters or syrups, while ensuring consistency from batch to batch and using proper sanitary methods during preparation are also quite important.

“Take pride in making sure they are consistent,” Thibault affirms. “Teach your bar backs the right way to do it and do not cut corners. If done right, house made bitters and syrups can make a cocktail menu.

Consistency is key! Nothing worse than a guest saying, ‘I had this cocktail before but it tasted very different.”

MACADAMIA ORGEAT Ingredients: • 600g whole macadamias • 1.6kg hot water • Caster sugar • 10ml vodka • 5ml orange Blossom water Method: Cover macadamias with hot water in a non-reactive container and macerate. Strain and discard water, keep macadamias. Using Robocoupe, blend macadamias to a smooth consistency.

Set Robocoupe to 50 degrees Celsius for five minutes at 1500 rotation. Slowly add 1.6 kg of hot water while blending the macadamias to a smooth consistency.

Pour macadamia and water mixture into a container and sit for 2 hours. Strain off macadamia milk with chinois, extract as much as possible, discard remains.

Weigh out macadamia milk and add equal weight amount of caster sugar to it. Slowly dissolve sugar on stove at medium heat (do not boil). Remove from heat.

Allow cooling. Once chilled add orange blossom and vodka. Keep refrigerated.

(Courtesy of Restaurant Hubert) BARS&clubs 25

bitters, syrups & mixers

ULTIMATE

MOSCOW MULE

HIGH-END MIXERS I t isn’t only bitters and syrups that deserve more than a cursory consideration when it comes to building drinks in your bar. The number of high-end, boutique mixers on the market continues to rise as well; brands like Fever-Tree, StrangeLove, East Imperial, CAPI and PS40 all produce a wide range of tonics, sodas and other mixers that avoid being too sugary or artificial in taste, and are a massive upgrade from more commercial options.

Fever-Tree’s Ginger Ale – a blend of ginger oils mixed with carbonated spring water – and the naturally brewed Ginger Beer both stand up strongly when deployed alongside quality spirits. According to FeverTree Brand Manager Bruce Priddy, “Ginger is a great flavour enhancer, hence its use in cookery. It’s credited with having a unique ability to wake up taste buds, and is particularly good with dark spirits as it picks up the flavour notes.”

A number of long cocktail serves using ginger ale or beer have been very popular at different points in history; the Horse’s Neck and Mamie Taylor were two of the most popular drinks at the turn of the 20th century, for example. The former was also very popular among Royal Navy officers in the 1960s, and was served 26 BARS&clubs

in the same breath as a gin & tonic with the request of “H-N or G&T, sir?”

In more recent times, simple serves like the Dark ‘n’ Stormy and Moscow Mule have returned as favourites with punters, while the rise of more sophisticated, modern classics like the Penicillin – with its use of honey-ginger syrup – also add weight to the argument that ginger flavours in cocktails are once again on the up.

According to Priddy, consumers and bartenders in Australia are ready to move beyond cola – and are experimenting with drinks and flavours more than ever before. “As the liquid passes through the palate the ginger leaves a warmth at the back of the throat, perfectly suited for drinking needs over winter,” he adds.

Another line of sodas that’s certainly worth checking out – if you haven’t already – is PS40, the brainchild of two of the industry’s most exciting bartenders: Michael Chiem and Thor Bergquist. While their range expands to include seasonal and custom-made concoctions, the core flavours are enough to inspire on their own: Wattle Cola, Bush Tonic, Smoked Lemonade, Blackstrap Ginger and Grapefruit & Gentian, all made with fresh, raw ingredients.

The Moscow Mule – its name referring to the common perception of vodka as a Russian product – became popular in the US during the 1950s when a vodka craze swept the nation.

Ingredients: • ½ a lime, plus a wedge to garnish • 50ml premium vodka • 200ml Fever-Tree Ginger Beer Method: Fill a copper mug with ice cubes, Squeeze over the lime half, then drop it into the mug. Add the vodka and then the ginger beer. Garnish with a lime wedge.

CAPI Native Tonic is another exciting new product in the mixers space. Described as an “ode to Australia’s finest botanical ingredients” and infused with a blend of lemon aspen from tropical Northern Queensland, Tasmanian mountain pepper and Mount Zero salt, Native Tonic effectively ‘seasons’ a G&T with salt and pepper elements. Produced with all natural ingredients, a lower sugar profile creates a dry finish and allows the gin it’s mixed with to take centre-stage.

This consideration and use of quality natural products also applies to the Fever-Tree range. Unlike other mass-produced brands of ginger beer and ale – which are usually made with a single low cost ginger from China – both of the Fever-Tree ginger mixers contain three types of ginger: fresh green ginger sourced from the Ivory Coast, ‘chocolatey’ ginger from Cochin, India and earthy ginger from Nigeria.

The tide is certainly turning in the mixers world, with most highend bars recognising that premium spirits need premium mixers to match. So if you haven’t done so already, there’s never been a better time to evolve beyond post-mix in your bar.

28 BARS&clubs

spiced rum

PERFECT

SERVES

THE SPICE OF LIFE It’s safe to say that Ian Burrell, one of the world’s leading rum experts, knows a thing or two about rum. In this column for BARS&clubs, he focuses on the growing spiced rum segment – the entry-point for many punters into the wider category.

I

was recently asked by a journalist here in the UK, is rum the new gin?

Why? Because rum is expected to break the £1 billion sales barrier later this year – hot on the heels of a certain juniper flavoured vodka, which passed £1 billion in sales last year.

I laughed, because it is one of the oldest commercially produced spirits in the world – thus rum is not the new anything. But within the rum category there is an expression that can certainly claim to be the ‘gin of rum’. And that expression is ‘spice rums’. Spice rums, like gin, rely on several key factors to deem them to be a success, such as the variety of spices (as compared to the botanicals in gin), the fact that most are drunk with mixers or in a cocktail, and that they are very rarely drunk neat.

But most importantly, spice rum’s common theme with gin is that when it is marketed to the public, provenance, age statements and craft are not as important as the story behind the marketing. Some spice rums technically cannot even call themselves rums as they are unaged, and bottled below the legal alcohol by volume to legally be called a rum.

But there are, what I like to call, rums that are spiced (or ‘real’ spiced rum), where the spices used are purely to enhance the natural rum flavour of the distillate. If sugar is used to sweeten, then it is done to propel flavour and not just added to make a cheap spirit more palatable.

Spice and spiced rums in some respects are an important part the rum journey for many people. Not

OLD DECADENCE Ingredients: • 5 0ml Chairman’s Reserve Spiced Rum • 10ml orange peel syrup • 3 dashes of chocolate bitters Method: Stir all of the ingredients with a large block of ice until very cold. Garnish with a twist of orange peel and a plain chocolate lollipop.

A TOUCH OF SPICE Ingredients: • 50ml Foursquare Spiced Rum • 25ml fresh lime juice • 5ml JD Taylor Velvet Falernum • 5ml agave nectar • 3 dashes of Angostura bitters Method: Shake all the ingredients with plenty of ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a pinch of nutmeg.

STORM IN A TEACUP Ingredients: • 25ml dry spiced rum • 25ml ginger beer • 10ml tea syrup* • 5ml fresh lime juice Method: Stir all of the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and serve in a tea cup. (*For the tea syrup): 1. Heat water in a saucepan on the stove. Remove from heat and add in your tea bags or loose leaf to infuse for about 5 minutes.

2. Once the tea has fully steeped, remove the tea bags or strain the loose leaves and return saucepan to stove to bring to a slow boil.

3. Stir the sugar into the tea until it has completely dissolved.

4. Remove from heat. Let stand at room temperature until cool, about 1 hour, before refrigerating.

BARS&clubs 29

spiced rum

everyone can drink neat rums or enjoy the taste of pure sugarcane distillate, but if your tipple is a spice rum and coke, or you like it with your favourite soda or fruit juice, then you are more likely to eventually try a real ‘untouched’ rum, as your taste buds develop.

The biggest-selling spiced rums on offer are not really designed with subtle flavours in mind.

Sweetened and infused with popular spices such as cinnamon and cloves, and often a big punch of vanilla, they are consumed by people who like the idea of rum and coke but not necessarily the taste of it – especially the younger drinkers among us. But once the spice rum drinker has grown up, where do they go from there?

As I mentioned before, spice rum drinkers tend to gravitate towards ‘real rums’ as their palate develops, but some stay within the flavoured rum category and try more complex or newer styles of spiced rums. This is why we are seeing a new wave of spiced rums that are less sweet, with more complex spices added through maceration, infusion, barrel aging and even ironically some that taste even ‘rummier’ with very subtle spices.

Fruit is also being used in different ways to add even more character to these new rums.

Citrus, like orange peel, and tropical fruits, like coconut, are being used to compliment traditional spices as opposed to being the dominant flavour. This has led to many bartenders and mixologists substituting regular rums with full bodied, drier and more complex spiced alternatives within cocktails such as Rum Old Fashioneds, Rum Manhattans and Mai Tais.

Another bar trend that has emerged is for bars to make their own ‘homemade’ spiced rum.

In the Caribbean this style of rum infusion has been a way of life for over 200 years. Not only are the popular infusions such as vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, peppers, ginger, allspice, mace and pimento used, but some bartenders are now using indigenous Caribbean herbs and spices such a bois bande, horny goat weed and mauby bark. These local spices add a uniqueness to a spiced rum much like the individuality of the botanicals used in a craft gin.

My favourite way to drink a spiced rum is to mix it with either ginger beer, ginger ale or fresh apple juice. What better than a long refreshing rum highball to cool you down in the hot sun; a good spiced rum mixed with a spicy ginger soda – a match made in heaven. It is even better when combined with a dash of Angostura bitters, a squeeze of fresh lime and plenty of ice. Fresh, cloudy apple juice works slightly differently but is equally as refreshing with a slice of fresh apple or lime. But with so many different styles of spice(d) rums on the market, there is no perfect way to drink them… except with a good friend.

30 BARS&clubs

On the

LIGHTER SIDE

W

hile there’s certainly been no shortage of spiced rums hitting the market in recent years, white rums are still a very important part of any good bartender’s arsenal. And even though nearly every one of the top rum brands, from Havana Club to Appleton Estate, produce a white rum, there’s one that stands head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to its sheer ubiquity: Bacardi Carta Blanca.

Available in more than 150 countries, the iconic white label of Bacardi’s flagship rum is a familiar sight in bars across the globe. A pleasant balance of fruity notes – think apricot, lime and banana – with light floral notes of orange blossom and lavender, and creamy hints of soft nuts, Carta Blanca is a dry and clean rum with a sweet finish. Specifically designed as a mixing rum with its many subtle flavour notes, the liquid complements light tasting ingredients, and inspired bartenders of old to invent classics like the Daiquiri, Mojito and Pina Colada.

In more recent times, many of the Bacardi Legacy-winning cocktails have utilised Carta Blanca, including ‘Empire of Dreams’ by Fred Siggins, ‘Maid in Cuba’ by Tom Walker, ‘Venceremos’ by Gn Chan and ‘Le Latin’ by Franck Dedieu.

“The versatility of Bacardi Carta Blanca provides bartenders the opportunity to create different varieties and styles of cocktails than with darker, heavier spirits like whisky or lighter, more neutral liquors like vodka,” explains Sponsorship, Experiential & PR Manager for Bacardi-Martini Australia, Penny Sippe. “It is up to the bartender’s imagination on what flavours they would like to work with.”

THE PERFECT BACARDI MOJITO Ingredients: • 6 0ml Bacardi Carta Blanca • 4 lime wedges • 2 teaspoons caster sugar • 12 fresh mint leaves •D ash of soda water (30ml) Method: Muddle limes and caster sugar. Clap mint and add to the glass.

Add crushed ice and then Bacardi Carta Blanca.

Stir well and add more crushed ice, then top with soda water.

32 BARS&clubs

winter cocktails

S

easonality has become something of a buzzword in the restaurant business, with plenty of chefs embracing the greater availability of specific ingredients when they are in season to reduce costs, but also create menus that inspire and build that emotional connection between the customer and the land. There is no reason why mixologists can’t do the same with their cocktails.

Winter is a season that offers particular scope for that emotional resonance – with memories of cold nights kept at bay with roaring fires, hearty food and good company. At the cocktail bar, it’s worth thinking about how you can recreate that feeling through your drinks.

WINTER WONDERS

Winter offers bartenders an opportunity to experiment with their menus, channelling the cold or creating drinks that will keep it at bay, writes Charlie Whitting.

INGREDIENTS: BUILDING A DRINK Any cocktail, just like any recipe, starts with the ingredients, and bartenders should be seeking out appropriate spirit bases for their drinks. The colder months would naturally see the move towards the darker spirits, but there is scope to expand beyond bourbons and whiskies in the search of that stand-out winter cocktail. There are always opportunities to take an existing classic and add a twist to create something unique to your venue.

“We dabble in interesting flavours like Calvados cocktails,” says Jeremy Shipley, group beverage manager at Solotel. “We played with cognacs as well. The Japanese whisky movement now is as strong as ever and we played with that.”

As well as the choice of spirits, bartenders also need to be thinking about what will go with them. Given that chefs are increasingly looking to use foodstuffs as they come into season, they can thus be invaluable sources of information when it comes to working out what will be most readily available and when, as well as how those flavours will interact with other drinks and help to create something special.

BARS&clubs 33

WINTER WARMERS WITH THE DRINK CABINET’S JASON CRAWLEY SPICED HONEY APPLE WHISKY SOUR Ingredients: • 60ml bourbon • 30ml lemon juice • 15ml spiced honey apple syrup • Oleo-egg white (Leave egg in shell with citrus peels for 48 hours) • Bitters BURNT ORANGE OLD FASHIONED Ingredients: • 60ml bourbon • 15ml burnt orange and vanilla syrup • 4 dashes Angostura bitters “It starts by asking what’s coming into season,” says Shipley.

“We’ve got incredible executive chefs for the group and they put us in touch with suppliers. They tell us what’s coming in – blood oranges aren’t available now, but come August they’ll be perfect.

Chefs and suppliers are a really important part of the process.”

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“A few delicious fruits come into season in Australia [in winter] too – pear, apple, kiwi, mandarin, etc.,” adds Jon Minihan of Beneath Driver Lane and Dean Jarvis of Rum Diary Bar. As well as using ingredients that are in season for your winter cocktails, it is also worth examining the examples of the kitchen further, bringing to bear the wide variety of seasonally appropriate accoutrements available, whether it’s added flavours or visually appealing garnishes. As a Brit, winter food and drink for me are intrinsically linked to Christmas, but there are plenty of other ways to make small changes to existing drinks in order to bring out wintry sensations.

Spices in particular can provide this – ginger, cloves and cinnamon have intrinsically warming wintry connotations – but there are other options to consider as well.

“I prefer using a lot more herbs and spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg,” says Kieran Lee,

bar manager at The Barber Shop, Sydney. “I look towards desserts for my inspiration. Using darker spirits and darker sugars is another great way of getting wintery flavours into cocktails. Research winter flavours, research seasonal fruits and vegetables and play around with

winter cocktails

what flavours pair well with them.

Take a look at some food menus from restaurants and see what ingredients they are using and try to use them in a drinks sense.”

PLAYING WITH WARMTH If winter is defined by the cold, then winter drinks should logically look to warmth to attract customers and sales. There are lots of different ways that bartenders can generate that warmth and there is something to be said for having at least one of each on the menu.

The first option is to actually change the temperature of the drink. Mulled wines and ciders, hot toddies, Irish coffees and other warm drinks all provide people with the necessary warming, plus they often have extremely enticing aromas, helping to build that atmosphere and encourage further sales simply by being made. But there are other ways to bring warmth to a cocktail, which can act as spectacular visual cues for your customers.

“Forget the ice and get the blazers rolling out,” recommend Minihan and Jarvis. “It’s great theatre behind the bar to be flinging around (responsibly) a cocktail that is ablaze. It’s the truest winter warmer in my option. You can also always punch up the alcohol content. Flips are also fantastic in winter.”

However, for some bartenders, there are other interpretations of this season which can be explored when coming up with cocktails.

For Jason Crawley, director of The Drink Cabinet, winter drinks mean hot cocktails built around ‘classic British winter desserts and their snuggle-food myth’.

But in addition to those, Crawley highlights other directions that he has investigated, in particular looking to the spirits of certain countries associated with the cold.

“I would start by looking at visual references around the myths of winter in different cold countries around the world,” he explains. “Alaska and Eastern Europe perhaps. Ask yourself what does winter mean to your

guest profile? Winter is a very broad category and it does not always have to default to warm drinks, teeming with spices and dark spirits. Eastern European vodkas, for example, were born out of perpetual winters – and they still largely serve them frozen in frozen glasses. Try and think more broadly.”

Ultimately, there are plenty of sources of inspiration for your cocktail menu this winter and taking a varied approach should allow all customers to find something that inspires them in the colder months.

Looking to nature, the kitchen or more original and mythological inspirations have served mixologists well over the years.

Over the next three months, there are plenty of spirits, mixers, garnishes and serves that can provide a wonderful winter.

“Think more around the culture of winter and how people interact with it,” concludes Crawley.

“Think about winter and then try to disturb winter. Everyone knows what a snowman looks like – but they may not have ridden a moose.”

RUM OLD FASHIONEDS FROM JON MINIHAN OF BENEATH DRIVER LANE AND DEAN JARVIS OF RUM DIARY BAR “Try mixing it up by fat washing a delicious spiced rum with salted butter and buttered popcorn. Strain that mixture after 24-48 hours refrigerated to get rid of the fat and mix that into an Old Fashioned with a touch of raw sugar syrup and two dashes of Angostura bitters and orange bitters.

Whilst it may not be warm in temperature, I have always enjoyed the combination of: • Ron Zacapa 23 • Fig • Cinnamon • Cacao • Agave • Chocolate • And, a hint of lime to cut through the sweetness."

BARS&clubs 35

BOURBON AND BEYOND Exciting, creatively limitless and growing, the American whiskey freight train shows no signs of slowing down – and you don’t have to look far to find local bars making the most of it.

36 BARS&clubs

american whiskey

W

ith American whiskey proving such a hit with the Aussie barfly in recent years, it’s no wonder that the number of bars with a Yankee focus (or at least an expanding US whiskey collection) has grown too.

To name a few frontrunners, The Gresham’s whiskey list continues to impress; Kittyhawk’s focus on rye is still proving a hit; and, on the west coast, Varnish on King in Perth boasts a staggering number of American whiskies, breaking it down on their menu state-by-state – from the powerhouses of Kentucky and Tennessee to the relative minnows of Indiana and Utah.

However, one venue that has taken this focus on Americana to the next level is NOLA in Sydney, a bar and restaurant that champions the cuisine of the South alongside a staggeringly large, nearly 600-strong collection of American whiskies.

“I always felt that bourbon and the wider category of American whiskey wasn’t represented to the degree that it deserves,” NOLA owner Pete Fischer told BARS&clubs.

“Something like NOLA hadn’t really been done in Sydney or Australia to the level that Baxter Inn or Boilermaker House has done with Scotch. But, just as much effort goes into producing this spirit as it does the others, and it’s got an amazing history – going through Prohibition and other setbacks – and a great story to tell.”

One way that NOLA tell this story to customers is through its whiskey flights, which range from a $40 bourbon flight (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Bulleit 10YO, Makers 46, Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel) to a unique, $130 Seven Stills flight (a San Francisco brewery and distillery famous for distilling with various styles of beer). But it’s the rye flights that are going gangbusters at the moment – “I think the approachability and flavour that rye brings to cocktails is something that's helping drive that,” Fischer says.

A few streets over at Grain bar in The Rocks, manager Roderick Boerma also believes that rye is making a big comeback, telling BARS&clubs: “All the bartenders love making Old Fashioneds with rye whiskies, as they keep all the flavours there! Trends show that all brands are starting to focus on a rye product in their range, even Jack Daniel's.”

Stocking 34 different American whiskeys among a sizeable back bar that extends to 500 different bottles, Boerma counts Buffalo Trace, Michter’s and Woodford Reserve as “absolute must-haves” and “exceptional products” for any American whiskey spirits list.

COCKTAIL CREATIONS It’s business as usual at Grain in terms of the classics, with Boerma naming the Manhattan, Old Fashioned and Sazerac as some of the bar’s top sellers. For Manhattans, Boerma reaches for the Michter's Straight Rye, balancing it out with Mancino Rosso and two “confident” dashes of Angostura bitters – finished off with a home-made brandy cherry.

At NOLA, the cocktail menu has been stripped back to around 12 cocktails, and now has a strong focus on rye.

Alongside the ever-faithful Old Fashioneds and Manhattans, Fischer says the Boulevardier and the Sazerac (made using 100% rye – no cognac – and a top shelf, 6-year old Sazerac) are also selling very well, as well as other New Orleans classics like the Vieux Carré.

BARS&clubs 37

ACCOUNTING FOR AMERICAN WHISKEY’S ‘LOWER’ REPUTATION “I think it was just seen as a cheap brown spirit,” Fischer says. “Back in the 90s you couldn’t get any of the good bourbons, they just didn’t bring them out here – so people had this image in their head that bourbon was very entry-level stuff. That’s very much changing now though, and a lot of that had to do with culture coming through TV: show like Boston Legal and Mad Men, fuelling some of the interest in dark spirits. The hipster movement helped it too, creating some very selective and educated drinkers who are getting caught up in the nostalgia of the product. It’s leaning away from being an old person’s drink now – it’s very, very cool.”

38 BARS&clubs

BOOM TIME The rise of American whiskey’s popularity in Australia is also reflected in the data. According to Robert Maron, Director of International Affairs at the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) – which recently participated at the Drinks Industry Show in Sydney, showing off new, boutique US products – exports from the US to Australia are on an upward swing.

“There is an American whiskey for every palate; from a sweet bourbon whiskey with hints of caramel, to a smooth Tennessee whiskey with charcoal notes, to an American rye whiskey with a spicy and peppery finish,” he says.

“Within each category, there is an American whiskey for every adult consumer’s taste preference and price point.”

And the numbers back this up: “Last year, US spirits exports to Australia were valued at $127 million, up 12% as compared with 2016, and in 2017 American whiskey accounted for approximately 80% of this total in terms of value,” Maron adds.

american whiskey

A cursory glance at the data from the recent San Francisco World Spirits Competition also provides evidence of a boom time for American whiskey: the number of bourbon entries were up by 60%, while rye also recorded a solid 20% increase when compared to 2017.

SECURING THE GOOD STUFF With demand for American whiskey so high, it’s often not all that easy to get your hands on a special drop –as many bar owners and managers would attest. Over at NOLA, Fischer couldn’t rely solely on suppliers and distributors here in Australia to build his gigantic back bar collection.

“It’s very hard to source rare American whiskey out of the mainstream,” he told BARS&clubs.

“There’s a couple of Australian companies that do it very well, but mostly the mainstream whiskies.

But through the main suppliers,

it’s only the bigger players that they can supply, plus the reserve stocks.

“So we fall into a problem where lots of the rarer whiskies never make it to Australia because the domestic demand [in the US] is just so high. So we’ve developed a direct relationship with a lot of larger bottle shops in the States now – but there’s still a lot of hoops to jump through to get the products in.

“To add to the back bar, we’re having to go external and we’re having to go expensive.

We’re looking at a lot of special bottlings, probably $500 plus – and also looking for more space to put everything!”

One line of rare whiskies that is distributed here in Australia by a major player is the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, a crosssection of limited edition liquids of various ages, proofs and styles.

The allocation for 2018 – which

CLASSIC RYE COCKTAILS WITH NOLA’S PETE FISCHER THE RED HOOK “A modern classic created in 2003 by Enzo Errico of Milk and Honey in New York City.”

Ingredients: • 50ml rye whiskey • 15ml Punt e Mes • 10ml Luxardo Maraschino Method: Stir and strain in a chilled coupe or martini glass.

THE BLINKER “First appeared in 1934 in Patrick Gavin Duffy’s The Official Mixer’s Manual.”

Ingredients: • 50ml rye whiskey • 1 5ml fresh grapefruit juice (white grapefruit, preferably) • 5ml pomegranate spirit Method: Shake and strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.

was released in late March, and only available in extremely limited numbers for loyal accounts of the distillery’s flagship bourbon Buffalo Trace – featured the highly-sought after Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year-Old. “Hailing from the most awardwinning distillery and as a heavily awarded range itself, the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection’s demand always outweighs supply globally,” Buffalo Trace Brand Manager James Johnstone told TheShout at the time of the release. “It’s great to see that Australia has had so many bottles come through the allocation this year, which we only hope will grow in the future so that more whiskey aficionados are able to enjoy these incredible drops.”

With the thirst for American whiskey in Australia showing no signs of abating, it’s clear that demand for rarer and more exciting products will continue to grow – which is all well and good, if you can source them.

BARS&clubs 39

PALES IN COMPARISON

While they’re probably the most commonly brewed style in craft breweries around the country, pale ales don’t tend to dominate beer headlines like their hoppier, scene-stealing cousin the IPA. But as Luke Robertson reports, they’re quite often a top seller.

P

ale ales: just about every brewery has one. They are making headway into major chains and it’s not unusual to find a pale ale as the lone independent beer amongst a row of contracted taps at your local. However, most beer lovers don’t give them too much thought.

The brewers we spoke to for this story tended to agree, although despite it being a style we all take for granted, they all spoke fondly of their own and other brewery’s pales. Names like Balter, Pirate Life, and Sierra Nevada are all talked about with reverence and more often than not, it’s the pale that people reach for (or in the case of Balter, their XPA… but we’ll get to that later).

At Dainton Brewing in Carrum 40 BARS&clubs

Downs (VIC), founder Dan Dainton says having a pale ale is a must, and theirs is definitely their biggest seller. “It’s one of those things you have to have. It’s something that most people know and they want.

It’s in some of the larger chains now and that’s because it sells.

That’s why there’s so many of them out there.”

At Australian Brewery in Sydney, it’s also their top selling product.

David Ward, marketing manager, says since rebranding their cans he has seen a bit of a bump in sales. He likes to keep an eye on social media to see not only who is buying it but where they are drinking it. “I’ve been noticing in all the main social media craft beer groups, on a table littered with rare one-bottle beers, are a lot of

our tinnies sitting amongst them,” he says.

In WA, Cheeky Monkey’s Pale Ale is also their biggest seller, however finding the right version was a challenge. They used to make an English-style, which brewer Ross Terlick loved – and it even won medals at a number of industry events – but it just didn’t sell.

“As it is with a commercial enterprise, if you’ve got a product that doesn’t sell, then you can’t keep running with it. It holds up your stock, you can’t get it on tap and if people do put it on tap then it doesn’t move,” he says.

WHAT IS A PALE ALE? There are many variations of pales – even when we exclude British bitter styles, India pales (and all of

beer

GABS DOMINANCE The annual GABS Hottest 100 poll is a great tool to check the mood of the wider craft beer market. For all the talk of sour styles and IPAs we hear from beer lovers, you may be surprised to learn that since 2015, pale ales are the only style to gain in popularity in the poll. In 2015 there was 28. That went to 36 in 2016, and 38 in last year’s poll. Maybe it’s because craft beer is finding a wider audience, and pales are a big driver of that? Whatever the reason, it’s clear that the pale ale is king in Australian craft beer. Even if we don’t really know what it is.

its substyles), golden ales, session ales and whatever else is put on labels these days. Even within the pale ale umbrella there are English pales, Australian pales, International pales, eXtra pales, and more. For consumers, it can be hard to know what you’re going to get when ordering a brewery’s pale ale for the first time.

One brewery who has gone down the XPA route is Sydney’s Philter.

Brewer Sam Fuss says they chose to label it an XPA because she wanted to differentiate it from the more bitter Australian and American pale ales, while still indicating that it has a full-flavoured hop profile. For her, the extra means “extra pale”.

“We don’t use any Crystal Malt, so you get that really nice light

Australian Brewery tins. kind of straw colour. Ours is all about flavour and aroma.” She says as a result of calling it XPA, they do need to make sure they are clear on what it actually is when talking to drinkers and trade customers.

“People that usually drink craft beer generally know that it’s a pale ale, but then we’ll do events [and] we’ll make sure we say that it’s a pale ale.”

At Dainton Brewery, Dainton agrees that with all this variation, education is important for new customers.

“I don’t know how much we can do around that – probably nothing really – and it’s probably a description thing on the label, or educating when we’re out in the trade,” he says. He also makes his thoughts on XPA clear, and BARS&clubs 41

beer

“Australian-style pale ales tend to be a lot lighter. With beers like Stone & Wood, and I suppose Coopers as well, making that really light beer that is more suited to the Australian climate,” says Ward.

While this all still might be quite confusing – a style with different names, different malts

Philter's retro XPA can. believes it should be a stronger than a pale ale, but not as strong as an IPA. Although he admits he’s not immune to calling things similar names. “I think XPA is a stupid term… even though we’ve got XSA (eXtra Session Ale). It’s a marketing gimmick.”

At Cheeky Monkey, brewer Ross Terlick also admits to being a bit confused about XPA. “I can understand it from a marketing point of view… some people think it means more or less malt, and others more hops. It’s one thing that confuses the hell out of me as well.” Terlick thinks of pale ale as a “broad spectrum”.

“People who may be just coming in to drinking craft beer are coming from drinking Coopers Green, [then] moving into the [James Squire] One Fifty Lashes which are very pale,” he adds.

BUT WHAT IS IT THOUGH? The pales in this story all have completely different makeups, despite some similarities. Philter, Dainton and Australian Brewery all include Australian grown Galaxy hops. Cheeky Monkey don’t and Terlick says he prefers American hops. He does use Simcoe in his, which are also in the Philter XPA. When it comes to malt, both Cheeky Monkey and Australian Brewery build theirs on a simple Pale Malt bill. However big departures can be found in the other two versions. At Philter, Fuss likes to use both flaked oats and 42 BARS&clubs

Dan Dainton. wheat in hers. She says it helps keep the beer cloudy and leaving it unfiltered helps keep yeast in suspension. She believes this contributes to a fuller flavoured beer. The wheat also helps round out the palate, especially in a lower (4.2%) ABV beer. Dainton, however, definitely goes for the other end of the scale, using five different malts in his, which results in a darker beer than the others. He also uses wheat, along with ale, Caramunich, Caramel Pils, and Light Crystal.

“It’s got a bit more malt body I suppose,” he says. “The new ones out now are really light in body and colour, lower in alcohol – under that 5% barrier – a style of beer that I enjoy but it’s not what our Pale Ale is. Ours is more of that American pale ale. “ He says he built his as a “new age” take on Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, whereas the influence of local breweries can be seen in versions like the Australian Brewery’s, which they call an Australian Pale.

and different hops – they are all still doing one thing for the breweries in this story: moving product. Terlick says he doesn’t see the “freight train” of pale ales slowing down in Australia any time soo, and adds that the differences, no matter how far apart, aren’t necessarily a bad thing for the industry.

“One of the great things about pale ale is there are so many different varieties. It’s the confusing thing about it, but it’s also an endearing thing,” he says, adding: “Even where we are here, we’ve got a dozen different breweries in a really small area and everyone does a pale – but everyone’s is totally different.”

He often overhears people exclaiming that his version is dark for a pale ale, despite it being a clean single malt bill. “It’s about educating the public and letting people know that pale doesn’t mean as pale as a lager, it means more pale than a stout.”

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