FEATURE // Women in liquor
Breaking barriers Hinchcliff House’s Alissa Gabriel on challenging unconscious bias and backing yourself. WORDS Brydie Allen
ALISSA GABRIEL HAS achieved
won her first cocktail competition and
career thus far. The Bars Manager at
Bacardi Legacy. It was also the year the
incredible milestones throughout her Hinchcliff House in Sydney got her start in the industry in Far North Queensland when she was still in high school and looking to apply to the military. But
was named the 2015 national winner of international final was held in Sydney, which saw Gabriel experience the bar scene of the city.
Gabriel would go on to move to
instead of enlisting, Gabriel “fell in love
Sydney and join Speakeasy Group,
drink and curating an experience”.
across venues including Mjølner and
with hospitality, the art of creating a There wasn’t much of a thriving
cocktail environment during her first
gig, so Gabriel moved to Brisbane and went on to develop her skills at some
of the city’s best bars over the next two years. It was during this time Gabriel 70 | Hospitality
where she spent five years working Eau De Vie, where she was head
bartender. Today, the bar whiz works for House Made Hospitality, the
group behind Hinchcliff House which encompasses four levels of dining,
drinking and events in the CBD. “I’ve
