Brooksy, 19 Jamison Street, Sydney
Brooksybar.com

Sydney’s CBD has welcomed a cool new addition to its nightlife with Brooksy, a hidden speakeasy that takes you back to the lively 1920s.

Tucked away from George Street’s hustle, Brooksy’s discreet entrance brings the charm of the Prohibition era for those craving a sophisticated and intriguing night out. With velvet curtains, marble counters, and chic Art Deco interiors accented by green, the bar’s signature absinthe cocktail served in a dazzling absinthe fountain sets the tone.

Brooksy also offers unique experiences like premium whiskeys served from a bar cart, tableside oyster shucking, and hidden giveaways for those who spot the clues. Entertainment includes live bands and fortune-telling, adding a touch of mystery and fun.

Created by award-winning beverage director Brendon Hill, Brooksy’s cocktail menu offers a global journey from the golden age of travel, making each drink an adventure. Don’t miss the Uluru, a refreshing mix of green grapes, lemon, Campari, gin, and white vermouth that transports you to the outback, or the Saluti, a blend of house-made citrus cello, peach granita, and prosecco that brings the Amalfi Coast to your glass.

Brendon Hill, Australia’s Cocktail Champion of 2014, has made waves in Sydney’s beverage scene at spots like The Grounds of Alexandria and Duck Duck Goose. Now at Brooksy, he’s crafted an impressive menu inspired by his travels, from Melbourne’s hidden laneways to Tuscany’s rolling hills.

The snacks at Brooksy, crafted by Executive Chef Hemant Dadlani, are just as impressive. With over two decades of experience in seven countries, Dadlani’s standout dishes include Glacier 51 Toothfish with shiro miso and cucumber salsa, and Salmon with pickled fennel, capers, and a delicate croquant. Plus, there’s a variety of shareable snacks.
Brooksy also offers unique experiences like premium whiskeys served from a bar cart, tableside oyster shucking, and hidden giveaways for those who spot the clues.

Entertainment includes live bands and fortune-telling, adding a touch of mystery and fun.
Located on Jamison Street, the cosy 70-seat venue designed by Like Minds (formerly Guru Projects) has a semi-hidden entrance and offers both bar and table seating for reservations and walk-ins.

Opening Hours:
Tuesday – Saturday
5pm till late

Juliana’s Cucina & Bar

Juliana’s Cucina & Bar
21/31 Hall St, Moonee Ponds VIC
julianascucina.com.au

 

English expat, Jacob Goss had definitely made himself at home here in Australia. He knew he wanted to be a bar owner, and waited patiently until the chance to purchase Rum Diary in Melbourne came along. Then, during COVID he opened Rum Diary Newcastle. And now he’s at it again. An opportunity came up to get involved in a suburban restaurant in Moonee Ponds and he jumped at the chance. Hot on the heels of opening, we checked in with Jacob to catch up on the new venue and how it all came to be.

 

Juliana’s is a bit of a change from the Rum Diary bars? Tell us how this came to be?

It sure is. The technical answer is that my investor for Rum Diary had the opportunity and brought me in. He’d seen what we had done in the industry with Rum Diary and others so thought it would be a good idea to make me part of this one too. The other answer is that the current trend in cocktail bars is moving into that clean, upper-class & classic cocktail offering paired with high-end food and silver service. We’ve seen this from the Maybe Sammy Group, Speakeasy group, and more specifically and close to home venues like Tetto Carolina & Pearl Diver. I’m growing up and can’t play in dive bars forever haha.

Give us a bit of background on how you came to be here – living in Australia with three hospo businesses

Like most Brits, I wanted to travel and see the world but like most Brits I just ended up in a slightly better climate but let’s be honest much cooler country of Australia. I’ve always been hospo from the minute I was allowed to be in hospo and fell in love with every aspect of it. I’ve always strived to improve in any situation I’ve been in and wanted to continue to work my way up. I learn the hard way that the next step up cost a lot of money and unfortunately lost all my savings (and my partner at the times money) through an avoidable and rookie mistake. 

After tasting being my own boss, I wanted to continue that as I knew I could do it but with someone else’s money.

That’s where investors came in. 

I will say though to any bartenders reading this that have exhausted their level of managing businesses for someone and want to do it for themselves, please be prepared to lose a lot of sleep. Even if you get investors, it can be very stressful as, if like me, you don’t want to let people down. It’s that old saying, “I didn’t want a 9-5 job so I became my own boss… Now I work 24/7.”. This is extremely accurate.

Tell us a little bit about the ethos of Juliana’s.

Juliana’s is situated in Moonee Ponds. A cute little suburb just north/west of the CBD and is fastly becoming a booming hub of its own. From building another venue here prior to Rum Diary, I was very aware that the demographic for people looking for a fun night out and experience is very strong in this suburb. If you’re able to create the vibes and experiences that the likes of the big names in Melbourne & Sydney can in this small town, people will talk and people will come. 

The initial design was for a small and classy dining experience with an open kitchen and chef’s table. This was then paired with a solid marble central U-shaped bar that is surrounded by all the guests and comfortable booth seating. This inspired me to take inspiration from our friends at Maybe Sammy and create an eating and drinking experience that the locals and tourists wouldn’t forget and would also be surprised to find in the outer suburbs.

You’ll find your standard dining sittings from lunch, early evening and into the evening. Then at 10pm it all changes. The lights come down, the dimly lit table lamps come on, the music comes on and the surprise live musician from Sax players to “Rat Pack” inspired singers roaming around the venue to interact with the crowd.

IT’s pretty exciting to be opening a third venue; is this just the beginning for you?

It’s been rough and very rocky with Covid. Obviously, Hooch didn’t last and my undisclosed warehouse venue in Richmond is still on the cards but pushed back for now. It is exciting but if I’m honest it can sometimes be overshadowed by the constant fear of impending doom from environmental and external factors that we can’t control. I’d like to think I can continue to grow the group as there’s nothing I’d love more than to champion the managers that have grown and learnt with us and to see them with a percentage of a bar for themselves and under the Gospo Group banner.

Hardest thing about opening a new venue?

Paperwork, council & licensing are always the most time consuming and frustrating but the fresh problem as we all know is staff. We open with a bang and it was fantastic but not wanting to overreach and not provide what we promised, I decided to slow down the bookings to make sure that we could keep up and give the same quality of service to the last customer of the day that we did to the first person who walked in the door. So if you’re looking for a job hit me up.

What do you love most about hospo?

This community. No matter what you need, someone can help. No matter where you go or travel within Australia, you bump into someone that is from the industry or someone that you met and had a foggy conversation with at bar week. It’s a like minded group of selfless people that have dedicated their careers to making sure the rest of the population have memorable experiences. So many staff cop abuse from customers or have terrible experiences with employers but 9 times out of 10 still show up to work the next day. Incredible people that I thank all of them for letting me be a part of such a great crowd of people. 

Where would you like to be in 5 years?

Still doing this hopefully. I wouldn’t mind having a larger team like the other groups with people taking care of bookkeeping, marketing etc on top of everything else as opposed to trying to juggle it all but for now it’s got to be done. I’d like to be clear of this pandemic and out of debt so I can breathe and spend all my time doing the parts we love about this business. 

What trends are you seeing in bars right now?

I’m loving what Tim and Tony are doing at PAR. A few years ago it was somewhat frowned upon to have your drink pre-made and brought out to you with “minimal effort”. The technical side of what they do and the product they are able to achieve is amazing and needs more recognition. I’m also extremely jealous of venues like this that are sticking to smaller quantities of guests which not only lowers the running cost of the business but gives the team more one-on-one time with the people in front of them. Quality over Quantity is the trend I’m personally seeing. 

Who inspires you?

I think my name-dropping throughout has some clear inspirational figures in there haha.

What are you drinking right now?

Right now water because the 6 coffees have dehydrated the hell out of me but I’m very much looking forward to a barrel-aged Negroni at Juliana’s when I get there later today.

Bar Conte
340 Riley St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
@barconte_surryhills

Opening just a few weeks ago in mid September, Bar Conte is a Negroni focused aperitivo bar that boasts 20 variations of the classic cocktail. Bringing to life the culture of the traditional Italian aperitivo to Sydney, the bar will focus not only on drinks, but also offers a succinct menu of Italian snacks and share plates that are ideal to share a cocktail with.

This concept has been brought to life by Raffaele Lombard and his partner Victoria Hampshire, who are both Negroni enthusiasts themselves. Lombard says, “The negroni is my drink of choice, and has been since I was a young man growing up in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast. We felt it deserved its own dedicated bar.” 

Bar Conte is a Negroni focused aperitivo bar that boasts 20 variations of the classic cocktail. Bringing to life the culture of the traditional Italian aperitivo to Sydney, the bar will focus not only on drinks, but also offers a succinct menu of Italian snacks and share plates that are ideal to share a cocktail with.

The 20 various adaptations of the classic cocktail that Bar Conte offers, features a diverse range of both Italian and Australian vermouths. All variations of the classic will still be made with Campari with the beverage list including a Mexican Negroni, Amber Negroni, Conte’s Barrel Aged Negroni and a Samurai Negroni made with Roku Gin. A rotating list of five European beers and Italian wines will also be offered.

Lombard says, “The negroni is my drink of choice, and has been since I was a young man growing up in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast. We felt it deserved its own dedicated bar.”

The menu has been designed by Steve De Vecchi (ex sous chef at The Apollo) to pair nicely with aperitivo style drinking and includes Appellation Oysters with negroni dressing and negroni infused salumi amongst other items.

The 38-seated venue is heavily inspired by the co-owners past life and travels throughout Italy and is the perfect home for the various Italian art and film that was inherited from Lombard’s grandfather. 

Bar Conte is open from Monday to Saturday and both bookings and walk-ins are welcome.

LOTI
14-16 The Esplanade, St Kilda, VIC, 3182
lotistkilda.com.au

Well-known hospo figure, Cam Northway (of Sweet & Chilli fame) has recently opened LOTI in the seaside suburb of St Kilda, celebrating the best of Australia’s own coastal surroundings infused with Mediterranean influence and an atmosphere of relaxed luxury and local community that is distinctly Melbourne.

The menu focuses on making everything from scratch and ensuring the produce is as fresh as possible.

In the kitchen, Head Chef Elijah Holland (Lume, NOMA Australia, Aria, Quay) brings his own style of food over flames. The menu focuses on making everything from scratch and ensuring the produce is as fresh as possible. Likewise, the drinks list was constructed in collaboration with world class bartenders to hold true to the restaurant’s philosophy.

The seaside neighbourhood local at the base of St Kilda’s new Saint Moritz precinct, is the perfect place for a quiet cocktail overlooking the waves or destination dining for locals and visitors, friends, and family. In a nod to the sentimentality of the past, LOTI’s name, Lady of the Ice pays tribute to the heritage and community of the Saint Moritz area.

Dean’s Lounge
7 Kellet Street, Potts Point, NSW, 2011
deanslounge.com.au

To set the scene, Deans sports a vintage jukebox and retro video games tables that’ll make you wonder why you stopped playing Pac-Man.

Opening in the middle of pandemic, Dean’s Lounge is a reinvention of the past. Paying homage to the kooky yet charming Dean’s Cafe, a Kings Cross institution for over three decades.

To set the scene, Deans sports a vintage jukebox and retro video game tables that’ll make you wonder why you stopped playing Pac-Man. All they ask in return is that you sit back and relax with some fantastic cocktails, late-night bites and nostalgic tunes to bring you back to the good old days of old-fashioned fun.

In the words of one of the owners – Justin, “we’re about late nights, good food and cocktails.”

This bar is open super late on the weekends so you can stroll in and finish, or start, your night with a smile.

In the words of one of the owners – Justin, “we’re about late nights, good food and cocktails.” Dean’s Lounge has a soul that is old but gold and it’s familiar, even if you’ve never heard of it.

Sydney bartender Jay Gray is opening a bar with Justin Best, owner of Asian whisky den, Uncle Ming’s, at 70 Pitt Street in the Sydney CBD.

“What we’re going to be doing is a table service-based cocktail bar and restaurant,” said Gray. “As far as drinks go, there will be around 12 to 15 drinks, but each one is going to have its own page. Every drink is going to be uniquely designed to be one, desirable, and two, unique in regards to drinks going around at the moment.”

There will be seats at the bar and at the kitchen, with space for around 80 people. And they’ll employ some hi-tech kit in pursuit of their goal of unique drinks.

“The Rotovap is happening,” said Gray, “but that’s just a small drop in the ocean of what I want to do. I don’t want to be a geeky bar— more of a dinner and show but with drinks. Unique serves, unique ways of getting the customer involved, unique ways of presenting the drink to customers.”

That also means blending brands of spirits, and not having your standard back bar.

“As far as spirits go, we’re not going to have a back bar. What we have in the rail will be what I select for the rail and they’ll be our house pours for if people don’t want to go down the cocktail route,” he said.

The aim of the game is still to keep things accessible, said Gray. “We’re not going to price anyone out, it’s more giving people what they haven’t had before at a decent price, and really unpretentious. It’s not going to be everybody’s bar, but everything I’m trying to do with this is an amalgamation of everything I’ve learnt from everyone I’ve worked with over the past seven or eight years.”

Gray also envisages the place as a space in which bartenders can swap ideas and try new things — and even give the rotary evaporator a spin.

“I want [the bar] to be something that bartenders can enjoy, even when we’re not open. I want it to be an open platform space for bartenders,” he said.

Gray has worked at Worship Street Whistling Shop, London, known for their technical drinks, but says his style of bartending has changed in his time in Australia. “Working at Bulletin Place with Tim, Rob, and Adi I’ve learnt heaps. Lewis Jaffrey at Baxter Inn – he kept me on my toes when I first got here.” He’s also had stints at The Lobo Plantation and Eau de Vie on his resume.

The bar is un-named for now, and is due to open in autumn 2015.

You could argue that Swillhouse Group, who’s venues include Shady Pines Saloon, The Baxter Inn, and Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, know a thing or two about retaining staff: most of their staff have been with them since they opened. We suspect one of the keys to that success is the way they reward those staff. So although they ask a lot in terms of commitment to the job,  they’re also supportive of their long serving staff in helping them get their own bars off the ground.

That’s the case too with the latest bar on the cards for the Sydney CBD. Opening on Elizabeth Street in the basement of the site that used to house The Globe will be a venue by Sebastian Soto (The Baxter Inn), Charlie Lehmann (The Baxter Inn) and Darden Shervashidze (Frankie’s Pizza).

“There’s a lot of theme bars in Sydney,” said Soto, “and we’re going to steer clear of that.”

If anything, he said, the bar will take on more of an ethos than a theme. “We want it to be a bar that we would want to go to,” said Soto. “We want it to be a working man’s kind of bar. The kind of place you can go to after a hard day’s work, and grab a shot and a beer.”

They’ve signed on the dotted line and are looking at being open before April, said Soto.

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James Connolly heading up new bar, Enrique’s

Experienced Perth bartender James Connolly has moved on from his role at Perth’s Rockpool Bar & Grill, to open a new bar called Enrique’s. ”It’s a Spanish-themed pop-up bar in Mount Lawley,” said Connolly. “And like the bars of Barcelona we will be making the gin and tonic king,” he said.

This is in addition to “having a banging little cocktail list and obviously a great Spanish-focused sherry and wine list,” said Connolly. The wine list will be headed up by Emma Sputore from The Trustees, whose owner Scott Taylor, is behind this new venture.

As it is a pop-up bar, the project will be in place for five months before making way for a more permanent venue. The atmosphere will be laid-back and casual, and they’ll be pumping great 80’s tunes during service.

The team is looking for new hires right now and plans to be open in about two weeks time, said Connolly, who has just returned from the Mediterranean where he represented Australia in the global final of the Gin Mare Inspirations competition.

This news item featured in July’s Australian Bartender magazine.

Well known for his mega-venue, ivy, Justin Hemmes has again showed why he is the most influential personality in the hospitality scene by opening Palmer & Co. and The Fish Shop is successive weeks. Palmer & Co. is a certified cocktailing haven tucked under the iconic Tank Stream Bar.

Embracing the ‘small bar’ feel that we’re all screaming about lately, Palmer & Co. does it with a serious touch of class and finesse. Merivale’s resident cocktailian, Mike Enright, was onboard for both launches and is excited at the way the drinks side of things has come together. “We wanted to show a broad range of spirits, especially gins from different countries. With gin you have this opportunity, being able to choose them from all over the world. We wanted to find some things that guests probably hadn’t seen, and what we thought they would like.” Enright also heaped praise on Petr Dvoracek (ex-Lotus) who, he said, played a huge part in helping put together every aspect of the bar set up. “Merivale’s recent launches show just how versatile the company is,” said Bartender editor David Spanton. “They certainly don’t sit on their laurels. Justin continues to strive for innovation in all he does.”

Merivale launched a global recruitment program to source staff for its latest ventures and it resulted in a completely new team being mixed together for the opening. “It has worked pretty well. It’s been incredible,” said Enright. Since we hired them all from overseas, they have an instant loyalty to the project and they’ve been a pleasure to manage. Collectively they bring such a range of creative skill sets to the project.”

Check out Palmer & Co. Abercrombie Lane, Sydney CBD.

5-9 Roslyn Street, Potts Point, Sydney
02 9332 3663
www.blancorestaurant.com.au

Opened in September 2009, Blanco Bar and Restaurant is a venture undertaken by two real foodies, chef co-owners Scott Mason and Brendon Vallejo who hail from top restaurants such as Rockpool, Restaurant 41, Omega, and most recently the Bistro Moncur, now one of Sydney’s best loved culinary institutions.

Blanco is situated in a quirky unconventional award winning Durbach Block designed building which is described as “New York’s Flatiron Building meets Gaudi’s Casa Milà Barcelona, clad in white on white mosaics inspired by the legendary Antonio Gaudi and the Sydney Opera House.” So understated it is not.

Upon entry you’ll find an impressive Corian bar, white Bentwood chairs accompanying white tables and floor to ceiling windows. A healthy appetite for food and drink is a must at Blanco with goodies like Barossa chicken liver pate, with Zinfandel prunes and celeriac remoulade or Spanner Crab salad with witlof and shellfish dressing complemented by a thoughtful wine list assembled by ScottTurner. The list features great food wines like Jules Taylor Pinot Gris from Marlborough and Aldgate Ridge Pinot Noir from the Adelaide Hills.

The cocktail list, features e the Blanco Martini (a vodka based tipple with rose, vanilla, lychee), and The Blanco Mary (a proprietary recipe using tomato water instead of red juice).