Opening a bar is an arduous process; you become a plumber, a painter, an electrician and more adept at navigating the bureaucracy of local government than you ever wanted to be. However, once the bones are in place, the fun begins – using the company card to set your bar up for success. They say a bad workman blames their tools, but a good bartender understands how important they are. Choosing the right bar equipment can have a massive impact on the speed and efficiency with which you can put up your cocktails, and save many headaches further down the line.

It all starts with the jigger. Quite aside from the legality of free pouring, proper measurement allows for consistency in your drinks and helps control cost of goods. Simple one-shot jiggers are fine for spirit mixers, but cocktail-making requires larger measures. A double-ended (single and double shot) flared jigger, sometimes known as a Japanese jigger, with volume markings on the inside is a good investment as they make it easy to pour different quantities, but they can take a little practice (and a steady hand!) to use. A multi-level or ‘stepped’ jigger, a shot and a half, is easier to handle for novices as spillage is limited – although you can overpour! They are especially good for venues that batch cocktails, though, as they allow you to pour larger quantities in one go.

“Now I’m going to say something controversial: mixing glasses or tins are optional. A Martini or Manhattan stirred in one half of a shaker tin tastes perfectly good to me! If you’d like to use them, mixing tins are becoming more popular – again, they are lighter (although it could be argued therefore less stable) but importantly, don’t chip or smash as glass ones are wont to do in a busy bar.”

Once the measuring is done, we’re on to the mixing. Cobblers and Parisian shaker tins are undeniably beautiful, but they are finicky to use and harder to clean; I tend to keep them for at home bartending. For high-volume cocktail bars, it’s hard to go past a simple tin on tin boston shaker. While the glass ones are good in that you can see what is in it, they are heavier and breakable. Tin on tins are easy to clean, can be stacked to save space, and if you buy multiple of the same brand you can mix and match the tops and bottoms if one goes wandering…which we all know happens surprisingly easily in a bar!

Now, I’m going to say something controversial: mixing glasses or tins is optional. A Martini or Manhattan stirred in one half of a shaker tin tastes perfectly good to me! If you’d like to use them, mixing tins are becoming more popular – again, they are lighter (although it could be argued, therefore, less stable), but importantly, don’t chip or smash as glass ones are wont to do in a busy bar. Metal also chills drinks faster and slows dilution, so there’s a scientific basis for choosing metal too! A good bar spoon is also important. I prefer one with a smoother texture on the handle, as aggressive ridges can be hard on the hands, and check the volume of the spoon so you can use it for adding smaller quantities of ingredients to your drinks should you wish – most are 5ml.

For strainers, I’m a big fan of the no prong hawthorne strainer. They fit snugly into all manner of tins and glasses, removing the need for a separate julep strainer. However, the lack of prongs make them a little more tricky to handle one-handedly, so a sturdier, pronged hawthorne can be a good option when you’re still finding your way around a bar tin. A fine strainer is essential for straining out smaller chips of ice and any pulp etc from juices or homemade ingredients – texture is key! Just make sure they are rinsed after every use and soaked regularly to help with longevity; there’s nothing worse than a slow pouring strainer to slow you down on service.

Of course, garnishing is a large part of cocktail making so a good, sharp knife and vegetable peeler are necessary parts of your arsenal. I like the serrated Victorinox knives, and they come in a range of colours so each bartender can have their favourite. I have yet to find the holy grail vegetable peeler – suggestions are welcome – but ones with rubber handles are more ergonomically effective, and make sure they are cleaned between uses to keep them sharper for longer. Buy more than you think you need; you’ll never regret having a backup in the cupboard.

Of course, there are a hundred decisions to be made in terms of style and colour finishes, but I’ll leave those to you in matters of taste – classics are classics for a reason, but if a bejewelled bar spoon is calling your name, go for it. This is the fun part, after all!

Cara is our Melbourne-based drinks writer. She is the co-owner of Goodwater in Melbourne and the face and talent behind the cocktailing YouTube channel Behind the Bar. You can email her at behindthebarchannel@gmail.com

A few years ago, I decided to make a video about the Sazerac. How hard could it be? It’s a pretty well-known drink that retained reasonable popularity even through the cocktail dark ages. I expected that its story would be quite well documented, with perhaps a squabble over which exact bar in New Orleans had first mixed one, but instead, I opened a can of worms.

The story which I had always heard was one made famous by Stanley Clisby Arthur, author of 1937 book ‘Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em’. He said that Antoine Peychaud, a New Orleans pharmacist, liked to serve and drink his eponymous bitters mixed with cognac in little cups (called coquetiers). Meanwhile, another New Orleans based businessman was importing brandy, specifically Sazerac-du-Forge et Fils cognac. That same man was also involved with the Merchant Coffee House, which, despite the name, was a bar. There, at some point around the 1850s, they started mixing the cognac with Peychaud’s bitters, and this would have been known as a ‘Sazerac cocktail’. In the 1870s, absinthe was the cool new cocktail ingredient on the block and that got added to the mix (by whom exactly is also up for the debate). The story then goes that phylloxera, a root disease which crippled France’s wine and brandy industry, made cognac hard to come by and so the indigenous rye whiskey was substituted, eventually becoming the norm. When absinthe was banned in the US, bartenders also turned to Herbsaint as a replacement for the herbal element.

“[David Wondrich] also pointed out that the whole Peychauds – coffee house – cognac – Sazerac cocktail link is pure conjecture. The first written reference to a Sazerac Cocktail is in 1899, and it was definitely a rye cocktail.”

Peychaud’s ‘coquetiers’ have been promoted by New Orleans as the root of the word cocktail, conveniently crowning them the birthplace of the cocktail. However, David Wondrich is widely acknowledged as the foremost cocktail historian in the world, and as such he has a rather annoying habit of actually checking dates and looking at facts. He pointed out that since the first written instance of the word cocktail was in 1806 and Peychaud was born in 1803, he probably can’t claim it. He also pointed out that the whole Peychauds – coffee house – cognac – Sazerac cocktail link is pure conjecture. The first written reference to a Sazerac Cocktail is in 1899, and it was definitely a rye cocktail.

By this point I was a bit confused, because at some point in my career, I was taught that if someone asked for a Sazerac I should ask if they wanted a New Orleans (which would be full rye), or a New York Sazerac (which splits the base between rye and cognac), and so far there has been no mention of that last version. So here I am, ready to start writing a script about the rivalry between NY and NOLA styles, and I gaily type ‘New York Sazerac’ into the search engine – nothing. The only article about it I can find is in this very magazine, in an article from 2015. So, I put it to the Melbourne Bartender Exchange hive mind. The response from bartenders was overwhelming that while they would always ask the guest’s preference, their own favourite was a New York style. But then a few Americans started chiming in, saying they had never heard of a New York Sazerac; the plot thickens.

With a bit more digging and discussion, we figure out that Dale de Groff, the bartender and author at the forefront of the craft cocktail revolution included a split base Sazerac as a nod to the cognac origins tale in his 2002 book ‘Craft of the Cocktail’, which was my bible (and that of many of my peers) when starting out in the industry. The Sazerac never went away in the States, as much as it may have fallen out of fashion a bit, but for many international bartenders, this may have been the first time they’d ever even heard of the drink and not realised this recipe was unusual. De Groff is not the only person to have experimented with this, but he is very influential and has strong ties with overseas hospitality. He was from New York, and so the differentiation between his version and the New Orleans one slipped into bartender parlance in the UK and Australia… or at least this is my supposition!

Either way, the split base Sazerac is an excellent drink. The fruity notes of the brandy round out the spicy rye wonderfully and tie in the absinthe and bitters to perfection. When opening an American whiskey-focused venue with friends this year, there was no doubt that we had to have a Sazerac on the menu. We wanted to keep it all American but with a nod to the Australian norm of splitting the base. So, we turned to applejack. It is, without a doubt, the best Sazerac I have ever had.

Goodwater Sazerac

Recipe by John Hallett

50ml rye whiskey (we use Michter’s Straight Rye)
10ml Laird’s applejack
Half bar spoon granulated sugar
4 dashes Herbsaint (or absinthe)
2 dashes Peychauds bitters
Glass: small rocks
Garnish: lemon twist

Story by Cara Devine. Cara is our Melbourne-based drinks writer. She is the co-owner of Goodwater  in Melbourne and the face and talent behind the cocktailing YouTube channel Behind the Bar. You can email her at behindthebarchannel@gmail.com

Latteria – 185 Hutt St, Adelaide @latteriabar

The path from bartender to rep or ambassador is a well-trodden one, but for Luca Baioni, his journey didn’t end there. Instead, it has taken him back behind the bar – this time, his own bar, the newly opened Latteria in Adelaide.

Baioni became a well-known part of the Australian hospitality scene as the Campari Brand Ambassador, but his hospitality story started well before, in his native country of Italy. “I must have made my first coffee at around 12 years old, served my first beer at 14 (this was Italy, a different culture and looooong time ago!) while then I started my career almost by accident at 17, getting a job as barback/glassie in an outdoor summer disco club in the town next to my hometown.” Here, he was taken under the wing of some bartenders, including Oscar Quagliarini, “a super creative, ultra-passionate bartender (now also a perfumery Nose) who suggested for me to start studying about bar and cocktails.” Baioni took this on board, reading books, visiting bars, attending bar shows all over Europe, and building a knowledge base, which would see him moving first to a higher-end bar in his hometown and then to Milan to hone his craft. “My attitude has always been of humility, trying to learn from anyone. I still think this is my way to bartend.”

Moving to Australia landed Baioni in Perth, where he moved from bartender at La Cholita to group beverage manager for the whole Lavish Habits group. “I opened a couple of new bars for them while looking after the beverage offer, all cocktail lists (all very different as every venue had its own distinct concept), training all bar teams, and, of course, bartending every night. It was a good ride! And then, I think in 2018, Campari happened.” Initially taking on the Brand Ambassador job for WA/SA, once a spot came up for a VIC/TAS role they expanded the position especially for Baioni, making him synonymous with the bitter red stuff for a huge swathe of the country. “I had a great time with Campari. I learned a lot, and I had the chance to share my passion with so many bartenders around the Country. The corporate world doesn’t exactly suit me too much, but I learned a lot and I had some great experiences,”

One day, in a chat over the phone, we realised that we both had a concept in mind for a bar inspired by Milanese Latterias (the Italian evolution of milk bars). We started talking seriously about it and started looking for a venue. It took over two years, but finally a couple of weeks ago Latteria opened its doors in Adelaide.

Of the ambassador life, Baioni says, “I wouldn’t have been able to be a BA for many companies. Being from Milano, becoming a Brand Ambassador for Campari was something like a childhood dream. What really made it ‘easy’ is the fact that the majority of brands in Campari Group’s portfolio I was confident in representing because they are good quality, so I’d say that believing in the portfolio is paramount. You wouldn’t want to associate yourself, your image or your personal brand to products you don’t believe in or that don’t align with your ethos. Furthermore, my approach to the BA role always wanted to be as bullshit-free as possible. I am who I am, with my style, my thoughts, my issues, my growth and my moments of brilliance here and there. I never wanted to change that. In this industry we sometimes experience the social pressure of being the ‘go-to guy’ or the ‘soul of the party’ or just the guy that drinks more shots than anyone else… I never wanted to be that (even though I’ve had my fair share of drinks), I always tried to be myself and tried to connect with people because of my passion and knowledge, and to spend time with like minded bartenders. And that’s the other thing: most of us just want to be heard at times, and by experience, you learn a lot by listening to people and so many more opportunities open, both personally and professionally.” But, while the role has many perks, he missed being behind the bar.

“I love our craft, I love the bar culture and I wanted to create a space for our guests to enjoy. Also, I am no spring chicken anymore and I felt it was time to build something for myself,” explains Baioni. “In my work trips to Adelaide, I developed a love for the city and the people here and in particular I became good friends with my now business partner Nicola. His approach towards the industry and his people-forward mentality both with staff and guests are very much in line with mine. One day, in a chat over the phone, we realised that we both had a concept in mind for a bar inspired by Milanese Latterias (the Italian evolution of milk bars). We started talking seriously about it and started looking for a venue. It took over two years, but finally, a couple of weeks ago, Latteria opened its doors in Adelaide.”

Joining forces with architectural studio Studio Gram (the team behind Osteria Oggi, Fugazzi and El Primo Sanchez), and Milanese creative agency YoClass!, it is designed to be “a functional space that offers a progressive, joyful experience, open to everyone to enjoy the way that fits their moment most – from a drink and a snack standing at the bar or by the window, to a more conventional dining experience, or for a cocktail and a champagne in our lounge while the dj spins records.” The offering has had similar attention. “Cocktails focused on creative flavours, delivered with an attentive, smart presentation and perhaps a nod to the ‘Italianity’ that inspires the concept, while keeping the offering international.

The culinary ethos at Latteria is anchored in the relaxed, shared dining experiences typical of Italian bars, where gourmet, casual nibbles reign supreme. Inspired by the essence of traditional street fare and the ‘tavola fredda/calda’ concept, our guests are invited to pair their drinks with an assortment of small plate offerings or opt for a few more substantial meal choices. Our goal is to breathe new life into timeless staples while catering to the tastes of today’s food & drinks enthusiasts, all with a steadfast commitment to premium ingredients.” Access to these ingredients is one of the reasons that Baioni chose Adelaide for this venture, as he highlights the amazing produce and wine available in the region.

For Baioni, teamwork is paramount. He explains that roles are assigned according to each partner’s strengths (he is in charge of the beverage and training programmes, of course). “On your own, you can only get that far, but together, some of your business partners have to fill up the gaps that you surely have.” He has applied a similar ethos to hiring. “We hired our team based on personality, more than professional skills. We are pretty proud of the diversity in professional backgrounds and skills we were able to put together in our team. Within the staff, you find experienced bartenders who have worked in some of the best venues in Adelaide, together with a few younger talents, who are very passionate and grateful to be part of this… We are going to deploy a regular training program for our team to give them confidence for when they’re at work, nurture their careers and to eventually help us shape the future of Latteria. We will also run an open training program for the wider industry, to engage with bartenders from other bars and create a space for bartenders to learn, share and grow together.”

With this level of Italian passion, the future looks bright for Baioni and Latteria.

The Adonis has become as immortal as its namesake; the Coronation has achieved royal status; the Bamboo is evergreen. So why have we left the Jabberwocky to slumber? When it comes to sherry-and-aromatised wine drinks, did we pay too much heed when Lewis Carroll said, “Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!”

While its namesake may be scary, the cocktail is not. An equal parts combination of gin, manzanilla or fino sherry and Lillet with a couple of dashes of orange bitters, it’s essentially a martini with training wheels – lower in ABV, floral, with a lick of salinity and juicy citrus notes. It’s the perfect aperitif and makes me, for one, chortle with joy.

First appearing in Harry Craddock’s ‘Savoy Cocktail Book’ under the name ‘Jabberwock’, it was listed as 2 dashes orange bitters, 1/3 dry gin, 1/3 dry sherry, 1/3 Caperitif and a lemon twist – alongside a quote from Carroll’s poem. Caperitif is a quinine-heavy South African aromatised wine based on Chenin Blanc and Muscat and infused with many botanicals indigenous to the country’s ‘biodiversity hotspot’, the Cape Floral Kingdom. It obviously had a unique flavour as it is referred to by brand name multiple times throughout the ‘Savoy Cocktail Book’ in a similar way to, for example, Fernet Branca. Sadly, though, production was stopped quite soon after the book’s publication and it moved into the shadowy realms of a ‘ghost ingredient’; a replacement had to be made to recreate any recipes calling for it.

An equal parts combination of gin, manzanilla or fino sherry and Lillet with a couple of dashes of orange bitters, it’s essentially a martini with training wheels – lower in ABV, floral, with a lick of salinity and juicy citrus notes.

This is just what San Franciscan bartender Andrew Meltzer did in his modern interpretation – where the rogue ‘y’ also seems to have been added to Jabberwock. While ‘dry sherry’ is open to interpretation, Meltzer decided to use the salty seaside sherry, manzanilla, in place of the more fruity inland version of fino, and I tend to follow suit. He replaced the Caperitif with Lillet, and the modern iteration was born.

That said, this template works really well in many adaptations. I have used amontillado sherry with richer gins to great effect and other off-dry vermouths such as Casa Mariol Blanco or Regal Rogue Lively White to forefront particular flavour profiles. Caperitif itself has even made a comeback – it does not claim to be a faithful recreation of the early 20th-century version, but Danish mixologist Lars Erik Lyndgaard Schmidt teamed up with South African winemaker Adi Badenhorst to take advantage of South Africa’s unique wine terroir and flora to create a modern reimagining which, I’m sure, would make a very delicious Jabberwocky.

So, dear bartenders, let’s let the Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, come whiffling through the tulgey wood and into a coupe glass near you.

The Jabberwocky
25ml gin
25ml manzanilla sherry
25ml Lillet Blanc
2 dashes orange bitters
Glass: coupe glass
Garnish: lemon twist

Story by Cara Devine. Cara is our Melbourne-based drinks writer. She is the manager of Bomba in Melbourne and the face and talent behind the cocktailing YouTube channel Behind the Bar. You can email her at behindthebarchannel@gmail.com

If you live in or have visited Sydney recently, chances are you’ve frequented a Mucho venue. Starting with Tio’s Cerveceria and The Cliff Dive nightclub in the early 2010s, the group’s venues have become a defining part of our capital’s nightlife. Whether you’ve pulled up to the psychedelic-galaxy bartop at Bar Planet to savour a martini, squeezed yourself into the single-car-park sized Cantina OK! for a mezcal or checked out their latest, ‘the centre of our new tequila universe’, Centro 86 – you’ll have had an experience. That experience, while undeniably augmented by the incredible fit-out and concept of each venue (and the drinks, of course!), will have been created by the staff. Always friendly and enthusiastic, it is clear that these are happy bartenders.

This speaks to a structure and team culture which promotes a healthy work environment. So, I spoke to two key players in the Mucho management team – Daisy Tulley, Group General Manager and Rocky Hair, Group Operations Manager. As Tulley says, “We have just hit 70 employees. We have a waitlist at nearly every venue. I keep saying recently, ‘It feels like everyone wants to work at Mucho’. It makes me feel so proud that we’ve built a culture that a lot of people want to be a part of.” So, how do they do it?

It’s easier than you think, says Hair. “The changes we are trying to make and continue to work towards for a healthy workplace culture are not big, challenging or anything crazy – it’s literally just aiming for longevity in employment by logical practice. Not expecting anything upwards of 40 hours a week, promoting a four-day work week, listening and engaging in active conversation with staff and caring on a personal level. Providing progression, training and entertainment, too, it’s team building, and we’ve really seen all the venues getting closer to each other in the past 12 months. I also think having solid management in the venues is incredibly supporting to this culture too, my expectation of them is to be human at all times – good hospitality is not robotic.” Hair herself has an impressive resume in hospitality, with stints at Swillhouse and the Lyan group in the UK as well as working for Archie Rose. Being immersed in hospitality from a young age has informed her approach now. “I think having personally lived and worked in a way that wasn’t sustainable, despite wanting a career in hospitality, it has pushed me to fight for others not to have to do the same. Being in a position now where I can finally influence this is massive.”

“We have just hit 70 employees. We have a waitlist at nearly every venue. I keep saying recently, ‘It feels like everyone wants to work at Mucho’. It makes me feel so proud that we’ve built a culture that a lot of people want to be a part of.” – Daisy Tulley

Tulley, on the other hand, does not come from a hospitality background, instead “falling into the business” through a marketing role for The Cliff Dive after a career in entertainment. However, she feels this has given her perspective. “Challenge what the standards currently are and try to do it better or do it differently. I think it was so powerful I wasn’t originally from hospitality. I came in with fresh eyes and wasn’t influenced by the hospitality ‘norm’.” She prefers instead to rely on her own “moral compass”. “The amount of stories I hear about management in hospitality treating their employees because that’s how they got treated I find distressing. You can do better and you can change the way of leadership in this industry.” This includes ensuring that staff aren’t working too much (a personal mission of Hair’s), that they take time away, getting creative with roles that lean into individual strengths to promote progression, and regularly checking in – but making sure those meetings are scheduled for times that suit the staff.

Despite having multiple venues, their approach doesn’t vary too much between them, excepting The Cliff Dive, says Tulley. “The only venue that is very different in a lot of ways and that we do struggle to bring under the Mucho umbrella at times is our RNB & Hip Hop club. For instance our ‘MUCHO New Staff Training’ goes through agave knowledge and emotional tasting, not applicable to the staff at The Cliff Dive at all. We create different trainings for the staff there. But keep in the mind Cliffy staff are always welcome to learn more, we want them to feel included, we have moved a lot of The Cliff Dive staff into our other venues. [Multiple staff] at Centro 86 all came from The Cliff Dive, it’s amazing watching them progress and change through the venues.” For Hair, “Anything we’ve tried to implement has been across the group – as much as their offering may be different from a guest perspective we have heaps of cross-pollination of staff across all of them and it would only be fair to set the standards across the board.” This sense of allowing people to grow and find their niche within a well thought out structure has stood them in good stead in increasingly difficult trading conditions. As Tulley puts it, “we put the right people in the right seats”, both in management and in venue.

“I also think having solid management in the venues is incredibly supporting to this culture too, my expectation of them is to be human at all times – good hospitality is not robotic.” – Rocky Hair

With this in mind, do they feel that being women in their seats has had a positive impact on the culture? Absolutely, says Hair. “Although Jeremy [Blackmore] and Alex [Dowd] [founders of Mucho Group] are still very much at the helm here too, I actually think it was a bit of a culture shock to some of the teams when we came on… Overall, though, I think it’s been incredibly positive, and it’s pretty obvious that it has attracted a lot more women and gender-diverse people to the business. I think it’s taken down a bias-barrier in allowing young women to be given the opportunity to be taken seriously at their jobs, especially in management.” Tulley agrees. “I think it’s been absolutely amazing for Mucho. Not only do women feel safe at Mucho, but they also feel heard. But also the men do too, we haven’t forgotten about them! I think women have amazing intuition and a level of empathy that is so crucial in management. It has created happier teams, happier people and a healthier and happier company.”

All in all, “it’s not rocket science; it’s just a genuine care for our teams,” says Tulley. And it’s true — it’s not rocket science, but it does matter. If the successes and staff retention of the Mucho venues are anything to go by, we should all take note.

For more on MUCHO., links to all their venues, job vacancies and more, check out their website here: muchogroup.com.au

Story by Cara Devine. Cara is our Melbourne-based drinks writer. She is the manager of Bomba in Melbourne and the face and talent behind the cocktailing YouTube channel Behind the Bar. You can email her at behindthebarchannel@gmail.com

While many city dwellers may dream of moving to an idyllic coastal town, very few have the gumption to actually make it happen. For career hospitality workers, there may be a fear that finding fulfilling employment could be difficult; Bianca Wendt (along with her husband Ric Divola) had a solution when wanting to move back to their childhood stomping ground on the Coffs Coast — open their own place.

Wendt worked at iconic Sydney venue The Oxford Art Factory back when it opened, before taking a break from hospo. A move to Melbourne drew her back in. “Dining out was literally a hobby for my partner Ric and me, and it didn’t take long before we realised we wanted to be on the other side of the bar. We finally decided to dive in and see where it would take us. I was lucky enough to score a job at Heartbreaker which led me to the role of Venue Manager at The Everleigh, definitely a career highlight.” I was actually on the opening team of Heartbreaker with Wendt, and her warm enthusiasm and friendly demeanour made it unsurprising that she quickly moved through the ranks of the Made in the Shade group.

So what took her to regional New South Wales? “A move was already on the cards, but Covid sped up the timeline. We grew up on the Coffs Coast so it made sense to go back home. A friend was looking to sell a cafe he had closed in Sawtell, just south of Coffs Harbour. The space was kitted out, so we suggested a ‘pop-up’ to fill in time. Lucky for us, the pop-up was a success, and we were able to buy the business from our friend.” And so Bar Que Sera was born, a “relaxed bar and restaurant”. The location has shaped the style of service and offering,

Wendt explains. “Sawtell is a small, laid-back coastal town that has an influx of city folk in holiday times. We tend to switch gears depending on the time of year. We’ll dial up the offering in peak times, which suits visitors, and in quieter times, we push weekly specials and one-off events to attract locals…your dining options are limited in regional areas, so hosting events that offer something different or new always draws a crowd and keeps things interesting.” It has relaxed wine bar vibes with seasonal menus, an impressive wine selection and the kind of well-executed cocktails you’d expect from Wendt and partner Divola, who also brings a wealth of hospitality experience to the mix (Eau de Vie, Dinner by Heston and ex Head Bartender at Cutler & Co).

Off the back of the success of their first venture, the pair decided to open a second spot. “Morty’s Joint is right next door to Que Sera, they literally share a wall. A lot of the same DNA flows between the venues but the aim for Morty’s was to attract a crowd that Que Sera wouldn’t be able to crack. We serve fried chicken and burgers, the menu is short and sharp because the kitchen is tiny! There’s a spotlight on independent craft beer. We pour Philter, Garage Project, Mountain Culture and White Bay on tap and have around 15-20 tins in the fridge, which is a huge selection for a town of 3,000 people. We have a pool table which we made free to encourage people to come in and hang out. It’s a local spot. Lots of people just rock up knowing they’ll see someone they know there, which is really cool to see.” While there are challenges to operating in a regional area – Wendt points out that, on average, they pay more for goods across the board, plus freight on top, but can’t price items as if they were in the city – this sense of community is extremely important to her.

“Morty’s Joint is right next door to Que Sera, they literally share a wall. A lot of the same DNA flows between the venues but the aim for Morty’s was to attract a crowd that Que Sera wouldn’t be able to crack.”

For others looking at taking the leap into bar ownership, Wendt has some sage advice: “Look after yourself! And when people offer to help, say yes.” Working on things gradually can help as well. “Opening a new venue right next door to Que Sera was an unexpected opportunity for us and, admittedly, a little beyond our reach. We knew the only way we could do it was to start with bare bones, focus on service and product and tackle the rest in small bites as we were able to. Morty’s has been open for a year now and it’s likely still a year away from being ‘finished’, but it’s been fun watching our vision slowly come to life.”

It’s clear that the husband and wife working dynamic provides great support as well. “It sounds dorky but I would be lying if I didn’t say Ric is someone who I look up to and inspires me. His creativity, knowledge and personal drive to do better is next level.” Together, they are a dream team, with Divola focussing on the kitchen and Wendt bringing her sunny disposition to elevate the front-of-house experience.

The lifestyle is a major draw when looking at moving away from the major cities. “Days off I’m heading straight for the beach or river, one of the perks of living on the coast,” says Wendt, “nothing beats an ice-cold beer by the water!” A day at the beach and then dinner at one of Wendt’s venues? Time for a road trip, I think.

Bar Que Sera Sawtell – 61 First Ave, Sawtell NSW

Morty’s Joint – 63 First Ave, Sawtell NSW

Growing up in Scotland, before global warming made ‘taps aff’ weather (the weather in which the pasty Scottish male deems it necessary to take his top off, which usually starts at a balmy 18 degrees) a more common occurrence, we would have about one hot week a year. Supermarkets would run out of disposable barbecues and sausages, near riots would happen in public parks, and your Mum might let you have a ‘float’. Known here as ‘spiders’, that tall glass of what we in Scotland call fizzy juice (and the rest of the world calls soda) with a healthy scoop of vanilla ice cream was pure decadence and would make the sunburn and midge bites seem worth it.

Ice cream in cocktails actually has quite a venerable history. It’s unsurprising that the US, home of the soda parlour, was an early adopter. William Schmidt’s ‘The Flowing Bowl’, which was published in 1892, included quite a few ice cream cocktails, including the brandy and rum-laced Glorious Fourth.

As a wave of throwback kitsch hits cocktail menus, it’s unsurprising that these childhood treats are being given an adult makeover. Always ahead of the curve, Melbourne bar Byrdi featured a Weis Bar cocktail a few years ago – more of a milk punch, this rye, mango and white chocolate concoction hit all the right nostalgic buttons. Affogatos are a mainstay on Italian restaurant menus, creating a delicious trifecta of booze, creaminess and bitter espresso, which can be easily tweaked to give a bespoke experience. Ice cream can also be incorporated as a boozy blended milkshake or full spider-style, with a scoop acting as a garnish and slowly blending in as you drink it. It can add extra texture to creamy drinks like a Piña Colada or egg white drinks like Fizzes. And let’s not forget our dairy-free friends – sorbets and granitas are a great way of incorporating seasonal fruit and a satisfying iciness to drinks.

Ice cream in cocktails actually has quite a venerable history. It’s unsurprising that the US, home of the soda parlour, was an early adopter. William Schmidt’s ‘The Flowing Bowl’, which was published in 1892, included quite a few ice cream cocktails, including the brandy and rum-laced Glorious Fourth. Harry Craddock included the Silver Stallion Fizz in the ‘Savoy Cocktail Book’. Wisconsin, though, is the state that really made the ice cream cocktail its own. Being a prodigious dairy producer and the birthplace of the first milkshake maker (which would eventually morph into the blender we know today), it follows that Wisconsin’s famous supper clubs perfected the after-dinner ice cream cocktail. Ordinarily, cream-based drinks like the Grasshopper and Brandy Alexander are Wisconsin-ified with the substitution of ice cream, and the Pink Squirrel (a rich medley of crème de cacao, crème de noyaux and vanilla ice cream) is said to have been invented at Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge, Milwaukee in the 1940s.

Australia has its own history of spiders (so-called because of the reaction that happens when the ice cream hits the carbonation, which looks like a spider web). According to Anna Bosco, an academic who is running a series of pop-ups called ‘Tipsy Spider’ this summer, Australians have been enjoying this cooling beverage since the 1850s. Pre refrigeration, ice cream would have been a real luxury, and one of the drinks on their menu is a blend of brandy with ginger beer and ice cream, a nod to the Original Spider that would have been drunk in the gold rush era. Bosco’s partner in the venture, Fred Siggins, says ‘we’re leaning into that sense of nostalgic fun. There has been a swing away from austere classics and pared-back modernity to engaging drinks with bright colours and bright flavours.’

Given the hot weather in Australia and our access to good produce and excellent dairy (and dairy replacements – at Tipsy Spider they use Billy Van Dairy’s coconut sorbet for a lighter twist on a Piña Colada), there’s no reason we can’t have some fun with it. Let’s call it – it’s the Summer of the Spider!

1. Araña Negre
Jordan Lynagh, Bomba

Ingredients:
40ml orange infused vodka (add peel of one orange to one bottle vodka, allow to infuse overnight)
15ml Pedro Ximinez Sherry
2.5ml Fernet Branca
Top root beer (leave room for ice cream)
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
Glass: old school sundae glass or large highball
Garnish: grated nutmeg, skewered orange wedge and cherry

Method: build all ingredients except ice cream in glass, add ice and top with ice cream. Grate nutmeg on top and garnish.

2. The Glorious Fourth
Adapted from ‘The Flowing Bowl’ by William Schmidt

Ingredients:
50ml brandy
10ml Jamaican rum
20ml lime juice
10ml sugar syrup (can be adjusted depending how sweet your ice cream is)
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
Glass: coupe
Garnish: lime zest

Method:
Add all of your ingredients to shaker tins, add ice and shake. Double strain into chilled glass and grate lime zest over the top. Could also be blended.

3. Boozy Granita
‘Strong, Sweet and Bitter’, Cara Devine

Ingredients (this recipe makes about 6 servings, it can be scaled up or down):
100ml (3 oz) fresh grapefruit juice
100ml (3 oz) fresh orange juice
200ml (6 oz) blanc/bianco vermouth
100ml (3 oz) peach liqueur
100ml (3 oz) water
30ml (1oz) gin per glass when serving (optional)
Garnish: mint sprig and grapefruit wedge
Glassware: Sundae or rocks glass

Method:
Add everything to a freezer friendly bowl (except the gin) and freeze, preferably overnight. Take out and gently flake up. Add a shot of gin to each glass and scoop the granita on top. Garnish, add a straw or spoon (or both!) and enjoy!

A new generation of passionate bartenders is emerging into cocktail competitions and bars near you. In our February edition of Bartender magazine, Cara Devine interviewed five of these personalities. 

Story by Cara Devine. Cara is our Melbourne-based drinks writer. She is the manager of Bomba in Melbourne and the face and talent behind the cocktailing YouTube channel Behind the Bar. You can email her at behindthebarchannel@gmail.com

From globally recognised cocktail bars to cosy neighbourhood pubs, afternoon wine bar snacks to 2am seafood feasts, Australia prides itself on its hospitality scene. As we all well know, this industry is all about the people. After a shaky year or two of staff shortages post Covid, it has been exciting to see a new generation of passionate bartenders emerge into cocktail competitions and bars near you. Even better, they are shaking off the stereotypes of bartending and doing things their own way. Here I chat with Trinity Bird.

Bird was a gymnastics coach for many years, and has translated that love for talking to people and caring for them into hospitality, where she enjoys giving people a unique experience every time they walk into a venue. “People, it’s all about the people for me. The ones I work with, learn from and serve, it’s what keeps me in the industry and it’s what I adore about it.”

What do you see as opportunities for growth?
As the newest bar supervisor at Beneath Driver Lane, I’ve got a massive journey ahead of me. My goal is absolutely to learn as much as possible from the people I surround myself with in the industry. Masterclasses and seminars will always be my favourite things about the industry; they are so important to the culture and the development of staff in any venue.

“People, it’s all about the people for me. The ones I work with, learn from and serve, it’s what keeps me in the industry and it’s what I adore about it.” Trinity Bird

What do you see as areas for improvement within the industry?
I believe training programs have the largest impact on up-and-coming bartenders. Constant learning is invaluable in this extremely fluid industry. I firmly believe that passion is at the forefront of a hire and, therefore, needs to be nurtured with the respective training from senior staff, brand ambassadors, and venue owners. No one is ever finished learning, and a lot of the time, people have more to teach than they are even aware of.

Trend predictions for 2024?
I want 2024 to be the year of Long Island iced tea variations; let’s start adding amaro and mezcal.

A new generation of passionate bartenders is emerging into cocktail competitions and bars near you. In our February edition of Bartender magazine, Cara Devine interviewed five of these personalities. 

Story by Cara Devine. Cara is our Melbourne-based drinks writer. She is the manager of Bomba in Melbourne and the face and talent behind the cocktailing YouTube channel Behind the Bar. You can email her at behindthebarchannel@gmail.com

From globally recognised cocktail bars to cosy neighbourhood pubs, afternoon wine bar snacks to 2am seafood feasts, Australia prides ourselves on our hospitality scene. As we all well know, this industry is all about the people. After a shaky year or two of staff shortages post Covid it has been exciting to see a new generation of passionate bartenders emerge into cocktail competitions and bars near you. Even better, they are shaking off the stereotypes of bartending and doing things their own way. Here I chat with Wunna Coleman-Goddard.

Coleman-Goddard was drawn to bartending because of the opportunity to learn about different cultures and the world through drinks. Last year, he competed in the Campari Afterlife national finals and made a foraged gin with Applewood.

What do you see as opportunities for growth?
Going places, meeting people and sharing stories. We won’t get anywhere having secrets in this industry. Share everything and ask people how they do things. In five years, I’d love to own a venue. High-concept cocktails focusing on waste and native Australian botanicals are my focus at the moment.

“We won’t get anywhere having secrets in this industry. Share everything and ask people how they do things.” – Wunna Coleman-Goddard

What do you see as areas for improvement within the industry?
Take your staff on trips. They don’t have to be big or expensive. For example, walk them to a nearby tree you can forage from and get them to make a drink with it. This will change their scope forever and have a kick-on effect when they tell their friends about it. Some of the best learning I have done was outside the venue.

Trend predictions for 2024?
Funky coasters and non-traditional glassware for contemporary drinks.

A new generation of passionate bartenders is emerging into cocktail competitions and bars near you. In our upcoming February edition of Bartender magazine, Cara Devine has interviewed five of these personalities. Here we give you a sneak pic of one of these interviews with the interview with Judith Zhu from Sydney bar Door Knock.

Story by Cara Devine. Cara is our Melbourne-based drinks writer. She is the manager of Bomba in Melbourne and the face and talent behind the cocktailing YouTube channel Behind the Bar. You can email her at behindthebarchannel@gmail.com

From globally recognised cocktail bars to cosy neighbourhood pubs, afternoon wine bar snacks to 2am seafood feasts, Australia prides ourselves on our hospitality scene. As we all well know, this industry is all about the people. After a shaky year or two of staff shortages post Covid it has been exciting to see a new generation of passionate bartenders emerge into cocktail competitions and bars near you. Even better, they are shaking off the stereotypes of bartending and doing things their own way. Here I chat with Judith Zhu about the state of the industry and where it’s headed.

Judith Zhu
Bar Manager, Door Knock, Sydney NSW

Zhu was tired of studying online during the pandemic, and decided to channel her love of flavour and desire to interact with people into creating memorable cocktails and experiences for people. In the past year she has been recognised in the Top 50 of World Class, secured a position in the Drinks World Top 25 Bartenders, and won the 1883 Syrups Drink Design Contest. She is also proud of winning the Bartender Boxing competition at Bar Week after ten weeks of rigorous training – “that was an extraordinary experience that fostered a deep sense of camaraderie with my peers.”

What keeps you in the industry?
I’m continuously fuelled by the incredible community of talented women in the industry. Their dedication and creativity inspire me to keep pushing boundaries and creating memorable experiences.

“At Door Knock, I’m dedicated to fostering a safe and nurturing space where individuals, particularly women and gender-diverse bartenders, can access training and support that might not be readily available elsewhere.”

What do you see as opportunities for growth?
I’m committed to entering competitions and collaborating with brands and individuals that share my values and ethos. As for the next five years, while it’s hard to predict specifics, I’m eager to continue developing and expanding my skill set and eventually exploring international opportunities that come my way. The industry’s ongoing support in terms of mentorship, sponsorship, and creating platforms for growth and learning is something I deeply appreciate and rely on as I strive to achieve these goals.

What do you see as areas for improvement within the industry?
Creating a supportive and inclusive environment is key. At Door Knock, I’m dedicated to fostering a safe and nurturing space where individuals, particularly women and gender-diverse bartenders, can access training and support that might not be readily available elsewhere. It’s imperative for the industry as a whole to ensure inclusivity in providing these opportunities.

Trend predictions for 2024?
I foresee bars and brands continuing to embrace a sustainable ethos across all aspects of service and cocktail creation. Additionally, I hope to witness a surge in bartenders exploring unconventional flavours. and spirits that break away from traditional norms.