Boothby

Spending some 200 days on the road each year, Alice Newport — the well-travelled James B. Beam ambassador — shares what she listens to, the bars she returns to, and why wherever she flys, she feels like she’s just got home. On a trip to Perth this year I learned that I’d really love to explore more of Australia. I did a couple of hikes while I was there, and it really struck me that there is so much I haven’t seen yet.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH RHUBI The #JustAddRhubi Bartender Competition is back, and with a great prize on offer and invites to Melbourne to for each of the finalists, entries are open now to bartenders around Australia. RHUBI has joined forces with Mix Haus again this year — as well as partnering with Fever-Tree for the first time — to bring the competition around the country, and the finalists to Melbourne for the live finals in November.

On Monday night, the third annual Boothby Best Bars Victoria awards took place in Melbourne, with over 120 bartenders from 50 bars across the state in attendance. And what a night it was, with complimentary drinks whipped up by the Pearl Diver Cocktails & Oysters team, with ingredients supplied by our sponsors Estrella Damm, Perrier, Never Never, Angels Envy, Ilegal Mezcal, Club Suntory, and Jack Daniel’s Bonded. The drinks, needless to say, were delicious.

Where does inspiration come from? And once it strikes, what can you do to make the most of it? We tend to think creative bartenders are the ones who come up with out-there recipes, or those who push the boundaries in terms of technique and flavour combinations — but I think there’s more to it than that. I think the best bartenders work creatively to find ways of making the guest feel something memorable; it’s not just about the bartender’s ego — it’s an outward-looking thing.

Welcome to Sidecar No Sugar, a weekly Boothby newsletter about Brisbane bars and the people, work and creativity that grounds it. (You can sign up to get it in your inbox each week, right here.) This week, I am contemplating the value and culture of forecasting drink trends and if any of it makes a difference to bars and bartenders. If you have info the Brisbane bar community should know, please email me contact@beccawang.com.au or send me a message via Instagram (@supper.partying).

Drinking Melbourne is the weekly newsletter from drinks writer Fred Siggins, unpacking what’s happening in Melbourne’s bars (and what you can learn from them), sent every Tuesday to your inbox. Get on the list here. Blackbird Bar & Dining is a transplant from Brisbane, recently opened in the multilevel space on Flinders Lane previously occupied by Botswana Butchery and the first Melbourne outlet from Ghanem Group.

I’m in Adelaide this week, taking part in a spot of spirits judging for Tasting Australia’s spirits comp. Below, I’ve got my chat with Andy Loudon, director of bars at the rather fancy Rosewood London, about how they developed the latest menu at Scarfes Bar. Scarfes might just be my favourite hotel bar: it’s got all the trappings of the swanky hotel bar, its’ beautifully appointed, the service is top notch — but it does it without some of the bullshit that other hotel bars put on.

Do you consider yourself a creative person? A creative bartender? What does that mean? We tend to think creative bartenders are the ones who come up with out-there recipes, or those who push the boundaries in terms of technique and flavour combinations — but I think there’s more to it than that. I think the best bartenders work creatively to find ways of making the guest feel something memorable; it’s not just about the bartender’s ego — it’s an outward-looking thing.

In June, Espolon Tequila gathered 11 likeminded and creative bartenders together in Hobart to attend Dark Mofo, the winter festival of arts and culture known for being a little subversive and provocative. They discussed creativity, swapped ideas, and found inspiration in the depths of winter — and now they’re sharing what they found with bartenders in their cities.

In June, Espolon Tequila gathered 11 likeminded and creative bartenders together in Hobart to attend Dark Mofo, the winter festival of arts and culture known for being a little subversive and provocative. They discussed creativity, swapped ideas, and found inspiration in the depths of winter — and now they’re sharing what they found with bartenders in their cities.