IMG_4727 December 13, 2011

The Fourth Drink of Christmas: The Sugared Plum Fairy.

December 5, 2011

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So it’s Christmas, so I’m hoping for a little forgiveness that my 12 drinks project has fallen by the wayside as I’ve rushed to get home to New Zealand, marry the girl of my dreams and drink some pretty spectacular bottles of Champagne along the way. The Sugared plum fairy came out of the idea that you could combine… [Read more…]

Posted in: Cocktail

The Third Drink of Christmas:The Cummins Cocktail (or the Great Australian Hope Cocktail)

December 3, 2011

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An evening with Chris Hysted has to be one of the most enjoyable experiences in Australian drinking. The cheeky Melburnian brings flavour and chat in spades to any drink you’re lucky enough to tease out of his head and hands and into your gullet, as it were. These days, you can find him tucked away… [Read more…]

Posted in: Cocktail

The Second Drink of Christmas: The Festival Cocktail

December 2, 2011

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It would be fair to say that as a group, cocktail bloggers aren’t the hugest fans of vodka drinks. Maybe its the fact you don’t get to talk about the lignin phenols that leech vanillin as they age. Maybe its that as a group they got told to by the bar team at Pegu Club,… [Read more…]

Posted in: Uncategorized

The First Drink of Christmas: The DeCider

December 1, 2011

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I’m a huge fan of a nog at Christmas, but I do accept that the antipodean summer climes don’t suit raw eggs and cream heavy drinks particularly well. An alternative to the Northern nogs has been thunk up by Ed Loveday of the Passage in Darlinghurst. The Batlow cider it uses is a drier drop… [Read more…]

Posted in: Cider, Cocktail

A trip to Fantasy Island*

November 17, 2011

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{EAV:639b874a889559c1} This weekend, Cockatoo Island will become my idea of a Fantasy Island. There will be drinks, talks, Julio Bermejo will be on hand making his fantastics Tommy’s Margarita. You’ll get to try some delicious cocktails like Tattoo and his lady friend are enjoying in the picture above. The Saturday has already sold out, and… [Read more…]

Posted in: Event

A little bit of opportunism – Movember Cocktails from San Diego

November 16, 2011

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Everyone does Christmas, thanksgiving and Halloween drinks these days. Few of them raise as much of a chuckle as these two from Saltbox in San Diego for Movember. The one on the right is a garnished Tom Collins, called the Tom Selleck. Classic. These were both published, with the photo above on the Discover SD… [Read more…]

Posted in: Cocktail

Get your jugs out

November 14, 2011

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Sometimes, being involved in charity work means waking up early, exercise or something outside of the general terms of reference for many of whom drinking and a good night out are clear winners in the pastime stakes. Luckily, Bacardi have team up with Madame Brussells to deliver a tasty event that is all for a… [Read more…]

Posted in: Event

Rematch Beeyatch

November 9, 2011

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Many of you might think that bartenders are a bunch of moustachioed, tatooed, flat cap wearing tip hounds. You might even believe that they are allergic to sunlight and claw and hiss at you when encountered beyond the safety of three feet of wood. It’s no my place to say whether that’s true or not, but if you’d… [Read more…]

Posted in: Competitions

Johnnie Walker Double Black

November 7, 2011

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It’s taken almost a year since the global launch, but Johnnie Walker Double Black has finally tipped over to general availability on these shores. Blended whisky mavens will have spotted bottle in travel retail (duty free) for a few months now, but 7500 facebook fans now have bottle adorning their desks and lining their stomachs.… [Read more…]

Posted in: Spirit

The Former Glory

October 31, 2011

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With all the speakeasies, dive bars and bodegas popping up around the city, did you ever stop to wonder what the local drinking legacy was in this, the lucky country? While the rest of the world was sternly frowning through prohibition, or masking the taste of bathtub gin with lemon and cherries Sydney had its very own… [Read more…]

Posted in: Uncategorized

Tales Redux 2011

October 20, 2011

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Tales went by a while back, but I thought I’d aggregate some content as they say in the biz and share some of the highlights with those of you, like me, unlucky enough to have have been sweating pure Sazerac on the streets of Nawlins. A great narrative on the experience given by Jacob Briars… [Read more…]

Posted in: Cocktail

TimeOut – Bar Awards 2011

October 19, 2011

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Watch out Sydney, next Monday night is the annual TimeOut Bar Awards. To celebrate the city’s bar culture, and to launch their brand new 2012 Bar Guide, the Time Out team is set to throw one helluva party at brand new Taylor Square venue, The Standard. Toast Sydney’s amazing bar culture with fine and delicious cocktails including a… [Read more…]

Posted in: Uncategorized

Ain’t it Grand

October 14, 2011

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The 2011 limited edition bottle of Grand Marnier launched in Australia today. It is the latest in a long line of limited releases from the brand, perfect for those looking for a bottle to gift this Christmas. While the white powder coated bottle would have been the perfect way to celebrate the English victory at… [Read more…]

Posted in: Spirit

Skull.

October 10, 2011

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I’ve thought for a long time that i’d like to saw down one of Dan Ackroyd’s Crystal Skull vodka bottles and use it to serve tiki drinks in but the asking price has kept it but a dream for now. I could always get started with a doomed skull shot glass. Maybe not the same… [Read more…]

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Posted in: Uncategorized

Bar on Wheels

October 7, 2011

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Anyone who has placed at a World Class event will be well aware of the quality and prestige that come with wrapping your hands around the straps of one of Jim Meehan’s cocktail bags. It was with some interest that I clicked on a link (more pics on this link) shared by Angus Winchester with a… [Read more…]

Posted in: Cocktail Implements

Sydney, you’re going to drink a lot of these this summer.

October 6, 2011

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Some of you will know that Jason Williams, exAustralian Bartender of the Year and deliverer of some very fine chat, had taken a job working for the Keystone Group, working across the venues of the group, with a remit to improve the beverage offer. Gazebo, perennial Pott’s Point wine garden and watering hole will be… [Read more…]

Posted in: Cocktail

The Michael Schumacher of Australian Bartending. Tim D Philips.

October 5, 2011

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Is Tim Philips the best bartender in the lucky country? The answer to that question is emphatically NO. This is largely because he is in Thailand this week, drinking vintage Champagne, celebrating a wedding and using the powers bestowed on him as Bartender of the Year to perform feats of magic and intrigue, like changing people’s birthdays.… [Read more…]

Posted in: Competitions

If you’re extremely lucky, One day you might. Glenfiddich 50yr old

October 4, 2011

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Following on from the fantastic tasting of the Glenfiddich Rich Oak last week, I wanted to mention a bottle I was lucky enough to touch, if not taste. The Glenfiddich 50yr old feels like it is worth the earth, from the weight of the handblown glass, down to the sterling silver labels and closure, complete… [Read more…]

Posted in: Spirit

Batlow Premium Cider

September 30, 2011

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It’s an open secret that the cider market is going  nuts in Australia, outstripping the market standard single figure growth stats with upwards of a 68% nudge year on year. While my own prodigious thirst can’t quite account that number, so I’m sure I can’t be the only one enjoy a cider from time to time. Keep… [Read more…]

Posted in: Cider

One day you will. Glenfiddich Rich Oak.

September 29, 2011

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Glenfiddich likes to think of itself as a pioneering brand. The single malt was first bought to the international market in 1963 and ever since it has owned a position as best known, highest selling and most awarded. It was with no small degree of excitement that I accepted an invitation to join Ian Millar, the brand’s… [Read more…]

Posted in: Spirit

Barkeep, there are words in my drink.

September 22, 2011

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Now, I’d in all likelihood shy away from a machine that makes a drink. In my experience the best ones come from human hands. I, however, couldn’t resist this typewriter. As a writer about drink I love the idea of turning words into drinks. Rate this:

Posted in: Cocktail Implements

There can be only one. Down to eleven in the search for Australia’s bartender of the year.

September 13, 2011

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This morning there were twenty, only ten eleven now remain. They are Jess Arnott, Tim Philips, Chris Hysted, Kal Moore, Luke Redington, James Connolly, Nathan Beasley, Perryn Collier, Brendan Osmers, Adam Smith & Lee Potter Cavanagh. The finals will be held from 10.30am at the BarShow at Horden Pavillion. The winner will be announced at the… [Read more…]

Posted in: Awards, Competitions

Australia and Italy collide

September 12, 2011

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The weekend just gone, Australia and Italy collided on the field at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. The Thursday previous, Smirnoff announced that the nightlife exchange for this year will mirror the weekends match up. Essentially, Smirnoff polls it’s fans, selects act that best match the overall country from the votes and swap them for… [Read more…]

Posted in: Event, Sydney

Hinky Dinks

September 9, 2011

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A good time has a new home in Darlinghurst. Hinky Dinks has transformed a tired cafe premisies, a stone’s throw from the famous Coke sign, into a comfortable cocktail lounge with a kitchen attached. The cocktail list is great proof that straight classics aren’t the only way to showcase spirits and deliver a fine drink… [Read more…]

Posted in: Bar

Coney Island Bartender Bumfight

September 8, 2011

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  Hell week kicks off next week with the Bartender Bumfight. Essentially it’s a speed and knowledge fest, where local bar teams duke it out head to head making drinks against the clock. It is sure to be a truly epic evening, I’ll be sitting at the bar, laughing my ass off and trying to… [Read more…]

Posted in: Cocktail, Competitions

Mr Meehans Opus

August 25, 2011

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Proof that the Amazon bookstore is wrong. The PDT Cocktail book has been published and is alive and well on the streets of New York. I was lucky enough to taste some of Jim’s drinks at Cocktail World Cup in New Zealand and listen to him present. Both the drinks and his chat were top… [Read more…]

Honeyed Heather

August 24, 2011

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The launch of the new Johnnie Walker Blue was a great opportunity to hear a few good stories about the brand. It was also a great opportunity to enjoy some delicious Pear Old Fashioneds. It sort of drove home to me that the worst fate a bottle of scotch can have is to sit at… [Read more…]

Posted in: Cocktail

Johnnie Walker Blue. New.

August 20, 2011

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This year Diageo has decided to tell a new story with Johnnie Walker Blue. Jonathan Driver, the stately and superb ambassador for the brand will travel the world to introduce a new bottle, take the opportunity to tell the story of the brand once again to their most valued audiences and perhaps most importantly, meet… [Read more…]

Posted in: Spirit, Sydney
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