The Australian Bar Awards Finalists

It does seem as though it has rolled around much faster this year, but the as they say in the movies, Bar Show cometh. In it’s tenth year in 2010, the Bar Show and the associated awards represents the night of nights for Australian hospitality and drinking.

The awards are a great night out, kind of like the Logies, but with less chicks. This year, there’ll be three new awards categories at the awards. First, the rookie award, giving props to those new to the game and the other two focusing on marketing, first product launches and then venue marketing.

Despite my horrible prediction accuracy last year, I’ll take another stab this time round. In italics…  I have been asked to be a part of the judging panel, so I’ve removed my favourites, you’ll just have to pick your own.

Rookie of the Year sponsored by Mozart *NEW*

• Adam Divardo, The Bowery, Brisbane

• Alex Boon, X & Y, Brisbane

• Cameron Jones, Hugos Lounge, Sydney

• Elyssia Wormald, Eau-De-Vie, Sydney

• Kash Wall, Golden Monkey, Melbourne

• Mitchell Kings, Byblos, Brisbane

• Natasha Sorensen, The Victoria Room, Sydney

Bar Manager of the Year

• Evan Gamkrelidze, Hugos Manly, Sydney

• Daniel Gregory, The Bowery, Brisbane

• Julian Damjano, Goldfish, Sydney

• Sebastien Derbomez, Hemmesphere, Sydney

• Russ McFadden, Match Bar & Grill, Melbourne

• Petr Dvoracek, Lotus, Sydney

• William Oxenham, Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney

Operator of the Year (Single Venue)

• Elizabeth Green, Lisa Kelly, Sebastian Reaburn, 1806, Melbourne

• Gary Beadle, 399, Perth

• John Toubia, Martin O’Sullivan, Belinda Lai and Richard Duff, Grasshopper, Sydney

• Natasha Conte, Black Pearl, Melbourne

• Perry Scott, The Lark, Brisbane

• Phil Bayly, Cafe Pacifico, Sydney

• Sven & Amber Almenning, Eau-De-Vie, Sydney

Operator of the Year (Multiple Venues) sponsored by Customers ATM

• Elie Moubarak, Brisbane

• Hugos Group, Sydney

• Keystone Hospitality, Sydney

• Merivale, Sydney

• Sarah Howell and Walter Ventura, Adelaide

• Tally Konstas, Melbourne

• Vernon Chalker, Melbourne

Small Bar of the Year sponsored by CCA

• 399, Perth

• Grasshopper, Sydney

• Nihonshu, Melbourne

• Pocket, Sydney

• Sangria, Adelaide

• Sticky, Sydney

• The Laneway, Brisbane

Bar of the Year sponsored by OrderMate

• Botanic Bar, Adelaide

• Golden Monkey, Melbourne

• Goldfish, Sydney

• Hugos Bar Pizza, Sydney

• Hugos Manly, Sydney

• Madame Brussels, Melbourne

• Match Bar & Grill, Melbourne

Cocktail Bar of the Year sponsored by Mixxit

• 1806, Melbourne

• Black Pearl, Melbourne

• Der Raum, Melbourne

• Lotus, Sydney

• Seamstress/SweatShop, Melbourne

• The Bowery, Brisbane

• The Victoria Room, Sydney

Wine Bar of the Year sponsored by Windowrie

• 5ifth Element, Brisbane

• Gazebo, Sydney

• Manly Wine, Sydney

• Melbourne Supper Club, Melbourne

• Must Wine Bar, Perth

• Ash Street Cellar, Sydney

• The Winery, Sydney

New Bar of the Year sponsored by Schweppes

• Eau-De-Vie, Sydney

• Garden Brasserie, Sydney

• Laruche Bar & Supperclub, Brisbane

• Shady Pines Saloon, Sydney

• Sou Soul, Melbourne

• The Galley Room, Melbourne

• Tokonoma, Sydney

Best New Venue Design

• New Guernica, Melbourne

• Laruche Bar & Supperclub, Brisbane

• The Galley Room, Melbourne

• The Greenhouse, Perth

• The Winery, Sydney

• Shady Pines Saloon, Sydney

• Tokonoma, Sydney

New Hotel of the Year

• Archive, Brisbane

• Baden Powell, Melbourne

• Benjamin on Franklin Hotel, Adelaide

• Flinders Hotel, Sydney

• Hart’s Pub, Sydney

• Mr B’s, Sydney

• Royal Saxon, Melbourne

Hotel of the Year associate partner BATA

• Cloudland, Brisbane

• Collins Quarter, Melbourne

• Crown & Sceptre, Adelaide

• Golden Sheaf, Sydney

• Ivy, Sydney

• The Beresford Hotel, Sydney

• The Brisbane, Perth

Cocktail List of the Year sponsored by Reserve Brands

• 1806, Melbourne

• Black Pearl, Melbourne

• Der Raum, Melbourne

• Eau-De-Vie, Sydney

• Sou Soul, Melbourne

• The Bowery, Brisbane

• The Galley Room, Melbourne

Best Specialty Beer Venue

• Biero, Melbourne

• Cookie, Melbourne

• Epoque Belgian Beer Café, Sydney

• The Local Taphouse, Sydney

• The Local Taphouse, Melbourne

• The Spotted Cow, Toowoomba

• The Wheatsheaf, Adelaide

Best Bar Food Selection sponsored by S

• Gingerboy Upstairs, Melbourne

• Laruche Bar & Supperclub, Brisbane

• Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney

• Sangria, Adelaide

• Sou Soul, Melbourne

• The Lark, Brisbane

• Tokonoma, Sydney

Best Drinks Selection

• Baranows Lounge, Melbourne

• Byblos, Brisbane

• Crown & Sceptre, Adelaide

• Der Raum, Melbourne

• Eau-De-Vie, Sydney

• The Bowery, Brisbane

• Tokonoma, Sydney

Nightclub of the Year sponsored by Australian Venue Services

• Change Room, Sydney

• Electric Circus, Adelaide

• Eve, Melbourne

• Hugos Lounge, Sydney

• Kit & Kaboodle, Sydney

• Sorry Grandma!, Melbourne

• X&Y, Brisbane

Best Music Offering sponsored by APRA

• Blue Diamond, Melbourne

• Ellington Jazz Club, Perth

• Eve, Melbourne

• Hugos Lounge, Sydney

• Limbo, Adelaide

• Sorry Grandma!, Melbourne

• X&Y, Brisbane

Best New Launched Product sponsored by Bartender Magazine *NEW*

• Beefeater 24, Pernod Ricard

• Domaine De Canton, Think Spirits

• José Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Platino, Diageo

• Mount Gay 1703 Old Cask Selection, Suntory

• Russian Standard Vodka, Beam Global

Training Program of the Year sponsored by 4bars.com.au

• Club Suntory’s CocktailClass, Suntory

• Deconstructing Cocktails, Mixology Management

• Diageo’s Alchemy, Diageo

• Mixxit, Coca-Cola Amatil/ Beam Global

Bar Team of the Year sponsored by Think Rewards

• 1806, Melbourne

• Black Pearl, Melbourne

• Der Raum, Melbourne

• Eau-De-Vie, Sydney

• Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney

• Seamstress/SweatShop, Melbourne

• The Lark, Sydney

Best Marketed Venue sponsored by Bundaberg Rum *NEW*

• 1806, Melbourne

• Der Raum, Melbourne

• Hugos Lounge, Sydney

• Luxe Bar, Perth

• Pool Club, Ivy, Sydney

• The Victoria Room, Sydney

• The Winery, Sydney

Brand Ambassador of the Year sponsored by 4bars.com.au

• Ben Davidson, Pernod Ricard

• Dylan Howarth, Mixxit

• Georgia McDonnell-Adams, Pernod Ricard

• Jared Plummer, Beam Global

• Mick Formosa, Club Suntory

• Nick Van Tiel, Diageo’s Reserve Brands

• Oliver Stuart, Mixxit

Outstanding Contribution sponsored by Bartender Magazine

• Naren Young, Aussie Drinks Writer & Bartender

Australian Bar Awards

A short run through of my predictions proves that I really don’t know all that much about what’s going on in the Aussie bar industry. I obviously need to visit Melbourne, and Brisbane as well.

At least I got a couple right.

A full debrief of my experience will follow along shortly, but right now its all about the winners.

The 2009 Bartender Magazine Australian Bar Awards Winners

BARTENDER OF THE YEAR
1st place – Chris Hysted, The Black Pearl, Melbourne
2nd place – Sebastian Raeburn, 1806, Melbourne
3rd place – Jason Williams, Seamstress/SweatShop, Melbourne

Bar of the Year
Golden Monkey, Melbourne

New Bar of the Year
Match Bar & Grill, Melbourne

Bar Team of the Year
The Lark, Brisbane

Cocktail Bar of the Year
Seamstress/Sweatshop, Melbourne

Nightclub of the Year
Kit & Kaboodle, Sydney

Cocktail List of the Year
Der Raum, Melbourne

Hotel of the Year
Ivy, Sydney

New Hotel of the Year
Cloudland, Brisbane

Best New Venue Design
Ivy Pool Club/Changeroom, Sydney

Best Drinks Selection
Byblos, Brisbane

Bar Manager of the Year
Tim Wastell, Blue Diamond, Melbourne

Registered Club of the Year
Club Swans, Sydney

Bar Operator of the Year (Multiple Venues)
Vernon Chalker, Collins Quarter, Madame Brussels, Gin Palace, Melbourne

Bar Operator of the Year (Single Venue)
Natasha Conte, Black Pearl, Melbourne

Best Music Offering
The Toff, Melbourne
The Piano Room, Sydney

Best Bar Food
Seamstress/Sweatshop, Melbourne

Small Bar of the Year
Sticky, Sydney

Best Specialty Beer Venue
The Local Taphouse, Sydney

Wine Bar of the Year
Gazebo Wine Garden, Sydney

Outstanding Contribution
Sven Almenning

Training Program of the Year
Diageo’s Alchemy Program
Beam Global’s and CCA’s Mixxit

Brand Ambassador of the Year
Mick Formosa, Club Suntory

Red Sky in the morning, Bartenders warning.

Bar Show is rolling to a close today, after a very auspicious start to the day with red dust changing the skies and the air quality very dramatically.

The Bar Show had a great crowd as I walked the floor today, the 42Below Cocktail World Cup Qualifiers were fun to watch, and I tried some excellent products which I’ll document over the next few days.

Bar Awards are tonight, and I’ll be there, seeing if the predictions I made are even close to coming true.

Looking forward to a great night.

And the Pussy goes to…..

So, the finalists for the Australian Bar Awards came out today, and to celebrate my acension from hobbyist to pseudo journalist, I thought I would relay the details of the first press release this blog has ever recieved.

My favourite has to be the Pussy award for Best New Venue Design, that inspired the title of my post. The list was formed by votes by folks in the industry, and winners will be picked by a panel of judges, just like Masterchef but with fewer tears.

The awards will be held  on Wednesday, 23rd September at the Gala Dinner thats attached to the Sydney Barshow. I hope I get invited….

There are plenty of Sydney venues and personalities on the list. I’ve put them in Italic to make them stand out a bit more.

Just to make what is, essentially, a great big list, a bit more fun, I will Bold the ones I’m picking as winners.

Bartender of the Year

If you would like the full list of finalists click here

Sponsored by Club Suntory

I’m going with Petr Dvorek, Lotus