The Bartender Magazine Australian Bar Awards are set to be another sell out event in 2010. With less than half of the seats remaining this year’s gala awards dinner at Sydney’s Hilton, on September 22, is set to be another corker.

The Bar Awards, widely regarded as the ‘Oscars of the bar industry’ are only open to sponsors and finalists, but if you’ve yet to book your seats it would pay to get in fast to avoid disappointment.

Tickets cost $295 per person and include pre-dinner cocktails, a three course meal with drinks, as well as transport and entry to the Official Bar Awards After Party at Kings Cross’ Goldfish. Visit www.barshow.com.au for further information and to download a booking form.

Southtrade International, one of Australia’s leading importers of premium alcoholic beverages, has announced that it is looking to appoint two new roles to assist with the company’s ever growing portfolio.

The two roles Southtrade are currently looking to fill are for a Senior Brand Manager and a Junior Marketing Assistant. If you would like to inquire about the roles please email Southtrade’s Director, Tony Stubley, on stubs@southtradeint.com.au.

Mourning the passing of the ’secret recipe’

By Philip Duff

It’s been a long time coming. Once upon a time, signature drinks, or cocktails, or food dishes, were things you could only get in one restaurant, or perhaps one chain of restaurants, or from one chef. Ramos Gin Fizzes, Brambles, Lamb Cutlets Reform ( a la Soyer), TGI Fridays’ Jack Daniels Grill and Nobu Matsuhisa’s black cod are all examples of signature serves. Everyone can imitate these serves in any bar you like, but even an oxygen thief knows that you should have at least one Penicillin straight from Sam Ross, or a Tommy’s from Julio Bermejo. Done right, signature serves rock.

Originally, secrecy played a role; creators went to great lengths to keep the ingredients, or at least one of them, secret, meaning guests who wanted that drink again had to come back to your place and nowhere else. But in the age of internet, Twitter and other forms of instant messaging, it is literally impossible to keep things secret any more; the decades-long run that the Ramos remained a mystery is remarkable - and, today, unrepeatable. Ditto the tiki tradition of label-less number-coded bottles and cryptically titled cocktail flavourings from mysterious firms named Astral Flavours. Having a secret recipe is now out the window.

Back in the day, a barkeep would cheerfully labour for decades in the same bar, developing a large and loyal following based on part on his unique drinks, but that also has gone the way of Stoughton’s Bitters and ladies in seamed stockings. Any bartender these days that develops a successful cocktail has to immediately hire a team of ex-Navy SEALS to fend off the ravenous hordes of drinks firms who will try to hire him or simply rip off the recipe to use in their communications. And a bartender who puts in five years in the same place is seen as being a lifer.

“In the age of internet, Twitter and other forms of instant messaging, it is literally impossible to keep things secret any more.”

One way or another, a good drink don’t stay under the radar for very long no mo’.

One reason for this is that lines of communication have become much shorter in a world drowning in social media. Pre-Facebook, pre-internet, pre-decent bar shows and pre-decent bar books, if you wanted to learn about drinks or cocktails, you pretty much had only one option; go and work in a bar with a good reputation, and stick to the head bartender like shit to a blanket, hoping to catch the pearls of wisdom that might occasionally fall from his lips. Now, you’ll hear about the drink the day after it was created and all you have to do is Facebook it’s maker and Bob’s your uncle. Everyone is polite and helpful and open and sharing and that is a good thing.

Another reason is that the entire concept of signature cocktails has been appropriated by drinks brands - and largely forgotten by bars. Every brand, every SKU now has to have a signature cocktail, preferably two or three or four. These supposedly ’signature’ drinks - because, for instance, there’s only so many things you can do with banana liqueur or vodka - are either branded versions of cocktails everyone’s drinking anyway, or drinks - which may be excellent - that will never be made by any bartender anyway. Whoever heard of a drinks brand’s signature cocktail actually becoming popular? The most successful ones I can think of are the Blue Lagoon (created in Hawaii in the 1960s, for the Bols company) and the Red Lion, a Grand Marnier cocktail-contest winner in London in 1933. Two. Not much for a couple of centuries of mixology and cocktail creation, is it?

Bars, for their sins, rarely keep a best-selling signature drink on the menu year-in year-out, preferring to refresh the menu three or four times a year. The aforementioned chef Alexis Soyer’s Lamb Cutlets Reform went on the menu at the eponymous London gentlemen’s club around 1840; it’s still on it. Are there any bars touching that kind of longevity? The Dry Martini at the bar of the same name in Barcelona is one; The Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco with Irish Coffees is another; Tommy’s (also in SF), with the Tommy’s Margarita, is well on it’s way to being a third. Which bar owner will dare to be the next to keep a great, top-selling drink on the menu, to serve it year-in and year-out, decade after decade, steering a course to that sunny isle of Profits & Guest Satisfaction ‘twixt the Scylla of innovation and the Charybdis of stagnation? Le Lion in Germany’s Hamburg with the Gin Basil Smash? Dylan Prime in New York with the Lemon Meringue Pie-tini?

The power of the cocktail blogger

By Naren Young

Technology has done some wonderful things for our industry. The internet alone has allowed bartenders from Moscow to Melbourne to chat and learn from each other. But there has also been a downside in that now anyone can publish anything they want, becoming armchair critics and quasi experts on our industry overnight. Enter the cocktail blogger.

There are some blogs that I really enjoy that are written by some folks that (as far as I know) have never worked professionally behind a bar.  The musings from Robert Hess, Ted Haigh, Paul Clarke, David Wondrich and several others provide some very entertaining, insightful and informative prose and they are some of the most influential personalities on the cocktail circuit today.

Robert Hess, a veteran Microsoft employee based out of Seattle, was one of the first with his Drinkboy website which was a great forum for bartenders to liaise and discuss all sorts of problems that affect them or the industry, whether it was the origins of a specific cocktail to the best place to buy a vintage julep strainer. His newer site (thechanticleersociety.org) is another excellent resource and I especially like what he’s done because of his open forum format where people from all over the world can chime in with their two cents, much of it extremely informative.

For any bar owners or managers - I’m sure many of you have had an issue with a blogger at some stage. Getting a rough review by a reputable pro is hard enough to stomach. But when it’s written by some amateur with a keyboard and enough money to eat out, that’s when it can really sting. What I have a problem with is that a lot of people actually pay attention to them and hold them in high esteem. In short, they’ve become too powerful when many have only been doing this for a couple of years and never even walked behind a bar.

When I was at Singapore’s Tippling Club recently, they have a ‘no photography’ policy clearly written at the bottom of the menu. I asked Australian owner Matt Bax about this and he said it was implemented because several bloggers were putting more emphasis on getting a good photo (or in some cases bad photos of their half eaten food) than actually enjoying what the chefs and bartenders had spent months creating. Fair enough.

“Blogging is huge here in the US and the word has become, dare I say it, often despised.”

Most bar and restaurant owners couldn’t care less what a blogger says about them. Most of the amateur ones are rarely given a passing thought. But the powerful food and drink blogs can, like a recognised critic, be an influential forum where anyone can vent their frustrations. Blogging is huge here in the US and the word has become, dare I say it, often despised.

Many amateur cocktail bloggers know their shit. Some more than most bartenders. But unless you’ve stood behind a bar on a Saturday night, being yelled at, spat on (it’s happened), while you’ve got a dozen drink orders rattling around in your head, then I don’t think you can understand bartending on a deeper level. Making drinks at home and dissecting the origins of the French 75, Martinez or whatever is one thing. But truly understanding what this business is all about is another completely. I read how one blogger recently tended bar for the first time and came up with such asinine comments as “drunk people are kind of cute, and are also quite annoying” and “minor scrapes and bruises are part of the job”. How very insightful.

A number of bloggers propagate themselves as authorities on classic cocktails and bartending when they also have ads or stories on the likes of bubble gum vodka or video footage of them making something heinous with strawberries and cream. It’s little wonder many of them have become a source of hatred amongst us bar professionals. Clearly having a blog has become great sources of revenue but many lack integrity.

Then there are blogs written by those who have worked, or still work behind a bar. I especially like Jeffrey Morgenthaler from Portland, Oregon. Not only an amazing bartender known around America but a good writer with always something interesting and informative to say. On this level I say: Long live the blog!*

*cue the hate mail

Herradura Tequila is sending Ruben Aceves to enlighten our minds and educate our palettes about Mexico’s most famous export; Tequila.

As Brand Ambassador for Tequila Herradura and one of the leading figures in the Tequila industry, Aceves will host degustation dinners and Tequila Master Classes in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide.

The objective is to educate Australian consumers about the history and heritage of Tequila and dispel many of the myths associated with the product.

Herradura was established in 1870 and is today one of the leading premium Tequilas on the market. Estate bottled and 100% blue agave, Tequila Herradura has received international recognition for its quality.

Ruben Aceves is in Australia from August 6 - August 16. For further information about Herradurra Tequila or Ruben’s visit please contact your Brown-Forman representative.

Following on from  successes at the 2009  International Wine and Spirits Competition Stuart Gilbert, Master Distiller for Holey Dollar Rum has once again stormed the winner’s podium in 2010.

All three of the Holey Dollar rums were awarded ‘Best in Class’ at the blind tasting event showing once again just how far Australia has come from the days of the rum rebellion and our first trading currency.

Gilbert’s focus is on quality and not quantity.

“The Holy Dollar rums are serious, individual, hand-crafted rums made in pot-stills with extra ageing in oak barrels” he explains, “We’re never going to be huge but we want to give consumers a better class of rum - affordable for the everyday person in Australia”.

The focus on small production, and quality production methods is truly paying dividends with  Holey Dollar distillery being  shortlisted for the “Worldwide Distiller of the Year Award” - an accolade they won last year.

The results are due to be announced on 17 November, 2010 - so keep watching 4bars.com.au for what we hope will be some great news!

Yesterday Bluetongue’s new state of the art $120 million brewery toasted the first Blue Tongue Premium Lager to come off the packaging line.

The brewery which is located on New South Wales’ Central Coast has taken just 18 months to reach completion and boasts some Australian firsts like sterile filling which means the beers are not heat pasteurised resulting in a wonderful brewery fresh taste.

Jennifer Hawkins and John Singleton were among the first to sample brews from the new Pacific Beverages-owned brewery.

“I am thrilled to support a local brand and see the impressive potential of the Bluetongue Brewery,” comment Hawkins. “I know it will become a proud landmark in my local region.”

Since being established just four years ago, Pacific Beverages has cornered approximately 10 per cent of the Australian premium beer market and with this  in mind the Bluetongue Brewery has been designed in a modular format to allow for expansion. The brewery currently has an annual capacity of 50 million litres - equivalent to about 6.5 million cases - and is reportedly expandable to 150 million litres over time.

The new Bluetongue Brewery is the first to be built in New South Wales  in 40 years and is now the state’s second largest brewery. But Size and the ability to grow weren’t the only aim of Pacific Beverages new project - the brewery will also be one of the most environmentally sustainable breweries globally. Sustainable initiatives focus on six key areas: Water and energy consumption, product packaging, waste generation (water and solids), atmospheric emissions and considered land use.

Terry Davis, Chairman of Pacific Beverages and Group Managing Director Coca-Cola Amatil said, “The partnership between Coca-Cola Amatil and SAB Miller, one of the world’s most successful brewers in our joint venture, Pacific Beverages, gives us access to some of the world’s finest beer brands as well as access to brewing technology that has not been seen in Australia before now”.

The Walkers Arms, first established in 1839, was gutted by a fire caused by an electrical fault in November 2007. June this year, however, has seen a brand new Walkers Arms come to life.  The hotel is owned by The Dean Group of hotels who fully rebuilt the hotel to include two dining areas, a 14 metre long marble bar and even 20 eco-sensitive accommodation rooms, just three kilometres from the Adelaide’s city centre.

Touted as a family friendly hotel  à la carte and buffet dining is offered through an assortment of modern pub-style options. As a quirk the restaurant also boasts a donut machine capable of producing 1440 donuts an hour!

The design is inspired by renowned French designer Philippe Starck and includes features like opulent sunken lounges, striking designer chairs, gleaming solid white tables, private courtyard huts with individual TVs and iPod docking stations, and LED promotion screens on the bar. All the bells and whistles for the modern hotel.

The bar boasts a cocktail list with a concise range of ‘velocity’ recipes which take a speedy 45 seconds to formulate. The cocktails have been specially devised by Bar Solutions mixologist, Grant Collins.

Acclaimed Sake Master Toshi Maeda (Maedaya, Melbourne) has teamed up with Raita Noda (Ocean Room, Sydney) to bring you a six course degustation matched with premium sake.

Over two nights this dynamic team will entertain a small group of guests in one of Sydney’s premium venues - Ocean Room -  to educate  your palette as well as your mind by bringing some of Japan’s top products to you.  This is a  fantastic opportunity to experience sake with two of the world’s leading experts.

Seats for these events are strictly limited so don’t miss out on this wonderful and rare opportunity.

When: Tuesday 10 & Wednesday 11, August
Where: OCEAN ROOM Private Dining Room, (The Rocks, NSW)
Time: 6.30pm

6 Course Degustation Dinner With Matching Premium Sake
$125 per Person

Limited seats available for this special occasion.
Booking Essential. Please contact: 
Ocean Room: 02-9252-9585
oceanroom@oceanroomsydney.com

Toshi Maeda is also a keynote speaker at Sydney BarShow Week 2010. Visit www.barshow.com.au to purchase your 2 day seminar pass.

Six top tips to make your venue web savvy

By Melanie Topham

Melanie is the ex-head graphic designer for one of the market leaders of the Sydney bar scene - Keystone Hospitality. In January 2008 she formed the design agency Tomorrow People, where she is the senior creative director. Email Melanie at melanie@tomorrowpeople.com.au

A good web site has become imperative to a venue’s success - it’s the face of your venue. From the moment they land on your home page, visitors make snap judgments about the service, quality and style of your bar, restaurant or pub. Frankly, if your site does not cut the mustard chances are they will not bother trying out your bar. On the other hand, if your site is great, it could be a way to reach more potential customers.

To make things easy for you, I’ve taken my experience as the senior creative director at Tomorrow People to give you 6 tops tips to get the best out of your site.

1. Your site is your brand

Get your branding right before you start building your website. Your site is the first impression of your brand so you need to make sure it is hitting your target market. If you are pitching your venue to a chilled out locals crowd don’t create a site that’s overly flashy and night clubby. You want to entice them to visit your venue, not scare them away.

“Frankly, if your site does not cut the mustard chances are they will not bother trying out your bar.”

2. Keep it simple

Functionality is the secret to a great site. No one has time to spend hours trawling a site for info, they want to get in and out quickly. Keep text to a minimum, short and sharp is the key. People are visual, capture their attention through images and make sure site design reflects the look and feel of your venue.

3. Capture customer details

1 in 10 people don’t click past the first page of a website, so this is why it is vital to get their attention here. Or even better, capture their information so that you can continue to communicate with them. Make it easy for them to sign up to your database, have a ’sign up to our database’ form on your home page and give them incentive to do so. For example, create an exclusive membership, those that sign up receive special benefits/ discounts etc.

4. Convert visits to sales

Make it easy for people. Have forms on your site where people can automatically reserve a table, make an enquiry or book a function. Give them access to material readily, have up to date menu’s and functions packs on your site. Incorporate a ’send to a friend’ button so that they can easily forward information about your venue on to others.

5. Keep it current

Update regularly, if people can see something happening on the site, they know it’s a functioning site and venue. Build your site with a content management system so that you can upload regular promotions, music listings etc. Create a social gallery where people log on to view recent photos of themselves and friends.

Also, if your business uses social media such as Facebook, Twitter, My Space or blogging to promote customer interest, be sure to link to these accounts from your website to make it easy for customers to join.

6. Search Engine Optimisation

Increase your natural search listing rank through search engine optimisation tactics. Using a savvy web developer will ensure your website is built to maximise your search engine listing.

For more information about website design contact tomorrow people www.tomorrowpeople.com.au