Pub duo to fire up the pizza oven!

Well known Sydney pub operators Jaime Wirth and James Miller are set to re-launch the iconic Forresters Hotel, once ‘home of the cheap steak’. With a host of successful venues already running (Norfolk, Flinders, Carrington, Abercrombie and Duke) their latest launch is set for mid-February and will showcase their love of simple, good quality and inexpensive Italian fare. “We’ll be offering pizzas, pastas and a rotisserie what will be different each day,” said Wirth.

On top of the Italian styled foods, the bar will be serving up an Italiano inspired cocktail list with Luke Ashton (Duke) preparing the offering. Miller explained that they’ve covered a range of different food styles with their current venues and that they see a good Italian offering at a pub as something that is missing from the area. Forresters is their biggest hotel yet; equal to both the Norfolk and the Carrington in capacity.

Double Bay Doubles-up

Double Bay is riding a bit of a wave at the moment, with the old Bollywood restaurant site now under the direction of a new team of talent. Andy Becher (co-owner Roxbury Hotel, Sydney), Daimon Downey (of Sneaky Sound Systems), and Charlie Hinckfuss are all involved and are set to launch the new - at print, yet to be named - venue in mid-January. The team is excited about their new bar and entertainment offering and what it will bring to the local area which has been off the radar for a while as a destination night spot.

Talking Big with NSW’s Small Bar Association

There’s a bit of momentum behind NSW’s small bar movement at the moment, and it’s obvious. From Glebe (Mr Falcons and the Little Guy) to Redfern (The Dock) and Neutral Bay’s The Local as well as the city’s CBD there are DAs pending, doors opening and we are all benefiting from the spectrum of influences that new owner/ operators are bringing to the scene.

A Cocktail Trend to Far?

This might be drinks news related, but we decided to do a bit of investigating and ask some Aussie bartenders what they thought. The lads down at the High West Distillery (USA) have released their very own distillery crafted, and estate barrel aged, cocktail - the 36th Vote Barrelled Manhattan.

Riversdale’s Rapid Rise

The Riversdale Group is fast becoming one of the major multi-venue operators in NSW and with the backing of some key investors, including ad man John Singleton, they’re looking to keep growing.

Moscow’s inaugural Bar Show

Moscow recently experienced the bar show phenomenon with the Moscow Bar Show launching in September this year.

Organised by the PIR Group in co-operation with the British bar expert Andy Bishop the Russian bar community was able to experience the best of international bar culture. Nearly 6000 bar professionals visited the show and they were treated to a host of industry icons - many of whom have been regular fixtures at Sydney BarShow Week in years past and present.

Salvatore Calabrese (Salvatore’s at the Playboy Club, London) David Cordoba (Bacardi Global Brand Ambassador), Thomas Estes (European Tequila Ambassador), Joe Fee, Phil Bayly and Ian Burrell were all on hand to educate and stimulate what was an excited and enthusiastic Russian crowd.