Bartender Of The Month
In September we welcomed Michael Nicolian behind the bar, Maitre’d and General Manager of Newtown’s Continental Deli, which hit the collective consciousness when it opened with a pun-tastic line of canned cocktails beginning with the Mar-tinny and followed up by the Can-hattan and the Cosmopoli-tin. The latter substitutes dried cranberry-infused sherry for cranberry juice, endlessly improving the drink that impaled itself in civilised society after the success of Sex and the City.
Mikey’s cocktail menu for Archie Rose was inspired by his respect and admiration for the accounting community, bless their souls, and showcased his deft understanding of powerful flavour as well as his singular humour; I was finally immortalised in drink form. As Mikey said “Harriet from Accounts used to be a bartender. She strong, powerful, but also quite sweet”. Thanks Mikey.
Continental Deli, Bar and Bistro, 210 Australia Street, Newtown
Neighbourhood Bondi’s Simon McGoram has tended and managed some of the southern hemisphere’s best bars. He’s also wielded the red marking pen as editor of Australian Bartender Magazine, followed by writing stints at Executive Style and The Sydney Morning Herald. Simon came through the Archie Rose bar over the summer with his #notfrosé; a modern take on the Sgroppino which whips Archie Rose Original Vodka with rosé and strawberry sorbet, topped with sparkling wine. It really gave the latest Instagram cocktail trend the bird (in the best way possible).
Neighbourhood in Bondi not only serves Simon’s excellent drinks but also takes its food menu seriously, too. The menu at Neighbourhood fosters the extremes from freshly shucked oysters and Kiwi haute cuisine: the jaffle, to Sydney’s best burger – a bold claim, we know.
Neighbourhood Bondi, 143 Curlewis Street, Bondi Beach
Widely regarded as one of the best bartenders in Australia, This Must Be The Place’s Charlie “Chino” Ainsbury is also famous for being one of the trade’s true gentlemen, and joined us in the bar during October for White Manhattans, Belafontes and a Chi Chi with Archie Rose Vodka. Fresh.
Charlie has also won some of the country and the world’s top awards. From Australian Bartender Magazine’s Bartender of the year (2007), Time Out’s Bartender of the Year (2014), Australian champion for Diageo’s World Class Bartender (twice – 2014 and 2016). To list all his accolades would be frankly tiring, needless to say he’s got a lot of medals.
Charlie opened up This Must Be The Place (TMBTP) on Oxford Street early last year with his business partner Luke Ashton. The bar focuses on the power of the Spritz, and champions the joys of low ABV cocktails. If you haven’t yet been there you’re missing out on one of the best in Sydney’s bar scene.
This Must Be The Place, 239 Oxford St, Darlinghurst
Thalita Alves hails from Brazil and the remarkable Bulletin Place, one of Australia’s most internationally awarded cocktail bar. If you haven’t stepped foot in the formidable bar nestled behind Circular Quay, put it on the must-drink-at list immediately. Thalita’s approach to drinks is not discordant with Bulletin Place’s ethos of cocktails that meld with the changing seasons. The drinks she concocted for Archie Rose, such as the Punchy Rock with Archie Rose Original Vodka, lightly toasted cherries, fino sherry, apricot brandy and a touch of lemon favoured the best of summer’s fruit paired with light spirits, vermouths and fortified wines. The results were magnificent.
Bulletin Place, 10-14 Bulletin Place, Sydney