‘It’s good to push yourself’ says Reuben Beasley-Palmer

Reuben Beasley-Palmer is one of the bar managers at high flying Melbourne restaurant and lounge, Society, and one of the talented bartenders making the Melbourne bar scene the vital place that it is.

Reuben is a maker. He’s a dab hand at all things cocktail, of course — he one of the top 25 bartenders in the Espolòn Afterlife To The Bone cocktail competition, after all.

But he also wants to make your night memorable, to make it special — it’s what he does what he does.

Below, lightly edited and condensed for clarity, Reuben shares his approach to bartending, what you can expect at Society, and talks us through his modern riff on the 60s era classic, the Freddy Fudpucker.

Alright, tell us about your drink for the Campari Afterlife competition. What’s your drink called?

So my drink idea came about obviously through the afterlife, bringing something back to life and it was based around a drink created in the 1960s by Donato ‘Duke’ Antone, called a Freddy Fudpucker. The name is definitely something that’s... it’s a great little laugh.

What’s the original Freddy Fudpucker?

So the original is essentially tequila, orange juice and a float of Galliano. So, you know, pretty simple, pretty basic, but I mean, a lot of really good drinks are based around really simple, and basic [formulas], that one, two, three.

I’ve just tried to essentially use that same method, but really stretch it out in the technique used. I’m using a lacto ferment with some orange and mandarin, and then acidifying that, clarifying it, and carbonating it together with the lovely Espolòn Blanco tequila.

And then I’ve done a little spice vanilla foam.

What’s the thinking behind employing those techniques?

You know, it’s sort of something new [for me], something challenging and I think it’s good to push yourself. You know, it’s very easy to carry on with the way you love doing things but how are you going to grow and get better if you can’t try new things and try to master that?

Tell us about Society, what’s this place about?

So Society Restaurant here is, you’ve got the two different spaces. There’s Lillian Brasserie, which is more of a relaxed wine bar style service restaurant. And then there’s also the main dining area, Society. Think like European style with an Australian twist. It’s an absolutely sensational space with the bar here in the centre. It’s just fantastic drinks and great people watching.

How long have been bartending for now?

I’ve been bartending for 11 years now. Although the first couple of those were definitely dropping trays of glassware. But I’ve worked at some pretty sensational places along the way and been lucky enough to be trained by some really awesome people.

Why do you do what you do?

It’s just exciting. I think it’s the people and making things, making someone’s night, all those little moments built together make it special.

Duke Returns

50ml Espolòn Blanco
150ml Lacto Ferment Mandarin/Orange Soda
50ml Spiced Vanilla Foam

Combine tequila with lacto orange/mandarin juice and pour into a container of cold full cream milk. Set a timer, and allow to curdle in a refrigerated space for 30mins. Strain through a large oil filter, moving from container to container until the liquid begins to run clear.

Then add:
200g White granulated sugar
3g Citric Acid
1g Malic Acid
4 drops Vanilla essence
4 drops Fee Bros Orange bitters

Stir to combine until everything has dissolved. Add the remaining 200ml of tequila from the bottle. Dilute with water, and refrigerate for an hour. Add to PET bottle, filling 2/3 full. Squeeze all air out, apply carbonation cap, charge from a CO2 cannister twice at 42psi, squeezing out all headspace each time. Leave to refrigerate 24 hours. Charge once more, and serve.