Great drinks don’t have to be so serious

“No brown liquid in glasses.”

This was the directive given by Huw Griffiths to the team at Union Electric when I worked there years ago, as we were considering new drinks to put on the list. He wanted the bar to be fun, approachable, and a little silly. Our best sellers were the Kum Den Botanica (named for the Chinese restaurant next door – RIP), a gin, fresh apple and elderflower highball and the Lola, a ginger and gin-spiked Piña Colada riff. 

They were exactly the kind of drinks people wanted when they followed a lightning bolt in Chinatown into a little hidden bar, playing hip-hop with a big picture of Bill Murray presiding: playful and surprising.

Judging by the drinks which made the Boothby Drink of the Year Top 50, it's an approach that more of our top bars are adopting. Yes, we make great drinks, but they don’t have to be serious. We can use all of our understanding of flavour and techniques, and make you the best damn blue drink you’ve ever had. The list this year felt like a real coming of age moment to me – we’re throwing off self conscious gatekeeping and celebrating the silly with frozen drinks, colourful serves, nostalgic flavours — and even a bourbon and coke.

Opening Goodwater, with an American whiskey focus, we knew we had to have a bourbon and coke on the menu. It's how most Australians are introduced to the category after all. As co-owner Nate White says, “bourbon and cokes are yum, and with this [the Champagne Old-Fashioned] you get to order one and still have the best experience.

“I think as bartenders sometimes we can get caught up in process which in my opinion, like anything creative, can be restrictive on the end product and negatively impact the guest experience. We wanted something that wouldn’t intimidate people where maybe cocktails aren’t really their thing, and in a world of $25 Negronis having a price accessible option where you get to sound fancy when you order is just good hospitality.”

Both the drink and the name had the same goal: a little elevated, a little boujee, but fun and approachable. Nate took inspiration from the nickname for Australia’s most famous sugarcane spirit to come up with Champagne Old Fashioned. “It's non-gender dominant in a traditional sense and sounds a bit fancy. I want guests to say, ooh what’s that? There’s a mystery to the name, and then comedic release when we get to say, “the best bourbon and coke you’ll ever have.”

Above Board may be one of the most highly awarded bars in Australia but owner Hayden Lambert wants to stay grounded, and that’s why you’ll always be able to get a Japanese Slipper there. “I was taking myself too seriously!” says Hayden. “So, I decided to keep Midori in the bar to remind myself cocktails can be fun and silly, but they still have to be made well. With the Slipper it was like, let’s pay tribute to Melbourne and have fun with Midori.”

It can only be a good thing for hospitality when we no longer roll our eyes at naff drink orders and force everyone who comes into our venues to try a Boulevardier. It's good for the guests because they get to try really delicious versions of drinks that they love, and it's good for us, because frankly it’s exhausting to constantly uphold a sense of superiority.

This is why Kayla Saito entered the Bullet Proof to Drink of the Year. “Having something relatable on a menu like an Espresso Martini riff helps us connect with guests nearly instantly. We can say, oh you know that cocktail that everyone knows and loves to hate? We made it completely differently and you gotta try it. And if they want to know more we can get into the layers. But honestly though, who doesn’t love burnt butter whisky, cold brew, and a nitrogen tap?” 

This is the key – we don’t have to give up our rotovaps, carbonation and clarification, we just don’t have to talk about them all the time. We have fun in the back of house and creative process, so that our guests can have fun at the bar.

All in all, I just wanted to say good job folks. That list is full of drinks I want in my face. Now, isn’t it about time we brought back the Fluffy Duck?

Around the Bars

• Everyone’s favourite Pizza Palace, Leonardo’s, is celebrating turning six on December 8th. They’re bringing back some old favourites from previous menus, serving $20 cocktails, discounted wines from Quel Vino and $2 oysters, with DJs spinning all day. Sounds much more fun than most other six-year-old birthday parties I’ve been to. Bookings are encouraged — do that here.
• If you like a little entertainment alongside your cocktails, Geelong’s 18th Amendment Bar is hosting a cocktail cabaret on December 4th and 5th. Put on by Rare Bird Ensemble, Love & Forgetting — Tales from a Young Mixer “raises a glass to storytelling, community and the art of hospitality”, and promises to “stir passions, shake spirits and ignite imaginations”. Intriguing – worth a road trip I reckon! Tickets include a cocktail on arrival and charcuterie.
• Mill Place Merchants opened in the CBD this year and while I haven’t made it there yet I love their idea of a Piccolo cocktail menu, with all of their favourite cocktails available in cute mini versions for $14 or a flight of three for $38 - perfect for people as indecisive as me.