Here’s two things to do before Sunday night (and a new bar to visit this weekend)
Closing soon: nominations in the Boothby Best Bars QLD & NSW.
Well, it has been a busy March, right? I know it has been for Boothby, and the year ahead is ramping up: bars are getting busier, new bars opening (more on that below), and guest shifts and travel are well and truly back (see: the Maybe Cocktail Festival from April 12th). Which is all my way of saying that there’s no Drinks At Work podcast this week, as I’ve been on the road — Brisbane and Melbourne, you were great.
I’ve also been working away on the plans for the Boothby Best Bars awards happening in Brisbane on Monday 22 May and in Sydney on June 19. Which brings me to the first point of this piece: nominations in the Boothby best Bars QLD and NSW close this Sunday night.
Click here to go to the nomination page.
And a reminder on how it works, too: it only takes one nomination to get your bar on to the long list. Then, once voting is closed, the Boothby advisory panel run each state — comprised of bartenders, bar owners, brand types and other industry figures — will vote for their favourite seven bars with at least two of those for votes going to bars outside their home city.
Self-nominations are encouraged, too — you can do that here.
Entries into World Class Bartender of the Year 2023 close Sunday night, too
You caught our interview with World Class ambassador Kate McGraw, right? In which she shared her tips on entering World Class Bartender of the Year 2023? If you didn’t, you can read and listen to it here.
While we’re at it, though you want to visit the link here because there’s just a few days left to enter — entries into round one close at midnight on April 2nd.
And in new bar news
Dre Walters (Old Mate’s Place, Ginny’s Canoe Club) and Swan Kanongataa (ex-The Wild Rover among others) have opened a bar in Newtown. It’s called Huelo, which features a general store at the front and a 12 seat cocktail bar out the back, (and an outdoor patio). You can find them at 127 King Street in Newtown, which has seen a variety of bars call the place home over the last few years, or you can hit them up on Instagram at @huelogeneralstore and @huelobar.
Lastly, by all accounts (and I caught a bit of it on social media), Alex Boon from Pearl Diver Cocktails & Oysters did well representing Australia at the global finals of the Patrón Perfectionists competition, making it to the top three. But it was Israel’s Mor Koral who took out the top prize at the Patrón Hacienda in Jalisco, Mexico. We’ve done a few videos with Boon and last year’s winner Harrison Kenney in the lead up to the global final — there’s some great advice on competing in comps to be had here.
To everyone who has subscribed recently — thank you! There’s also growing number of you are supporting Boothby with a paid membership, which is humbling and very much appreciated. If you would also like to support the work that Boothby does, you can do so from $10 a month (or $99 a year) right here.
