Everything we know: what to expect when Maggie’s Snacks & Liquor opens
Ferments, cocktails, and Australian spirits are on the way.
Angel’s Envy is collaborating with Behind the Bar with Cara Devine on a series of masterclasses called Bourbon & Bubbles. The classes will focus on different ways to use carbonation in a serve, from Boilermakers to bottle conditioning and will be run by some of Melbourne’s finest:
- Cara Devine of Bomba & Behind the Bar with Cara Devine
- Lachlan Watt of Whisky & Alement
- Nat Yao & Michael Madrusan of Made in the Shade
- Tony Huang & Time Pope of PAR
- Tom McHugh & Kayla Saito from The Mulberry Group
The introductory session with Lachlan Watt & Cara Devine will be at 2.30pm on Sunday October 15 at Whisky & Alement. Click here for more details and to RSVP.
There’s a new bar coming to Brunswick, from a quintet of Melbourne hospitality types.
Maggie’s Snacks & Liquor is part of a flowering of new hospitality happening in Brunswick, co-owner and veteran bartender Alejandro Archibald says. “It’s in the heart of an up-and-coming little hub of bars and restaurants there, right near Waxflower [which landed at number 33 on the Boothby Best Bars in Victoria list last month], and just up from Old Palm Liquor, Blue Bonnet BBQ, there’s Etta right near us as well — [there is] lots of cool stuff in that little area that’s coming up.”
Alejandro says that they’re hoping to open the place in late October or early November this year, which is welcome news — it’s a sign that Melbourne is on its way back after tough few years since the pandemic began.
So let’s dive into what’s on the way when Maggie’s Snacks & Liquors opens on Lygon St in Brunswick East.
What’s the concept?
“Maggie’s Snacks & Liquor is basically a big kind of neighbourhood bar that does everything well,” says Alejandro.
There will be an emphasis on seasonality and locality, with sustainability top of mind, he says.
“We’ve even got a farm out in Werribee where we’ve got people there helping us build a little kitchen garden there.”
They’re taking over a space in which a beer bar, called Ale House Project once lived, and the plan is to seat around 170 people, Alejandro says. “[It’s] much bigger than I ever thought my first bar would be,” he says.
And as the name suggests, the snacks and liquor get equal billing. “Two of the partners are chefs,” Alejandro says.
So what’s the deal with the name? “The name, we’ve had for a while,” says Alejandro. “It was just me and Kaidee originally, and snacks and liquor [are] her favourite things. We always liked that little tagline.
“The name Maggie we settled on because it’s partially inspired by Kaidee’s grandma, who’s a bit of a character. She loves to smoke cigars and drink champagne and whiskey and that sort of thing.”
The look and feel of Maggie’s Snacks & Liquor will channel that character, too. “We want to embrace the vintage feel of the bar,” Alejandro says. “There’s a lot of exposed brick and wood. We’ve also found a lot of cool velvet couches and little antiquey bits and pieces that pop.
“We wanted to keep it warm, antique, vintage.”
What to expect from the drinks at Maggie’s Snacks & Liquor
Alejandro is responsible for the drinks at Maggie’s Snacks & Liquor — as you might expect from a veteran bartender ho has worked in some of the best bars in both Brisbane and Melbourne and was for a time the brand ambassador for Patrón Tequila.
“Something I don’t see too many bars doing is [offering] a good range of everything done well across the board,” Alejandro says. “So we’re not going to be a wine bar, but we are going to have at least 90 wines by the bottle.” Expect a good representation of Australian wines, and a mix of natural and classic styles, along with “lots of local craft beer, a good small little rotating back bar of mostly Aussie spirits and the cocktail program is also relatively small but constantly rotating and very seasonal produce-driven,” he says.
“I think there’s so much good booze in this country it’s pretty easy to fill up a menu with just Aussie stuff.”
They’re also going to offer a selection of meads, fruit wines, ciders and fortifieds.
“I enjoy playing around with winemaking techniques and applying them to different styles of ferments to create cool ingredients for cocktails, or even just to drink on their own,” Alejandro says.
Who’s behind Maggie’s Snacks & Liquor?
There are five owners behind Maggie’s Snacks & Liquor: chef Scott Blomfield (Pie Thief owner), Kaidee Grzankowski (ex-Blackhearts & Sparrows), chef Jessica Spooner, and The Mulberry Group founder Nathan Toleman. “He’s somewhat of a mentor, I guess, to the rest of us,” Alejandro says.
Tell me about the snacks?
The chef is Scott Blomfield, co-owner of Pie Thief, and he’s looking forward to getting back into full service.
“His philosophy is pretty cool,” says Alejandro. “He’s very much like me, very sustainable produce driven. He’s a Kiwi, so he’s bringing a lot of his culture and heritage into it. He’s been reading a lot of old Kiwi books, cookbooks, and basically trying to update those into cool little snacks. He likes to call his food elevated junk food. I feel like it doesn’t do it justice because it’s pretty epic stuff.”
Expect to see dishes like a pickled corn dog with quince ketchup, crispy chicken skin sandos with cognac gel, and chicken parfait. There will be bigger and more substantial dishes, too.
“You can come in for a snack if you want to, but if you want something more substantial you absolutely can do that as well,” Alejandro says.
What are the trading hours, when will it open?
Maggie’s Snacks & Liquor is expected to open in late October or early November, 2023.
Where to find Maggie’s Snacks & Liquor
You’ll find Maggie’s Snacks & Liquor at 98-100 Lygon St, Brunswick East and online at maggiesbar.com.au. Keep an eye on their progress on Instagram with the appropriately named @maggiessnacksandliquor.
Angel’s Envy is collaborating with Behind the Bar with Cara Devine on a series of masterclasses called Bourbon & Bubbles. The classes will focus on different ways to use carbonation in a serve, from Boilermakers to bottle conditioning and will be run by some of Melbourne’s finest:
- Cara Devine of Bomba & Behind the Bar with Cara Devine
- Lachlan Watt of Whisky & Alement
- Nat Yao & Michael Madrusan of Made in the Shade
- Tony Huang & Time Pope of PAR
- Tom McHugh & Kayla Saito from The Mulberry Group
The introductory session with Lachlan Watt & Cara Devine will be at 2.30pm on Sunday October 15 at Whisky & Alement. Click here for more details.
