The Bars to Watch 2014: Australasia

Down Under there is a diverse selection of creative concept bars, from Perth to Sydney and across to Auckland, finds Paul Wootton.

There’s a thriving bar scene in Australia and New Zealand right now

It’s a blast Down Under right now. The age of the industry gazing at its own navel is over. Instead, bartenders are focused on fun – entertaining their customers and in turn being entertained. That’s likely the result of so many owner-operated bars opening up – venues where bartenders run the show, working hard and playing hard too. In Sydney alone, Bulletin Place, Hello Sailor and The Barber Shop have all opened this year, fitting that mould.

With the accent on pleasure, bartenders are too busy having a good time to care about molecular mixology – so simplified, easy to replicate drinks are back in. Imitation speakeasies are so last year; instead, concepts are more light-hearted, even ironic. Creativity is booming, with themes growing ever more diverse: American frontier, nautical, Cuban.

There’s increased consumer interest in locally sourced products and provenance, and many bars now make their own sodas and tonics. Australian spirits are trending.

So too are local craft beers, American whiskey and dark spirit cocktails. While Sydney and Melbourne continue to dominate in terms of openings, the hospitality sector in Western Australia is experiencing fast growth as a result of the mining boom.

Next year, expect to see more owner-operated venues emerge as the small bar revolution continues apace. In particular watch out for Luke Ashton. He won Diageo Australia’s World Class competition for 2013 – and now has a cheque for  AUS$100,000 to open up his own establishment.

Click through the following pages to discover The Australasia Bars to Watch 2014.

Australasia Bar to Watch 2014: Papa Jack’s, Brisbane

The influence of New Orleans continues to percolate through Australasia with another big slice of America’s deep south now heading for Australia’s far east. Papa Jack’s is the brainchild of French bartender-turned-bar owner Marco Nunes, the person who helped create Brisbane’s award-winning Canvas bar.

Due to open later this month, Papa Jack’s will take inspiration from the Creole food, classic cocktails and jazz music of Louisiana’s largest city. Customers can choose from a list of six regularly changing cocktails complemented by a range of house specials: expect Sazerac on tap, Frozen Bourbon Milk Punch, Hurricanes made with freshly pressed juices and a selection of aged bottled cocktails.

Grant Skinner, who has worked at some of Brisbane’s best restaurants including Libertine, Peasant and Anise, will head up the kitchen, bringing the spicy flavours of Creole cuisine to a menu of specials, burgers and Po Boys (New Orleans’ take on the sandwich).

Design highlights of the small 100sqm space include a brass bar top, stenciled cement floors and curved banquette seating with a painting of a New Orleans swamp inset into the panels above.

An homage to New Orleans (the city widely acknowledged as the birthplace of jazz) wouldn’t be complete without live music – and Papa Jack’s hopes to be a hub for local musicians keen to offer up a soundtrack of jazz, R&B, blues and soul. Nunes has been researching this concept for some time.

With all this going on, it’s bound to be a contender for Bar of the Year.

Neighbourhood, Sydney

Aside from the Anchor (where the trade tends to drink) and the Cornerhouse, Bondi tends to be thin on the ground when it comes to serious drinking establishments. So Neighbourhood is a pleasant addition to the scene, boasting a crack team that includes Simon McGoram, a fount of booze knowledge who used to run the drinks program at Sydney restaurant Porteño.

The drinks here are lovingly crafted: grenadine is house-made from freshly juiced pomegranates; the Wild Mulberry Collins uses fresh mulberries picked from a tree in the back yard. The team even makes its own pimento dram, adding it to classics like Trader Vic’s Navy Grog. When it comes to food, jaffles are the speciality here. These American-style toasties are available in four variants including the Pretty Lady “Cheeseburger”, which is actually a vegetarian toastie stuffed full of fries, mustard, pickles and cheese. Artery clogging food at its best.

Reserve Wine Bar, Newcastle

On the site of an old bank, with the safe door retained as a period feature, Reserve Wine Bar recently opened in Newcastle, a two-hour drive from Sydney. The bar is a collaboration between IT specialist Tim Bohlsen, coffee shop owner Justin Oliver and wine journalist Patrick Haddock, Reserve was created to meet their need for a place they all wanted to drink in.

The impressive drinks list boasts 175 wines from Australia, with an emphasis on those from New South Wales (the Hunter Valley is a stone’s throw from Newcastle). The rest of the wine world is well represented too, and there’s a good selection of whiskies. A grazing menu includes Oysters shucked to order, Coriander & Lemon Cured Salmon with Pickled Ginger and Truffle Salted Hand-Cut Chips.

Boney, Melbourne

Melbournians of a certain age probably all have a story about Pony, the legendary dive bar-cum-nightclub on Little Collins Street. Now, on the same site, comes Boney, promising the same late-night shenanigans but with the addition of a more respectable dining offer available throughout the day.

For those who still want to party till dawn, weekends at Boney won’t disappoint, with live music until 7am.

The Laneway Lounge, Perth

With more than a nod to 1940s New Orleans, The Laneway Lounge is an elegant addition to Perth’s burgeoning bar scene. The cocktail list, which oozes with jazz-era classics, was assembled by consultant Grant Collins; you can see his influence in the Fancy Drinks section: the Edible Trio of Beach Side Classics features a deconstructed Mojito, a mini Dark ’n’ Stormy and a Piña Colada sorbet, all served on a slate. Danny Russo, one of Australia’s leading chefs, has put together a menu of exquisite tapas-style snacks and premium comfort food. There’s also live jazz performed on most nights.

Orleans, Auckland

Can you see a trend emerging here? Another venue inspired by America’s deep south, Orleans is worthy of its name, offering a soul-rousing combination of Creole food, elegant cocktails and live music. It’s joyful, energetic and arguably the best night out in Auckland right now.

The food is exceptional: big bowls of gumbo, jambalaya balls “with dirty gravy”, Cornflake Chicken Waffles. Part of Auckland’s hip Britomart complex, Orleans is billed as the only place in New Zealand where you can listen to live music while you dine, which tells you all you need to know about the size of New Zealand’s small (but beautifully formed) hospitality sector.