Charlie Ainsbury has announced that he will be stepping down from his role as co-owner of much-loved venue This Must Be The Place.
Partners Charlie Ainsbury and Luke Ashton have worked side by side for three years to bring the multi award-winning cocktail bar to life; Ainsbury’s departure on 13 February will be a new adventure for both Ainsbury and the remaining team of Elliott Bell and Jake Down at TMBTP.
Ainsbury, who represented Australia twice at the Diageo World Class competition in 2014 and 2016, will be moving into consultancy – along with pursuing new passion projects and enjoying some well-deserved time off.
Since opening in February 2015, TMBTP has been nominated for many awards both domestically and abroad.
In 2015 alone, TMBTP won Best New Bar in both the Australian Liquor Industry Awards (ALIA) and Time Out Bar Awards, as well as Gourmet Traveller Bar of the Year and the Spirited Award for Best New Cocktail Bar. In 2016, the Darlinghurst bar won Best Cocktail Bar and the coveted title of Time Out Sydney’s Bar of the Year.
Ainsbury himself stands as one of Australia’s most awarded bartenders. With 14 years under his belt, he has worked in some of the world’s best cocktail bars including the Bayswater Brasserie, The Diamond (Vancouver), Eau de Vie (Sydney) and Bulletin Place. He currently writes for numerous bar publications and is the National Dan Murphy’s Spirits Ambassador.
“This Must Be The Place has been a dream,” said Ainsbury. “It has been exciting and rewarding. I’m immensely proud of what we as a team have achieved in the 3 years we’ve been in operation and as sad as I am to leave our team and all of the great regulars that we’ve made, I’m excited for what’s next. Even though I don’t know what that is yet.”
