The winners of the 2017 Time Out Sydney Bar Awards were announced yesterday in a party at The Star.
The big awards were evenly spread, with small bars This Must Be The Place and PS40 taking home Bar of the Year and New Bar of the Year respectively.
This Must Be The Place is a labour of love for owners and previous Diageo World Class winners Luke Ashton and Charlie Ainsbury. The venue taps into the current worldwide trend for aperitif and lower alcohol serves, championing the creative spritz drink category for Sydney drinkers.
“This bar brought something new and dynamic to Sydney’s bar scene when they launched their Spritz menu, and it’s that kind of boundary pushing that keeps us going back there,” said Time Out’s national food and drink editor, Emily Lloyd-Tait.
This Must Be The Place also snagged Best Cocktail Bar for 2017.
PS40 is the home of the PS Soda team, whose innovative house-made soft drinks have been creating waves for a little while now. With a focus on interesting flavours – like smoked lemonade – and local ingredients like lemon myrtle, the venue is well-regarded among the bartending community.
Late night hip-hop and Italian food hangout, Big Poppa’s nabbed Restaurant Bar of the Year, The Gretz in Enmore took home Best Neighbourhood Bar, while the Wine Room at the newly renovated Dolphin snagged the honour of being Wine Bar of the Year.
The bartender categories, were likewise evenly spread, with Ramblin’ Rascal Tavern winning Best Bar Team, Ryan Sneddon (currently one of the Bacardi Legacy Top 3) taking out Hot New Talent, and the much loved purveyor of the Mar-Tinny, Mikey Nicolian from Continental Deli, being awarded Bartender of the Year.
The Australian bar scene continues to get stronger year-on-year, with old favourites maintain their quality of service, and more new bars of a high calibre opening on what seems like a monthly basis.
FULL LIST OF NOMINEES AND WINNERS:
BAR OF THE YEAR
This Must Be the Place
LEGEND AWARD
Venue 505
PEOPLE’S CHOICE
Hudson Ballroom
QUEEN OF THE PARTY
Kat Dopper, Heaps Gay
BARTENDER OF THE YEAR
Michael Nicolian, Continental WINNER
Michael Chiem, PS40
Charlie Lehmann, Ramblin’ Rascal Tavern
Stuart Morrow, The Baxter Inn
Dre Walters, Kittyhawk
BEST BAR TEAM
Ramblin’ Rascal Tavern WINNER
The Baxter Inn
Big Poppa’s
Eau de Vie
Kittyhawk
HOT TALENT AWARD
Ryan Snedden, Lobo Plantation WINNER
Marcus Dullard, Continental
Jemima McDonald, Earl’s Juke Joint
Zach Morgan, Bulletin Place
Evan Stroeve, Shady Pines Saloon
BEST COCKTAIL BAR
This Must Be the Place WINNER
The Barber Shop
The Baxter Inn
Bulletin Place
Earl’s Juke Joint
Eau De Vie
Kittyhawk
Lobo Plantation
Papa Gede’s
PS40
BEST WINE BAR
The Dolphin Wine Room WINNER
121 BC
Bibo
Love Tilly Devine
Monopole
BEST NEW BAR
PS40 WINNER
Bibo
Jangling Jack’s
Kittyhawk
Leadbelly
BEST RESTAURANT BAR
Big Poppa’s WINNER
Bar Brosé
Continental
Dead Ringer
Hubert
BEST NEIGHBOURHOOD BAR
The Gretz, Enmore WINNER
The Bearded Tit, Redfern
Crooked Tailor, Castle Hill
Leadbelly, Newtown
Uncle Kurt’s, Parramatta
To see all the winners of the Melbourne Bar Awards, click here.
