On Tuesday evening, The North Shore’s botanical themed restaurant and bar, The Botanist celebrated turning two. An event was held especially for the venue’s local friends, media and celebrities, including Rochelle Fox, Jude & Lynette Bolton, Will Stewart, Steve Flood & Lynzey Murphy from MKR, Taryn Williams, Caroline Groth and Tara Rushton. Guest enjoyed a cozy evening out of the rain and wind, sa…

Mateus Rosé Original has launched a tasting campaign and consumer promotion with key on- and off-premise venues in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.   In the off-premise, the brand is hosting sampling sessions throughout venues, as well as a consumer promotion, in which customers can enter to win one of three vintage bikes valued at AU$295 (each) with every purchase of Mateus.   Mateus – the numbe…

Mexico’s leading ultra-premium tequila brand, Herradura has launched a unique activation in Australia, in which, for the first time worldwide, 12 bars across the country have been able to purchase their own, exclusive single barrel of Herradura Reposado tequila. Herradura is the only tequila brand in the world to offer the opportunity for venues to purchase their own barrel of tequila from the distillery,…

On top of its acquisition of the Newport Arms Hotel last month, Merivale has also acquired the Queen Victoria Hotel in Enmore. This is the first venue in Sydney’s Inner West to join the hospitality group’s portfolio. Merivale will officially take possession of the Queen Victoria Hotel in late April with the re-launch scheduled for early June. Merivale says the venue will have a strong food focus, with a k…

G’Vine has launched a global competition, inviting bartenders from across the world to nominate an inspirational individual. Entrants can choose a person they once worked alongside, an artist they’ve always admired or even someone that changed their perspective on the world. Those nominated could be contemporary figures, someone famous, a writer, a singer, a chef, their mother, anyone! The challenge has a…

Samuel NG from Black Pearl in Melbourne has taken out the Australian title of the inaugural Olmeca Tahona Society Cocktail Competition, held for the first time in Australia this week. Held at Tio’s in Surry Hills, Samuel competed against ten other top bartenders, including Nick Selvadurai, Thomas Egerton, Dimitri Rtshiladze, Peter Nguyen, Elliot Pascoe, Sam Egerton, Josh Baxter, Perryn Collier and Andrew …

Merivale Giant has acquired the Newport Arms Hotel – one of Sydney’s most landmark venues. The acquisition took place late last night. Newport Arms Hotel, located on the waterfront of Pittwater on Sydney’s Northern Beaches has long been recognised as a landmark among hotels, attractions and restaurants and is one of the biggest venues in Sydney. The venue comprises of a terrace restaurant, garden and bist…

Taste of Sydney is back for 2015 and is expecting to see thousands of Sydneysiders make their way to the event today and over the weekend to meet with producers and chefs, and taste Sydney’s best and award-winning food and drink produce. Last night was the official launch night of the event, with attending guests among the first to try a plethora of food and drink cuisines. Among the best restaurateurs at…

Belvedere Vodka has announced a major global bartending competition, aligned to the new James Bond movie – SPECTRE, which will release later this year. The competition calls on bartenders around the world to re-create and put their twist on Bond’s iconic signature serve – a martini, shaken not stirred. The winning bartender will see their martini feature at select SPECTRE movie premieres around the world …

Archie Rose Distilling Co. is set to open its doors in Sydney this March. The new distillery has been founded by local Sydney-sider Will Edwards, who is joined by Joe Dinsmoor as Head Distiller of Archie Rose; Nigel Weisbaum as Sales and Marketing Manager; and Dave Withers as Production Manager. Mr. Edwards said commenting on the opening of his new distillery: “The city of Sydney once had a thriving local…