The Time Out Sydney Bar Award winners are…
We headed to the Time Out Sydney Bar Awards at Sky Terrace at The Star on a sun-drenched Sunday afternoon to discover who is the creme-de-le creme of the city’s drinking spots. Here’s what happened:
Bar of the Year award went to underground rum drinking spot, Lobo Plantation (staff pictured, above). Named after Julio Lobo, the legendary Cuban sugar baron from the 1950s, the after-work haunt offers Sydneysiders a tropical mini-break without ever leaving the city limits.
A couple of Something You Said’s faves were awarded too. Chippendale’s home of late-night hijinks, Freda’s, run by our ol’ buddy Dave Abram (pictured, below, second right), was crowned Best Party Bar. And our mates Astral People won the inaugural Party Starter Award. In just over four years, the crew have thrown sick parties, staged annual events like OutsideIn Festival, curated nights for Vivid and still made sure to foster homegrown talent such as Collarbones, Basenji, Roland Tings, Cosmo’s Midnight and Wave Racer.
Spritzer specialists This Must Be The Place were named Best New Bar and Eau De Vie took out Best Cocktail Bar for their skill and flair with a shaker, blowtorch, and a little liquid nitrogen here and there.
Best Wine Bar went to 121 BC for their extensive list of Italian vintages. Redfern’s The Bearded Tit, was named Best Neighbourhood Bar; and serving up some of the best sushi in Sydney, Sokyo Lounge was awarded Best Bar Food.
The Baxter Inn’s crew members bagged two awards for the team, with James Irvine recognised as Best Bartender and Rachelle Hair as Hot Talent. The Best Bar Team award went to Newtown butchery turned bar Earl’s Juke Joint, headed up by Pasan Wijesena, who was Time Out’s Bartender of the Year for 2015.
Time Out readers voted laneway tiki bar Papa Gede’s winner of the People’s Choice Award for the second year running. Meanwhile, Clover Moore was the recipient of this year’s Legend Award, in recognition of her efforts to bolster Sydney’s small bar scene.
Here’s a full rundown of the results:
This Must Be the Place
(Highly Commended: Dead Ringer)
BEST COCKTAIL BAR
Eau De Vie
(Highly Commended: Bulletin Place)
BEST WINE BAR
121 BC
(Highly Commended: Monopole)
BEST NEIGHBOURHOOD BAR
The Bearded Tit
(Highly Commended: Wilhelmina’s)
BEST BAR FOOD
Sokyo Lounge
(Highly Commended: Surly’s)
BEST BARTENDER
James Irvine – The Baxter Inn
(Highly Commended: Tom Egerton – Eau De Vie)
BEST BAR TEAM
Earl’s Juke Joint
(Highly Commended: Lobo Plantation)
HOT TALENT AWARD
Rachelle Hair – The Baxter Inn
(Highly Commended: Nathan Pepper – Papa Gede’s)
THE PARTY STARTER AWARD
Astral People
(Highly Commended: Picnic)
BEST PARTY BAR
Freda’s
(Highly Commended: Goros)
PEOPLE’S CHOICE
Papa Gede’s
BAR OF THE YEAR
Lobo Plantation
LEGEND AWARD
Lord Mayor Clover Moore
