Welcome to our end of year series of interviews with the people behind the award-winning bars from this year’s Boothby Best Bars Awards program. Next up is Alexandra Percy, co-owner of Santé Cocktail bar in Toowoomba, winner of the 2025 Best Cocktail Bar in Queensland presented by Ilegal Mezcal.
It’s the little cocktail bar in regional Queensland that has made a big splash on the national bar scene. Santé Cocktail Bar is a small place, with space for just 40 people, and is staffed by its owner-operators — Alexandra Percy and Loic Mouchelin — every night it’s open.
It’s that smallness, and intimacy, which makes the bar great. The bar is also beloved by the trade in Queensland, which saw them vote Santé into the number two spot on the Boothby list of the Top 30 bars that was unveiled at the Boothby Best Bars QLD Awards in June this year.
The bar also walked away with one of the big major awards on the night, scoring the title of the Best cocktail Bar in Queensland presented Ilegal Mezcal.
Below, Alexandra talks about what makes Santé special, how they’re charting a course through a world of rising costs, and more.
BOOTHBY: In your opinion, what is it about your bar that resonates with the bar industry?
ALEXANDRA PERCY: Passion is the word we would use! We genuinely love what we do, we always think that passion is contagious. It welcomes people into the bar and, we hope, makes them feel at home. It’s also because of this passion that we try to attend all the industry events and be inspired by the likeminded people we get to meet, the venues we get to visit and the opportunity to learn about what people do and how they operate, which is always invaluable.
BOOTHBY: How do you describe your bar to people who are only just learning of it?
ALEXANDRA PERCY: Small, intimate, cocktail-focused. We hope it feels like home, approachable and friendly. It’s also run with a much more French style of service than Aussie.
BOOTHBY: What’s the most popular to order classic cocktail at your bar?
ALEXANDRA PERCY: Oh that’s a tough one. If we talk proper classic drinks, it will be a close call between the Margarita and the Martini. But if we go modern classic, the Pornstar Martini leads the way (Loic is very happy about that). I don’t even want to think about the amount of passionfruit we go through, especially for a small bar like us. We also sell a lot of Champs Elysees because it’s my favourite, so I always recommends it.
BOOTHBY: Can you describe the attributes you look for in a bartender at your bar?
ALEXANDRA PERCY: Well the bartender is Loic and the floor is me, there isn’t anyone else, and I don’t think we should be looking at or judging each other’s skills too much as we might be a little biased on that. In the past though when we have looked at staff, we have always looked for attitude. Skills can be taught but the attitude someone brings with them each day is what matters, people who are happy to come to work, passionate and interested in learning.
BOOTHBY: What rough percentage of the sales mix is cocktails?
ALEXANDRA PERCY: Overall for the whole year of 2025 cocktail sales stand at 97 percent of our total sales — which we are very happy and proud about!
BOOTHBY: How are you finding business in a general sense - are the people out there spending like they did a year ago? Better or worse?
ALEXANDRA PERCY: 2025 has been our biggest year by quite a lot! But the trade has changed a bit, obviously the rising costs of goods have an effect on everything for everyone. But we decided to tighten the belt on our end this year, trying to not rise our prices, when possible, not passing on some of the fees to the guests etc etc. So yeah, some of our margins have suffered but it has made us stay an ‘everyday’ place, so we gained guest retention and spend per head instead, which has been very good.
We also think consistency plays a key role these days to be able to get regular guests.
So, it has definitely been a good, busy year but it has required some extra effort on our end to make it work this way, which is absolutely fine, especially if the results are there.
BOOTHBY: What’s the biggest challenge the bar faces as a business over the next year?
ALEXANDRA PERCY: We aren’t going to be original here but like we said above the rising costs of everything is probably the main challenge for everyone, both from a customer and an industry point of view!
BOOTHBY: What gives you hope and optimism as a bar owner for 2026?
ALEXANDRA PERCY: I think we are seeing a great new generation rising in some of the top bars around the country and around the world generally. And that gives a lot of hope and enthusiasm for the near future.
I’ve also always believed that good food and good drinks can make the world a better place, and for that I think the people of our industry who delivers good products will always have a bright future ahead despite the multiple challenges around. Yes, the industry can be tough, but I think it will always be around and people will always go out for a meal and for a drink our two if we keep delivering.
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