Welcome to the next in a series of stories showcasing one drink, one bartender, at one great bar. This series is made possible by Brown-Forman's Elevate program — to learn more, contact your Brown-Forman representative.
Frog’s Hollow Saloon may have only been around for four years, but it is on the fast track to institution status.
Since opening in March of 2022, the bar has been home to some of Brisbane’s best bartenders, and a destination for the city’s off duty bartenders and drinks travellers alike.
That’s thanks to the laidback yet attentive to service, good things to drink, and an emphasis on fun.
“It’s loud, it’s rambunctious,” says general manager James Gamble in our chat below. “There’s people dancing up on the bar top. But it’s a good time.”
Part of that good time is thanks to some delicious drinks, like the A Long Way Round cocktail Gamble walks us through in the video and recipe below.
BOOTHBY: James, tell us about Frog’s Hollow Saloon.
JAMES GAMBLE: We’re here at Frog’s Hollow Saloon in Brisbane city. We are a not quite country bar, not quite whiskey bar, not quite cocktail bar — we’re a good time bar.
BOOTHBY: And what’s the drink you’ve made here?
JAMES GAMBLE: This is A Long Way Round. My idea was to make an elevated version of your classic Jack and Coke. One of my go-to favourite cocktails for any kind of rye or bourbon is a Manhattan or a Boulevardier.
And I wanted to implement that kind of style in something as classic and as accessible as a Jack and Coke. So I’ve made my own vermouth using a lot of the classic Coca-Cola spices as my spice mix in the vermouth, as well as the sugar content from the vermouth being lime and orange oleo. But I’ve also added in a bit of an Australian twist with some black pepperberry from Tasmania.
BOOTHBY: What is the atmosphere like at Frog’s Hollow Saloon?
JAMES GAMBLE: It’s loud, it’s rambunctious. There’s people dancing up on the bar top.
But it’s a good time. Pretty much just a lot of chatting and drinking and laughing.
BOOTHBY: How long have you been here?
JAMES GAMBLE: I was the first team member to be hired outside of the opening team here at Frog’s. And I am currently the longest standing team member here, as well as the manager, which is kind of wild to think about, considering I started at the very bottom rung.
BOOTHBY: Starting at the bottom rung like that, you’re the general manager now. Do you have a different appreciation of the place?
JAMES GAMBLE: I have an appreciation for everyone else that’s worked here. The opening team, the people who’ve come in and done great things and moved on to other awesome places. And to a certain point, everything that I do here, because I got to share that space with them, I am still trying to impress them — to continue that legacy that they built here in this place.
BOOTHBY: Can tell us about the hats?
JAMES GAMBLE: The hats? Technically they are part of the uniform. When you start here at Frog’s Hollow, you don’t get a hat immediately. You have to get through your probation period, which is basically the amount of time that takes for us to realise that you’re not a complete idiot. Once that happens, we go out, we buy you your own Akubra. You get knighted.
You don’t have to wear the hat all the time. The hat only really comes down when it’s a party, when the vibe is right, when the mood hits late at night. Or for events, competitions, if you’re representing the venue in some way, that’s where you wear your hat. So it’s a little bit of a ritual. It’s a bit sacred to climb up on the bar and grab your hat down.
A Long Way Round
Ingredients
- 40ml Jack Daniel’s Bonded
- 20ml housemade cola vermouth
- 15ml Saison Artichoke Amaro
- 10ml sugar syrup (1:1.5)
Method
- Stir down in mixing glass with ice.
- Serve over a block ice cube, garnish with a lemon twist and an orange twist.
For the cola vermouth:
- 750ml Hughes & Hughes Syrah
- 110ml Jack Daniel’s Bonded
- 55g lime & orange oleo saccharum
- 9g cinnamon
- 9g ground coriander
- 18g powdered kola nut
- 4.5g ground nutmeg
- 1.5g Tasmanian pepperberry
- 2g wormwood
- Toast cinnamon, nutmeg & pepperberry in a dry saucepan over low heat until fragrant then coarsely crush in mortar and pestle.
- Combine all ingredients except wormwood and refrigerate overnight.
- Fine strain, then add wormwood for 1 hour, then strain. Store in the fridge.
Recipe by James Gamble, Frog’s Hollow Saloon.
Our Bonded Series celebrates innovation and craftsmanship while giving a nod to the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, which set the benchmark for whiskey quality and authenticity. Our Bonded Whiskey Series is crafted for those who appreciate the rich history and meticulous craftsmanship of Jack Daniel’s. Dive into our Bonded Series and savor the pinnacle of Jack Daniel's craftsmanship with every sip.
Drink Responsibly. Jack Daniel’s is a registered trademark.
