Get the Bar Selecta take on the Old Fashioned

In partnership with Monkey Shoulder

The Old Fashioned is the original cocktail. It’s about as analogue a drink can be in today’s clarified, carbonated, and technique-driven world. But classics never really go out of fashion, do they?

The same could be said for vinyl records, which is what has inspired Monkey Shoulder’s latest collaboration and celebration of the Old Fashioned.

“The Old Fashioned is a drink you sit on and savour, much like playing a record,” says Monkey Shoulder brand ambassador Rachael Bartlett. ‘It’s also a great cocktail to riff on, and using Monkey Shoulder as the base opens up a multitude of flavour combinations and possibilities.”

In this series, Bartlett asked three top bartenders from three great Melbourne bars, to make a Monkey Shoulder Old Fashioned inspired by a record.

We have already heard from Margot Michat, of Brunswick bar Waxflower and John Hallett of Goodwater; this week we are talking to Joey Tai of Hawthorn record bar, Bar Selecta.

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Joey Tai

Bar Selecta, Hawthorn
The record: Solid State Survivor by Yellow Magic Orchestra

“This record inspired me to put these ingredients into a very, classic, well-refined drink with Monkey Shoulder — refreshing instead of a traditional heavy Old Fashioned,” says Bar Selecta co-owner Joey Tai. “It’s really fun, lots of layers, wintery, garnished with toasted humei honey and rosemary.

“Yellow Magic Orchestra is a free people’s band back in 1979 from Japan. They focus on electronic pop. It’s a really good vibe.”

BOOTHBY: Joey, where are we today?

JOEY TAI: We are at Bar Selector, this pretty fairly new record bar, we focus on cocktails, Japanese sake and whiskeys. It’s in Hawthorn on Glenferry Road, quite near to the train station and cinemas.

BOOTHBY: And what’s the name of the drink?

JOEY TAI: The name of this fun Old Fashioned is Yellow Magic Orchestra, which is the record that inspired me — putting the ingredients into a very classic, well-refined drink with Monkey Shoulder. Something quite sort of refreshing instead of a traditional, heavy Old Fashioned, I wanted to highlight the fun and diversity of Monkey shoulder.

We use some ume umeshu, the Japanese green plum, but as a shrub and blend with honey water and also Okinawa Habush, which is an awamori-based snake essence herbal liqueur. So it’s really fun, lots of layers, wintery, garnished with toasted ume honey rosemary and just a little bit of a lemon zest on top.

The record that inspired me because Yellow Magic Orchestra is a free people’s band back in 1979 from Japan. So they focus on electronic pop. They’re pretty much the pioneer of the group that really created fun electronics, like nowadays we call techno. So it’s like very elevated, really good vibe. And it’s blending music from a traditional background with really fun video games music, you know?

BOOTHBY: How did you come across this?

JOEY TAI: With my business partners and partner, Kelvin. When we opened this bar together, we got into a lot of research in record music because we are based on a Japanese kissa concept. We wanted to have elements of Japanese music, different genres, jazz, electronic, disco and all that. We come across this Yellow Magic Orchestra as a retro look at Japanese music history.

It’s a timeless, energetic record you can play at the bar.

BOOTHBY: Can you describe the atmosphere here at Bar Selecta for people who haven’t made it in yet?

JOEY TAI: It depends on the time of the night — to start the night, it is still kind of bright out, and can be very chill people come by themselves or small groups. The bar is only a 10-seater and because it's quite tight, everyone meets over a couple drinks. It’s a good vibe, simple drinks, but a bit of fun, good hospitality and music.

BOOTHBY: Tell us a little about your journey behind the bar and in hospitality so far?

JOEY TAI: Oh, sensitive questions about time. I have been living in Melbourne for 22 years now, and have been in the industry for probably 20 of those years. I have been very lucky to be able to work with different people in different areas of hospitality from managing, operations, running the bar business as well as building the bar, designing the bar. I’ve worked with brands, hosting whiskey events and spirit events. I have also consulting on cocktail menus, distilling gin as well. It’s been a journey and I’m very, very happy — this is my happiest moment in my career.