How to open a proper cocktail bar in pub country

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Welcome back to a peninsula-focused instalment of the Boothby Melbourne briefing. In this briefing:

• Why Tom Wicks and Max Foster-Swan opened a cocktail bar an hour south of Melbourne;
• The whiskies you’ll find in their concealed whisky room;
• and get their pre-batched Manhattan recipe.

The boys from The Bon Vivant’s Companion seem to pop up everywhere. When they’re not posting casually informative and entertaining reels on social media, you can find them at pretty much every important bar industry event, cruising up to Melbourne almost weekly as well as travelling around the country to attend festivals and host takeovers. These guys are on the hustle, and they make it seem like fun. 

Owner Tom Wicks and Venue Manager Max Foster-Swan’s art deco whisky and cocktail bar opened in the seaside town of Mornington (about an hour’s drive south of Melbourne) just over two years ago. In that short time, Tom & Max have established themselves as key players in the Mornington Peninsula’s burgeoning cocktail scene, hosting regular whisky tastings and collaboration with local spirits and wine producers.  

Aussie booze is the headline at Bon Vi, standing out from a casual glance at the back-bar or cocktail list. But a closer reading shows a deep commitment to Australian-made spirits and local flavours. For instance, one drink on the list is made entirely with products from local distillery Bass & Flinders. “They invited us down to look at the distillery because they wanted to work more closely with us on cocktails,” says Max. “As we were walking around and tasting things, we had this realisation that, hang on, we can make a really great drink using only their products.” 

The result is the booze-forward but elegant Good Living cocktail, a combination of Noble Stranger chardonnay brandy, apple brandy, white mistelle (unfermented grape juice fortified with unaged grape eau de vie) and Firetree cinnamon myrtle liqueur, all produced by Bass & Flinders. You can opt to try it stirred down with ice, or heated into a warming toddy, which, at this time of year, is a pretty obvious call. 

A more refreshing option is the Redline, made with Aussie vodka, yusushu, Marionette elderflower liqueur and house-made beetroot soda, and to finish I had to order the Not The Gum Drop Button for the name alone. But this sweet and aromatic milk punch of local spiced rum, Marionette Nocino, ginger wine and spiced chai is much more than a funny Shrek reference. “First and foremost, every menu is a collaborative effort,” says Tom. “ Most of our cocktails are inspired by seasonal produce, while some are inspired by things we’ve seen or tasted in other bars. But the main thing we ask ourselves is, would someone want to reorder this drink?” 

If the three I tried were any indication, I’d say the answer is yes.

I asked Tom why he decided to open a relatively ambitious cocktail and whisky bar in a regional area more known for pubs and casual bistros. “I realised that there weren’t many experiences down this way that are similar to what you can find in the city,” he said, “And the local community has welcomed us with open arms. Being regional means we don’t always have consistent foot traffic,” Tom continued, “but the positive side is that we have the ability to build better relationships with our regular patrons and neighbouring bars.”

After my cocktails, Tom invited me out back to see their whisky bar, hidden behind a wall panel in the hallway. This surprisingly big room has a less chrome and mirrors vibe, ditching the tuxedo for a smoking jacket with a softer, old school hotel lounge fit out featuring antique furniture and warm lighting. There’s an impressive selection of whisky behind the bar here, and again, a closer look reveals some absolute gems; this isn’t just stuff you can order from Paramount. 

As well as vintage Scotch whiskies like a 1980s Glenfiddich and a 1990s Glenmorangie madeira cask, there’s a big focus on Aussie whisky. There are bottles hand-carried back from trips down to Tassie along with some genuine collectors items, like a bottle of Lark from 2012 and a cask strength Sullivans Cove bottled as part of Le Maison du Whisky's ‘Artist’ series back in 2021. And to make sure these bottles aren’t just collecting dust, they host regular tasting events with distillers, importers and bottlers from around Australia. 

Overall, these guys seem to have struck a good balance between the classic cocktail lounges and the modern, hyper-seasonal bars of Melbourne, bringing local ingredients and lesser-known spirits into a nostalgic, old world environment that feels familiar and comforting, encouraging exploration of Australia’s amazing spirits and produce for casual drinkers and bon vivants alike.

The Bon Vivant’s Companion’s Manhattan

“We’ve always got a batch of our house Manhattan in the freezer,” says Tom. “It’s a sweeter take on the classic, but it’s a great way to showcase a couple of amazing local producers.”

Ingredients:

• 30ml The Gospel Straight Rye
• 20ml Lark Kurio whisky
• 15ml Naturi Rosso vermouth
• 5ml maraschino cherry syrup (straight out of the Luxardo tin)
• 3 dashes chocolate bitters
• 2 dashes orange bitters
• Luxardo cherry to garnish

Method:

1. Stir over ice and strain into a frozen coupette. 

Around the Bars

You Are The Champions. The Melbourne bar industry’s night of nights is happening this coming Monday the 31st of August as Boothby counts down the top 50 bars in Victoria at an invite-only event — I’m looking forward to seeing you all there for a drink.

Filipinos & Friends Fire Up! This Friday, August 28th at Misfits Bar, Footscray, Barangay Block Party is a celebration of Filipino culture and community featuring an all-Filipino line-up of artists across hip-hop, soul, R&B, and more, along with dance and drag performances. This event is also the launch of the Melbourne chapter of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines and will be raising funds to support Filipino temporary migrants. 6pm-1am, entry by donation.