Tanguy Charbonnet is one of Australia’s best bartenders, and we’re lucky to have such a talent here in Victoria, heading up bar Flaggerdoot at boutique hotel Jackalope on the Mornington Peninsula.
Traditionally, hotel bars in Australia have not been quite up to the standard set by our global hospitality counterparts in cities like London, New York and Hong Kong, so it’s wonderful to see someone like Tanguy being given creative control over the drinks program at a place which exemplifies Mornington as a global destination for good food, good wine, and now great cocktails.
Tanguy, who has been slinging his creations at Jackalope for seven years now, is helping to put regional Victoria high on the list of the country’s most impressive cocktail destinations. And Flaggerdoot is much more than your average hotel bar. With a list that focuses on garden-grown, seasonal ingredients, it’s both a fundamental part of the Jackalope experience for hotel guests, as well as a destination for locals on the Peninsula in its own right.
“The idea for us is to focus on sustainability, trying to use whatever’s grown in the garden as well as what’s leftover from the kitchen,” Tanguy tells me, “as well as showcasing the best of modern bartending technique. We try to keep on trend, and I get a lot of inspiration from what’s happening globally, but also at places like Byrdi who focus on things that are local to Victoria.
“For me, fermentation goes along with sustainability because it’s a great way to preserve ingredients and avoid waste, so we reuse as much as possible. And we’re lucky to have a beautiful garden on the property here, so we use a lot of herbs in particular.”
And each season has its perks.
“Winter is more complicated, but there’s always things to work with, and if I feel uncomfortable [with a particular ingredient], that’s a good challenge for me to push myself,” he says. “Every day going into the garden to pick herbs is such a nice way to start my shift — at least when it’s not raining.”
Tanguy’s favourite cocktail on the Flaggerdoot list right now is a Daiquiri riff featuring Red Mill rum, apricot-infused sake, citrus coconut whey and koji cashew orgeat.
“The koji orgeat idea came from Kate [McGraw] at Diageo,” he says. “We take cashews and soak them in water, then blend them with koji, let it ferment at room temp for three days, then add sugar. You can heat it afterwards to arrest the ferment, but I had to learn that after a couple of batches, because the first few just kept fermenting out of control. When it comes to these kinds of ingredients, it becomes difficult for the team to catch up to what I’m working on, so I have to keep an eye on that.”
Another favourite is the Archie’s Nana, made with Archie Rose rye malt whisky, banana oleo, banana miso custard and shoyu koji coffee. “It’s a tribute to my son,” Tanguy says. “Of course he’s never tried it because he’s four years old, but he loves bananas so I wanted to do something yummy to celebrate him.”
Given the difficulty of staffing in hospitality in general these days, I asked Tanguy how building a professional team in a regional area has been for him. In the hotel’s food and beverage department more broadly, he tells me, staff who are settled on the peninsula with families and property are happy to stick around.
“But for the bar in particular it’s been hard to get a team that sticks,” he says. “For the first five years I was here, it was hard to recruit people who have the experience and understanding for a drinks program like this, but I think it’s better now, and it’s also up to me to implement training and inspire the sort of passion that we can maintain.
“We’re also lucky to have a great hospitality community here on the Peninsula. All the venues talk to each other, we work with The Bon Vivant’s Companion, Deadwood, Pt. Leo Estate, so we can do joint masterclasses and share resources.”
And from Friday to Sunday, plays host to a lot of locals. “We’re always super busy at the bar,” he says.
Right now, Tanguy is laser-focused on the World Class cocktail competition, having made it through to the Top 100 in Australia.
“I love doing cocktail competitions,” he says, “Because when you’re so far from the city, it’s a great way to network and learn and feel a part of a community. Plus I love challenging myself.” I asked what his advice would be as a successful competition bartender for younger hospo professionals wanting to enter the comp scene. ”I’ve won some big ones,” he says, “But I’ve lost way more. This is my fourth time doing World Class. You just have to be patient.”
Around the Bars
Bartenders’ Weekender is just under four weeks away. The website has the updated timetable — and new RSVP information has just been added — so get a look and start filling up your calendar. It’s going to be a huge three days, with 33-plus events taking place, and tickets to the Better Bars Summit presented by Monkey Shoulder on sale now.
Mahjong at Moondrop. Fitzroy’s Chinese-inspired craft cocktail bar in the former The Everleigh space have pulled back the curtain on their ‘Mahjong Room’, a new space designed for private events and the bar’s bi-monthly mahjong nights, running every Sunday with a Q&A for beginners from 6:30pm to 7pm. Presale tickets are on the Moondrop Instagram, with limited tickets available at the door.
Farewell, Fernet. Scot Au is wrapping up his seven years with Amber Beverage and saying a bitter farewell to his much loved Fernet with one last hoorah at Loch & Key on May 31st from 10pm with flash tattoos, Games, and dare we say some shots of amaro? Despite the bad AI generated event pic (so much for sustainability), I’m sure it’ll be heaps of fun.
