The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) is bringing a curated group of American spirits producers to Brisbane next month for a free trade tour to connect directly with importers, bartenders, and retailers. Visiting representatives include BroVo Spirits, Liberty and Plenty Distillery, Middle West, Noble Oak, Old Elk, Proof and Wood Ventures, Traverse City, Virginia Distillery Co. Alongside the visiting brands, attendees will also be able to sample new SKU’s from High West, Jack Daniel’s, Nelson’s Green Brier, Old Forester, Penelope, and Woodford Reserve.
Details: Midday – 4pm, Thursday 30 July at Blackbird Bar & Restaurant. Register for free here.
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Brisbane CBD wine bar Milquetoast is celebrating its second birthday on Sunday 12 July. In a bar world where the cost of goods always goes up, the cost of living is reducing people’s spending power, and people are drinking less, hitting the two year mark is no small feat for an indie bar operator.
“Global events have made things difficult and once again it’s the little guys who are hit the hardest,” says Milquetoast co-owner George Curtis. “Some of our suppliers have raised costs by up to 60 percent to cover the cost of fuel that is as cheap as it’s ever been, which is bizarre and distressing.”
But what’s a birthday without a celebration? Milquetoast has collaborated with Nick Tesar from Victorian brand Marionette to create their own, unique liqueur. As they suggest in the duelling Q&As below (one with George, one with Nick), the rhubarb and cream liqueur is inspired by the bar’s namesake cocktail (one which has landed on the Boothby Drink of the Year Top 50 twice ), and took six months to come to fruition.
Below, George talks about the last two years, the challenges they’ve faced, and why bars really ought to consider a food offering in today’s business climate; and Nick talks about how they built this custom, unique liqueur for the bar.
Q&A with George Curtis
“It’s going to continue to get tougher to survive. Drinking out now is more about the entire experience and I think food is a crucial part of that.”
BOOTHBY: For people who haven’t been into Milquetoast yet, how do you describe the place?
GEORGE CURTIS: Milquetoast is a wine bar and dining room located in an old parking garage in Brisbane CBD. We have a slight British angle to the food as a nod to the Great British food revival so we’re doing things like devilled eggs, chip butties, Eton Mess among some more subtle bits and bobs but the menu is really fleshed out now and Oli is doing some awesome stuff in the kitchen. On the wine front, we lean into low-intervention pours by smaller, independent wineries from Australia and beyond. The cocktails are super creative and go hard on carbonation, fermentation and long-term maceration. It’s a high-energy, casual joint that serves a lot of purposes. For example, we serve our full menu until midnight every night we’re open but we’re also big on people coming in for a quick freezer Martini after work.
BOOTHBY: Milquetoast is two years old! What do you have planned for the birthday celebrations?
GEORGE CURTIS: We’re really excited to announce that we’ve partnered with Marionette and Four Pillars to throw a laneway BBQ and launch party for our very own Milquetoast Liqueur. We’ll have Jacob Cohen on the DJ decks, Nick Tesar will be behind the bar slinging our collaborative liqueur as well as Four Pillars mini Martinis and he’s also throwing us some Four Pillars juniper sausages to whack on the hibachi, so it’s going to be a really fun afternoon and we’ll be letting our hair down a bit.
BOOTHBY: How has the bar changed — if at all — from the initial vision for the place?
GEORGE CURTIS: The food menu has probably been the biggest development since opening. We’ve gone from bar snacks and a couple of elevated dishes to a menu packed full of restaurant-style food to the point whereby our food spend per head has rocketed and we’re seeing people camp in for the evening for a full dinner. That’s happened naturally over time with the vision of our chefs and it’s amazing to see what Oli is doing at the moment. We never thought it would be possible to have such a substantial offering in this space but it’s really taken off, so we’re less of just a bar now and we’re a full on dining establishment.
BOOTHBY: This is not the first time you’ve collaborated with a spirits producer to mark a birthday, you’ve done it before with Before + After. Why did you want to work Marionette on this and where did the inspiration for it come from?
GEORGE CURTIS: It’s difficult to not want to work with Nick to be honest. He’s one of the most genuine people I’ve met in the industry and he’s ridiculously creative but in a very humble way. I love what Marionette has become and the quality of his products speaks for itself. I think our brands align a bit. They’re colourful, rambunctious, down-to-earth and above anything else we both want big flavour in what we do. Nick’s become a friend and it was a no-brainer when it was suggested we do something together. In terms of the inspiration for the liqueur itself, the Caspar Milquetoast is our signature cocktail and our very first iteration used rhubarb. The drink itself is washed with toast-infused milk so we wanted a liqueur that married the fruit with the creamy texture of the drink and a rhubarb and distilled cream liqueur sounded banging.
BOOTHBY: How is the climate for trade in the Brisbane CBD these days, and what’s your outlook for the next couple of years?
GEORGE CURTIS: It’s been a tough six months. Global events have made things difficult and once again it’s the little guys who are hit the hardest. Some of our suppliers have raised costs by up to 60 percent to cover the cost of fuel that is as cheap as it’s ever been, which is bizarre and distressing. It’s picked up recently though so hopefully we have a good run until Christmas.
BOOTHBY: Do you think the days of bars not offering a decent food selection are numbered?
GEORGE CURTIS: Yes. I’ve been saying this for a while. I think unless you’re a really small bar with a super niche, exciting concept that can get away with just doing cocktails, or you’re a big beer-drinking spot, it’s going to continue to get tougher to survive. Drinking out now is more about the entire experience and I think food is a crucial part of that. Once people are in the venue, you don’t want them to leave and food is a surefire way to keep them. I’m not saying it’s impossible if you’re just doing drinks but it’s very difficult.
Q&A with Nick Tesar
“Milquetoast really stands out as somewhere doing things a bit differently in Brisbane.”
BOOTHBY: How long did it take to get the recipe for this bottle nailed down?
NICK TESAR: From ideation to bottle was about a six month process. It started as a conversation during a distillery tour, then working to source the rhubarb, to breaking down produce and trying to build flavour around the hero ingredient. We undertook a series of cream distillation experiments, then got blending.
BOOTHBY: Can you give us the tasting notes?
NICK TESAR: The nose is floral and engaging. The palate starts with bright tart rhubarb acidity, moving to a rich vanilla pannacotta finish. It very much tastes like a classic British dessert.
BOOTHBY: Why did you want to collab with Milquetoast on this bottling?
NICK TESAR: Milquetoast really stands out as somewhere doing things a bit differently in Brisbane. I love their focus on product and the innovation in food and beverage.
BOOTHBY: What is it about Milquetoast that you’ve enjoyed — I know I’ve seen you there before.
NICK TESAR: I’m a big fan of their rotating Martini list, and the thoughtfully curated wine list always has something interesting to explore. The food is a fresh, genuinely delicious take on wine-bar food, the small plates really hit. Also, the people!
The Last Word
Supernormal and Bar Miette (one of the Boothby Best Bars QLD Top 30) are looking for a bartender.
The next instalment of The Gresham’s Greenhorn comp takes place this Sunday 5 July from 5pm.
