What to expect from the all-star team at new Fitzroy bar, Hands Down

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When an all-star team of Melbourne hospo pros gets together to open a bar, good things are bound to happen. Hoping to open by the end of August to catch the start of the warmer weather, Hands Down is a joint venture from an absolute dream team of Melbourne bars, including Dom Xavier (Bar Liberty) on the floor and Alex Boon (Pearl Diver Cocktails & Oysters) behind the stick, backed up by Hayden Lambert (Above Board), and Manu Potoi (Capitano, Bar Liberty, Falco, etc.) as co-owners. 

Hands Down will occupy the space just off of bustling Smith Street, Fitzroy, previously home to much-loved Aussie spirits and jaffle bar Bad Frankie. Hoping to retain the same casual, convivial atmosphere BF was known for — no table service, bar snacks only — Hands Down will take drinks in the direction of bright, smashable, European aperitivo-styles with a pared-back, Bar Liberty-style backbar of interesting amari and eau de vie. 

The inspiration for a more casual, social space comes from the limitations (which are also benefits, in their own way) of venues like Bar Liberty and Above Board. “Manu and I have been chatting about Liberty and what it’s become for ages,” says Xavier, speaking to that venue’s evolution into being predominantly a restaurant, with table service and a discreet service experience for each individual group. 

“And at the same time, everyone around here is obsessed with all the awesome pubs in this area,” he says.

“So we’ve been looking at the way the punters in the neighbourhood use the existing hospitality spaces in the area, and the kind of characterful, small, drinks-focused venues we love are losing out a little. What we took from that was a need for something more accessible. We’re trying to remove road blocks like having to make a booking, out-by times, not allowing individual tabs,” Xavier explains. “So we’re retaining that accessibility, but putting the focus on cocktails and mixed drinks.”

The cocktails, and the bar in general, will have a continental approach, with a short, simple list of drinks that are, “nice and simple, fruity, salty, tall, and with a lot of vermouth and sherry,” he says. 

“I’ve got a real attraction to those experiences I’ve had in places like Southern France and Spain, where the person running the bar might be in their 60s and they just rock up, turn on the coffee machine, pour a couple of grappas and host the room. It’s so simple, but so personal, and you walk away [thinking] that was amazing.”

Lambert is also clearly keen to create a more flexible and social space after nearly 10 years running Above Board. “I love Above Board,” he says, “but folks don’t always feel like they can hang out. Hands Down will be a social space where we’re happy for people to stand if the seats are full, and there’s outside tables, so it’s a step away from the style of service at Liberty and Above Board. 

“We want to create a really warm, social, inviting environment. These days, I think it’s important that we create a space for people to actually socialise and get off their phones.”

In terms of the room itself, fans of Bad Frankie will notice a few familiar elements, while some significant changes are afoot, too. “The first thing we did was lower the ceiling,” says Xavier. “We wanted to make it more intimate and social and really encourage people to engage, but it will also help with sound,” in the form of two custom-built speakers playing a range of fun, boppy tunes with a continental vibe.”

“But we’ve kept the existing wood paneling, and extended it to cover more of the room,” says Lambert. “We’ve also kept the smoky mirrors and the bar itself because we like that weathered brass with the cool rivets.” 

I’ve lived in Fitzroy for nearly 15 years now, and I’ve been really missing the kind of experience these guys are describing. It was one that Bad Frankie offered in spades; the kind of place you can just pop in for a drink on your own, maybe run into someone you know, or prop up at the bar for a chat without feeling like a distraction. If Xavier et. al. can nail that — and something tells me they can — Fitzroy’s latest addition to the Melbourne bar scene is shaping up to be a hands down winner. 

Around the Bars

What’s happening in Melbourne right now.

• Time is running out to nominate your favourite Victorian bar for the Boothby Best Bars Victoria Awards — nominations close Thursday night. A bar needs only one nomination (and self-nominations are encouraged) to be eligible for the next round of voting by a select panel of Victoria’s best bartenders, operators, and influential industry figures. Go and nominate your favourite here.
• A special shout out to Kimi Kim, who took out the top spot at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championships, which were held here in Melbourne last week. It was Kimi’s first time competing in the contest to blind taste and identify single malt whiskies, and she was up against over 160 other competitors that included long-time SMWS members as well as plenty of hospo and whisky industry professionals from around Australia. She was the only woman to make it to the final taste off, and won that round with a near perfect score of 11/12. I was lucky enough to work with Kimi at Whisky & Alement and seeing her rise to national tasting champ as a comparative newcomer to the whisky scene brings me nothing but joy. She’s also a walking ray of sunshine, so to see her killing it warms my whisky-soaked old heart. You can see an interview with Kimi talking about her experience at whisky champs here.
• And in megapub news: Opened to the public again for the first time since closing in Spetember last year, Hickens House is the new iteration of the former Crafty Squire on the corner of Russel St. and Little Collins in the Melbourne CBD. This 1110-person capacity behemoth is latest re-do from Australian Venue Co (The Espy, Garden State + 200-odd others), and reportedly cost about $12 million. The venue now sports four levels including a new rooftop bar and an indoor level previously used for office space that now has private karaoke rooms. Read more here.
• Entries for the Step Into The Never Never competition close soon, too — learn more about the comp with our chat with co-founder Sean Baxter, here, and enter before the cutoff on Thursday night (the 31st).

Issue number four of Boothby magazine lands at the end of August — to get your copy, and the next three issues, sign up here. Your support of Boothby means a lot!