Get the recipe for this two-tequila Old Fashioned riff at George On Collins

Welcome to the next in a series of stories showcasing one drink, one bartender, at one great bar. This series is made possible by Brown-Forman's Elevate program — to learn more, contact your Brown-Forman representative.

At this Melbourne 700 seat bar and restaurant, there is nowhere to hide.

Set in the basement on Collins Street — the clue is in the name — in the Melbourne CBD, George On Collins dishes up Southeast Asian cuisine and a whole lotta cocktails.

And as venue manager, Rosh Donnelly says, that makes for a diverse and high energy workplace. “The rush that you get from working in hospitality, from the quiet days to the busy days, it’s like an adrenaline,” she says. “You always want more.”

Below, both Rosh and bar supervisor Alex O’Connor talk to us about the pressures of running a 700-seat venue like George On Collins, and walk us through the specs for their Numbing Sun, an Old Fashioned riff employing two varieties of Herradura.

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BOOTHBY: A double interview — how good. What are your roles here?

ROSH DONNELLY: Hi, my name is Rosh. I am the venue manager for the George On Collins.

ALEX O’CONNOR: Hi, my name is Alex and I am a bar supervisor at the George On Collins.

BOOTHBY: Tell us about the George On Collins. This place gets pretty busy, is that right? For people who haven’t been here before, tell us what this place is about.

ROSH DONNELLY: We are a New York style basement restaurant and bar that serves South East Asian cuisine. We also have a new drinks menu that’s a few weeks ago, which is amazing, that the bar manager Mark has put together, obviously including some cocktails to do with Herradura.

BOOTHBY: How long have you both been here?

ROSH DONNELLY: I’ve been here for three years now.

ALEX O’CONNOR: And I’m here just over a year.

BOOTHBY: What’s it like to work here?

ALEX O’CONNOR: It’s pretty fast paced at times. Yes. Yeah, it’s fast paced, it’s busy, but it’s fun. It’s a really good environment to work in. There’s a good energy within the whole team across bar and floor. Yeah, I really love working here.

ROSH DONNELLY: It’s a very diverse venue to work in, for sure. I’d probably describe it as unique more than anything.

BOOTHBY: What’s unique about it?

ROSH DONNELLY: The clientele we get in, the amount of entertainment that we hold here, the events.

BOOTHBY: But unique in a good way or...

ROSH DONNELLY: Unique in a good way, yes! We have lot of functions on, from corporate to hens parties to birthday celebrations. It’s a very big restaurant.

BOOTHBY: Tell us about this drink that’s on the new list, using both Herradura Plata and Herradura Reposado?

ALEX O’CONNOR: This is a new signature cocktail that, with a pineapple oleosaccharum. We extract the flavour from chargrilling pineapple. That combines then with the Herradura Plata and the Reposado, so you get the warmth of the agave and the oak undertone. Essentially it’s a twist on the classic Old Fashioned using tequila and pineapple, so it’s a bit more on fun side.

BOOTHBY: What kind of occasion is this drink? When would you suggest drinking this drink? Aside from, you know, every time one visits George On Collins.

ROSH DONNELLY: I’d probably say on a Friday night, when you’re trying to go for more a loungey atmosphere. You’ve finished your work, you’ve had a long week, you maybe sit on one of the tables in the back with a few other friends. Take it easy.

BOOTHBY: Why do you guys do what you do? Why are you working in hospitality? What is it you enjoy about the job?

ROSH DONNELLY: For myself, it’s the people, for sure. I love being able to have conversations with customers, getting to know people, being able to provide that customer experience more than anything. It’s definitely a... How do I say this? The rush that you get from working in hospitality, from the quiet days to the busy days, it’s like an adrenaline. You always want more.

BOOTHBY: So you don’t like to be quiet.

ROSH DONNELLY: No, not really. We all like to be busy. It’s really hard to not do anything in this venue because it’s so big. It’s a 360 bar — eyes are everywhere!

ALEX O’CONNOR: I have to say the same — I love working with people, I always have. I’ve got a background in hospitality and customer service. I just love it. I like to talk to people, get to hear about their interesting backgrounds. You meet so many interesting people here. Between staff and customers from all over the world. Like Rosh said, it’s really diverse here.

And the rush, you finish a really, really busy Saturday night, 700 people in the venue, you get a sense of achievement from it. It’s great.

George On Collins’ Numbing Sun

Ingredients

30ml Herradura Plata
30ml Herradura Reposado
40ml charred pineapple syrup*

Method

Stir all ingredients with ice.
Strain into a rocks glass with a big block of ice.
Garnish with a pineapple spear and flowers.

*For the charred pineapple syrup:

Vacuum seal 1kg charred pineapple pieces, 1kg sugar, 30g red Szechuan pepper; leave for 48 hours, strain and add 20g citric acid.

Recipe by Mark Richardson, George On Collins.

Founded in 1870, in the small town of Amatitán in Jalisco, Casa Herradura is the last tequila-producing Hacienda in the world. Tequila Herradura tells an over 150-year story of exceptional Tequila and vivid innovation. Tequila Herradura is an extraordinary fusion of the terroir and the process, expert skill and ancient tradition.

Learn more