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The big news from Melbourne this week of course comes from Hong Kong, where the awards ceremony for The World’s 50 Best Bars was held last Wednesday night. Unsurprisingly to anyone who’s been paying attention, our very own Caretaker’s Cottage has made the list again, this time coming in at number 19, making it the highest ranking bar in Australasia. This is the bar’s third appearance in the top 50 in just over four years of operation, cementing for themselves, and Melbourne, a new legacy among the world’s best bars.
I sat down with Matthew Stirling, Rob Libecans and Ryan Noreiks, the three owners of Caretaker’s Cottage (and the recently opened Three Horses), yesterday morning to have a chat, get their reactions to making the list for the third year running, and hear their impressions of Hong Kong and where the global bar scene is at right now. The below is a transcript of our conversation, edited for length and clarity.
FRED: Firstly gents, congratulations.
ROB, MATT & RYAN: Thank you!
FRED: How was the trip? What was Hong Kong like for people who weren’t there? Tell us about the experience.
ROB: This year was fucking cool, man.
MATT: Epic.