Welcome to 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.
When Antico opened three years ago, the bar quickly became a fixture of Brisbane City drinks scene, thanks to its proximity to its sister venue (and perennially popular bar) Death & Taxes; guests waiting in the often long line to get inside Death & Taxes were presented with a new option, and Antico has been busy ever since.
Today the bar is home to some of Brisbane’s best bar talent and a classics-inspired cocktail menu with plenty of good things to drink, and venue manager Steph Jacobs points out in the chat here.
Below, lightly edited and condensed for clarity, Steph talks about why she loves what she does (and why the bar, like the world, is a stage), how they go about drinks at Antico, and the Redbone cocktail made with The Glendronach 12
BOOTHBY: What’s your role here at Antico, Steph?
STEPH JACOBS: I have been running this place for about a year and a half. I started here three years ago, shortly after this bar opened. I’ve slowly made my way up through the ranks. I deal essentially with all things service, all things drinks, all things cocktails, all things whisky, especially this beautiful whisky right here.
BOOTHBY: What do people need to know about Antico? What’s what’s the big idea here?
STEPH JACOBS: So when we first opened, our main inspiration was classic cocktails. We’ve got a really highly rotating menu that changes every couple of months. We base all of our drinks on our house menu on classic cocktails. So when we give out our drinks brief, all of us get a classic cocktail to work on, a base spirit and a method, and then we work on it from there.
BOOTHBY: Tell us about this drink that you’ve made here, what’s it called and how do you make it?
STEPH JACOBS: This drink is called Redbone because all of our house cocktails on this particular menu they’re all named after songs. I also named it Redbone after the Childish Gambino song. It’s super groovy, super smooth, super sweet, super luxurious. It has essentially got Glendronach 12, our beautiful hero spirit. You’ve got a little bit of honey water and some amontillado sherry just to bring through that really nice level of sweetness. I made a raspberry spiced shrub with a little bit of red wine vinegar in there. That’s also just to bring out those really hardcore raspberry vibes that we get from Glendronach 12. There’s also a few bitters in there as well, so I’ve chucked in a little bit of saline, some black walnut bitters and a little bit of Angostura just to tighten those flavours together and make it a really smashable little Old Fashioned riff.
BOOTHBY: Why do you do what you do? How long you been bartending?
STEPH JACOBS: I’ve been in the industry for over a decade. I started off waitressing and then I slowly moved up to floor manager, restaurant manager, bar manager, and eventually venue manager at a couple of different other places. And I’ve really only been bartending for about four years now. This has been my longest running bartending position.
I got into it because I love hosting. I love talking to people. I love teaching people new things and when I was younger I wanted to be a teacher. Also, I was studying drama at the time, so naturally hospitality was where I was gonna end up. Look, Shakespeare’s like ‘all the world is a stage’; this is my stage, this is my audience and this is what I love to do.
Redbone
Ingredients:
- 40ml The Glendronach 12
- 5ml amontillado sherry
- 7.5ml raspberry liqueur
- 5ml honey water
- 4 dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters
- 3 dashes of orange bitters
- 4 dashes of chocolate bitters
- 2 dashes of saline
Stir down all ingredients with ice and serve over block ice. Flame an orange zest over the glass. Garnish with a raspberry.
Recipe by Steph Jacobs, Antico, Brisbane
Nestled in the Valley of Forgue in the majestic Scottish Highlands, The Glendronach Distillery has been dedicated to crafting the very finest Single Malts since 1826. Here, our distinct, characterful spirit is matured in rare Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso Spanish oak sherry casks, each one selected exclusively from the bodegas of Andalucía, Spain. This exquisite duality creates the signature richly-sherried style of our prestigious Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
