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An hour and a half south of Melbourne, in the windswept beachside suburb of Dromana, you’ll find a countryfied dive bar worth a visit.
Deadwood, named for the American Gold Rush era town, opened in 2022 and has since made a name for itself with locals and tourists alike. Expect a lot of Americana bric-a-brac on the walls, plenty of bourbon and rye on the back bar, and some damn fine cocktails, too.
Below, we hear from bar manager Alex Roberts about what Deadwood does well, the chaos of the summer season by the beach, and his country tiki recipe with Woodford Reserve — as fine an example of when two cocktails collide as you’ll get.
Alex Roberts at Deadwood in Dromana.
BOOTHBY: What’s Deadwood all about?
ALEX ROBERTS: Really good hospitality. We care about our locals and family — it’s just an American country bar right along the coast. One of my bosses always said it was like a dive bar without the smell and I’ve kind of stuck with that. I really like that.
There’s country music heroes all along the walls, and neon lights that you can stand under.
BOOTHBY: Can you tell us about this drink that you made here?
ALEX ROBERTS: This is Victor’s Snake Oil. It’s a blend of a Penicillin and a Fog Cutter. So you’ve got some Woodford Reserve Bourbon in there, cognac, honey, all your citrus, and then finish with sherry on top.
It is absolutely banging if you want a country tiki twist. Yeah, it’s good fun.
BOOTHBY: Country tiki. I like it. That’s a new thing. What’s the best time to come into Deadwood? What’s your favourite time to be working the stick here?
ALEX ROBERTS: Oh that’s a good question. 7:30 on a Saturday night, right when it’s getting big, yeah, I like that. And just any time over summer where you’re absolutely cooked for five days straight. That’s real fun.
BOOTHBY: What is it like down here in summer?
ALEX ROBERTS: It’s just chaos, but it’s good. It’s controlled but it’s fun. Everyone’s coming in sunstroked from the beach.
BOOTHBY: For a little country tiki?
ALEX ROBERTS: Country tiki, yeah.
BOOTHBY: How do you approach the drinks menu for Deadwood? What’s the brief?
ALEX ROBERTS: I usually start with a name or just a premise. That’s how the Victor’s Snake Oil came around. I wanted to work a Fog Cutter and that was where I started. A lot of the times it’s names, being in a country bar I want the vibe to fit with the drinks. Let’s turn this into some sort of country drink.
BOOTHBY: Why do you get up and come to work every day? What do you like about it?
ALEX ROBERTS: It’s fun. I get to be creative but I also get to just ramble with customers and hang out. And it’s a big family. We all care so much about each other, and everyone here cares about their job, we all put in a lot of effort, and it makes it easier to come to work every day.
BOOTHBY: What are the challenges you have running a bar like this here, as opposed to a bar in Melbourne?
ALEX ROBERTS: I think the seasons really affect it. The winter gets quiet, but then that is also a benefit as well because you get the local community come through in winter. That’s just awesome.
Victor’s Snake Oil
Ingredients:
- 30ml Woodford Reserve Bourbon
- 25ml cognac
- 22.5ml honey
- 30ml orange juice
- 25ml lemon
- 15ml amontillado sherry to float
- grated nutmeg to garnish
Shake all ingredients (except the sherry and nutmeg) with ice and serve over ice. Top with crushed ice. Float the sherry. Garnish with nutmeg.
The art of making fine bourbon first took place on the site of the Woodford Reserve Distillery, a National Historic Landmark, in 1812. The perfectly balanced taste of our Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is comprised of more than 200 detectable flavour notes, from bold grain and wood, to sweet aromatics, spice, and fruit & floral notes.Woodford Reserve is an innovative bourbon, showcasing a rich and colourful flavour unlike any other Kentucky bourbon.
