After having only just celebrated their first birthday, Prahran venue The Emerson has even more reason to celebrate, taking out the Nightclub of the Year award at the recent Australian Bartender Magazine Bar Awards.
The Emerson team are honoured to win and be recognised as Australia’s number one especially with the tough nationwide competition in this category for this prestigious award.
“Winning the award was a massive surprise and a huge accomplishment”, says John Hatherley of The Emerson. It’s a great reflection of the team’s hard work over the past 12 months in bringing to life John Hatherley’s (CEO) and Mark Hinkley’s (Director) vision of a fresh venue in Melbourne which embraces multi-faceted offerings and provides new & engaging consumer experiences.
Melbourne was well represented at Monday night’s awards ceremony in Sydney with several other venues taking out awards including:
Bartender of the Year – Nathan Beasley (Black Pearl)
Cocktail List of the Year – Bar Americano
Bar Team of the Year – Eau de Vie
Victorian Pub of the Year – Baden Powell Hotel
Victorian Bar of the Year – The Rum Diary Bar
Victorian Cocktail Bar of the Year – Black Pearl
Melbourne also has a strong contingent being represented at the 2014 Australian Liquor Industry Awards. Winners will be announced at a gala event at Sydney’s Luna Park on October 29.
Retail Savvy Group, who lay claim to some of Melbourne’s most popular venues including Asian Beer Cafe, Father’s Office and the recently refurbished, The Shaw Davey Slum, have been nominated for six awards including Best New Venue, Best Venue Renovation, Manager of the Year, Bar of the Year, Bar Team of the Year and Group Operator of the Year.
Retail Savvy Group Managing Director, Anna Carosa said “Stewart and I are more than humbled by this recognition from our industry. The Liquor Awards to us represent a stepping stone in our journey of growing relevant concepts for the local communities we cater to”.
Other local nominees for the ALIA awards include:
Best Nightclub of the Year: Baroq House
Bar Manager of the Year: Nathan Allen-Jones (Baroq House) and Anand Raju (Asian Beer Cafe)
Bar Team of the Year: The Black Pearl, Melbourne and Father’s Office, Melbourne
Bartender the Year: Rowan Landers (Baroq House) Brent Stone (Baroq House) and Fred Siggins (The Black Pearl)
Bar of the Year: Asian Beer Cafe, The Black Pearl, Eau de Vie Melbourne
Group Operator of the Year: The Collective Establishments (Baroq House, Mon Bijou and Bond) and Retail Savvy Group,
Best Sports Venue: Sports Bar @ Crown and Rose Hotel
Best Gaming Venue: Crown Casino and Tankerville Arms
Publican of the Year: Juanita Finlay (The Rose Hotel)
Hotel of the Year: The Rose Hotel