Nick Tesar balances his time between creative drinks duties as a founder of Marionette Liqueurs and creative director of gin drinks at Four Pillars. A career hospitality professional, he has spent time on tools in some of Melbourne’s best venues (Bar Liberty, Lûmé and Gin Palace among them), perfecting the writing of cocktail lists and working to embody what top-class hospitality looks like.
As far as I’m concerned, the defining place to get a drink in Victoria is the front bar of a regional pub, while settling in for the evening after visiting some of the amazing distilleries cellar doors that we have in Victoria. My time with Four Pillars has definitely created a certain bias towards the Healesville Hotel.
When someone hands me a drinks list, I always ask what the person handing me the list is drinking. I love a good recommendation for a what the venue is proud to serve. And then I’ll most likely move to a bottle of crisp white; it’s always more fun to share the drinking occasion.
The last three delicious Victorian things I drank were…
One: the Bière de Cerise from La Sirène, our neighbours at Marionette. A great example of a winemaker’s approach to beer.
Two: the Marianito cocktail at Hands Down, a take on a Basque aperitif, in this case with fig leaf and a floral vermouth.
And three: the Jabberwock Martini at Three Horses. It combines two of my favourite things, fino sherry and a Martini.
The Victorian spirit I’m loving most right now is the shochu being produced by Reed and Co, up in Bright. I’m obsessed. A really interesting spirit being made from Australian-grown crops. Hamish and Rachel are also just really nice people.
There’s no better value on wine list or in a bottle-shop in Victoria than… A lot of smaller neighbourhood restaurants manage to keep value in wine lists working with small producers and importers. Three of my favourites are Brico, Manzé and Bar Spontana.
My favourite place to buy booze is Bitters Lab on Smith Street. They always surprise me with a unique cocktail ingredient. I left recently with a bottle of Amaro Nardini Rabarbaro, a bitter rhubarb liqueur.
I’d love to see people distilling more interesting fruit brandy or eaux de vie. Seasonal produce is an inspiration to me at the bar and at the table, and I like seeing this thinking in products that come to market.
My guilty pleasure at the bar is a Pineapple Daiquiri. You can take the boy out of Queensland…
The best or most important change to the way people drink in Victoria in recent years has been valuing flavour and quality over a cheaper drink. It’s been said a lot over the last few years, but now we are really seeing the trend of people trading up.
For me, the most inspiring people in the Victorian drinks world are Darren Leaney and Kitty Gardner, who are behind the drinks at Caretaker’s Cottage. They make a really inspiring creative force together.
@nicktesar @marionetteliqueur @fourpillarsgin