Category: News

We sat down with Tibo Menut, Venue Manager of Eau-de-Vie Melbourne over a cocktail to discuss hospitality and his role at The Speakeasy Group.

What do you love about the industry?

I love the fact that, working in hospitality, we can relate very easily with others, which means, the industry is very welcoming and everyone supports each other. I really like to work and interact with people.

A day in a life as Venue Manager at Eau-de-Vie

The first thing I do for work is check my email. I also check if there are any events in the week. Check the staff’s shifts and I make sure that everyone is doing their job for the day. Then we run service, we want to make sure everything is good. My management, the staff, and chefs. I want to make sure everything is taken care of. Always communicate with the management team and also the staff, and have a few checkpoints in the shifts to make sure every guest is happy and everything is going right.

What do you love about your role and working at Eau-de-Vie?

It’s a very challenging role, but that’s what’s interesting about it. I have managed several venues before but with Eau de Vie’s standards, it’s definitely very challenging. Because, of course maintaining such high standards in food, service, and drinks is always hard to reach but that’s what I enjoy about it. Embracing the growth that comes with each experience. I really enjoy the interaction with people at Eau de Vie. I like working with people and working with an awesome team.  Being a Venue manager can be tricky with some people, there is no direct supervision, which means that no one is directly teaching you and there are a lot of opportunities for learning by yourself.

Favourite drink on the Eau-de-Vie menu? Why?

It’s probably the Smokey Rob Roy, it represents what we really want to do at Eau de Vie in a way where we try to make amazing drinks that is presented in a beautiful way. The presentation of Smokey Rob Roy is one of my favourite presentations at Eau de Vie as well. It may seem simple but It’s a drink that you cannot recreate at home.

Where would we find you on a day off?

I actually love to go to other Speakeasy Venues. Speakeasy has a lot of great venues with people you know which I really enjoy. I love going to bars where I feel welcome and comfortable.

The votes have been counted and we are delighted to reveal the on-premise finalists for the 2024 Australian Liquor Industry Awards (ALIA).

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We sat down with Michelle Silverlock, Head Batcher of Nick & Nora’s Melbourne over a cocktail to discuss hospitality and her role at The Speakeasy Group.

What do you love about the industry?

It’s something that I tried in high school, took a job while I was studying, it was convenient, and I really loved it.

I’m working at the CBD right now and I love exploring all the venues nearby. I haven’t worked in the city for hospitality when I was starting, but it’s great to see all the exciting things that everyone is coming up with.

A day in a life as a Head Batcher at Nick and Nora’s

It [Batcher] is not really a position that you hear about, it’s not really a common role. We have a lot of fancy drinks, and all the fancy drinks have plenty of ingredients. I essentially come in during the day to prep everything, get everything ready for the bartender.

What do you love about your role and working at Nick and Nora’s?

Post pandemic, I was scrolling through a job platform, and I found this opportunity, and I’m like, wow! It’s like 9 to 5, Mondays off. Tuesday to Saturday work, no late nights. It just seems like all the fun things I enjoyed about bartending without the late-night work.

I do a bit of cooking like mixing the mousse, for one of our famous cocktail. It’s really fun to get into the trial and error and a bunch of different ingredients to have new drinks for the cocktail of the month.

Favourite drink on the Nick and Nora’s menu? Why?

It’s got to be the Cafe Noir because of the mousse! I just really love that mousse!

Where would we find you on a day off?

I like to spend my days off going out with friends, there’s always another bottomless brunch in the city to try out!

Have your leopard-print jacket and oversized sunglasses at the ready. Nick & Nora’s is a cocktail and Champagne bar that serves magnificent morsels matched with lively libations for party-ready Parra types.

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It’s nearly time for the announcement of all the finalists for the 23rd Annual Bartender Magazine Australian Bar Awards, so we are going to share with you some sneak peeks in the lead-up. Today, it’s your votes for the country’s best Cocktail Bars.

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It’s nearly time for the announcement of all the finalists for the 23rd Annual Bartender Magazine Australian Bar Awards, so we are going to share with you some sneak peeks in the lead-up. Today, it’s your votes for the country’s best Whisky Bars.

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The nominations are in for the 23rd Australian Bar Awards, as voted by the bar industry and we are thrilled to see the hard work and dedication of our teams result in nominations in multiple categories.

Congratulations to Eau de Vie Melbourne and Sydney, Boilermaker House and Pearl Diver.

Cocktail Bar of the Year (State) 

Eau De Vie Melbourne 

Bar of the Year (State)

Pearl Diver 

Cocktail Bar of the Year

Eau De Vie Sydney

Best Specialty Beer Venue

Boilermraker House

Whisky Bar of the Year

Eau De Vie Sydney

Gin and jazz go hand in hand with one another. And, thanks to this cocktail bar in Sydney, Eau De Vie, your visit will be just as glamorous as what you’d expect it to be. 

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We sat down with down with Arianna Martini, Reservations and Events Coordinator for Nick & Nora’s to discuss hospitality and her role at The Speakeasy Group.

What do you love about the industry?

I enjoy providing clients with a variety of services. I would say I excel at coordinating multiple events and cultivating strong relationships with clients and venue teams, which is crucial in this industry.

A day in a life as a Reservations and Events Coordinator at Head Office

It really depends on the day of the week. Monday is usually the busiest for me as we go through emails and client inquiries from weekend reports. My main focus is on finalising events and saving all the details on Tripleseat, the event platform we use. In the afternoons, we usually take the time to reach out and respond to inquiries, either by phone or email.

What do you love about your role and working at the Head Office?

I enjoy working with my team at the Speakeasy Group. The company is inclusive, flexible, and offers a supportive environment.

Favourite drink on the Nick & Nora’s menu?

I enjoy the drinks from Pearl Diver, but I do have a soft spot for Nick & Nora’s Melbourne. My favourite drink at Nick & Nora’s is Passion Project.

Where would we find you on a day off?

You would find me out with my friends on my day off! I love going to bars or restaurants to have a great time!

Michelle Silverlock, head of batching, Nick & Nora’s, Melbourne

There are 36 unique drinks on the Nick & Nora’s menu, each of which features an assortment of house-made tinctures, fat-washed spirits, solutions, infusions and more. 

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