Airlie Beach restaurants: Cool LaLa adds Amo Bar, cocktail list to Asian food offering at new location

A well-known Airlie Beach restaurant is kicking things up a notch with more than great food on offer. Find out where your new favourite cocktail could be waiting.

A new player is shaking up the Airlie Beach bar scene with an inventive take on the traditional cocktail list showcasing rare and unique ingredients with an Asian twist.

Breathing new life into the former Fish D’Vine restaurant space on the Shute Harbour Rd-Coconut Grove corner, Amo Bar and Lounge opened its doors in September 2021, launching a range of never-before-seen cocktails featuring classic flavours such as yuzu and Sake, through to cutting-edge techniques such as smoke infusions and molecular foams.

Bar manager and mixologist Josh Graham has poured his heart and soul into each and every one of the showstopping creations, personally crafting the specialist tools used in the preparation and presentation, and distilling the venue’s own signature spirits including wasabi vodka and marshmallow gin.

The former Gold Coast bartender is excited to share the results of his hard work at the hip new venue, which also incorporates the relocated Cool LaLa Asian-fusion restaurant.

With the business’ Filipino-born founders Abbi Gatdula and Hazel Galiste, Mr Graham hopes to see it become one of Airlie’s hottest night spots.

“We’re pretty well known for our Asian cuisine, which is a combination of a lot of different things that we’re often updating,” Mr Graham said of the three-year-old restaurant, which previously operated out of a main street arcade.

Yuzu Margaritas are among more than a dozen signature cocktails on the list at Amo Bar and Lounge – the latest addition to popular Airlie Beach Asian restaurant Cool LaLa, which has relocated from a smaller space on the main street after three years of operation. Picture: Supplied

“That’s one thing I’ve done in the bar as well – everything on the menu has something of an Asian feature to it and I spent a lot of hours researching, watching YouTube videos, to get all the background on Japanese style bartending and things like that so I could incorporate that into all the drinks.

“The experience has been an amazing challenge and I encourage everyone to try all of it.”