Brisbane City bar introduces bagged cocktails as trend increases under COVID-19 rules
Bars were one of the first businesses hit by COVID-19 restrictions but city venues are bringing back the punch with cocktails ready to go and sealed in a bag.
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ON Thursday, it will be the first birthday of Alba Bar & Deli, a Basque-inspired laneway bar in Brisbane City.
“What a time to have a birthday,” owner Jamie Fleming said.
Like many hospitality venues in Australia, they have had to fundamentally rethink the way they serve their customers, who are no longer able to sit and enjoy a drink and pintxos (Basque tapas), in order to stay afloat.
“We’ve gone from six days a week to four days,” Mr Fleming said.
However, starting tonight, their loyal customers will no longer be deprived of their award-winning cocktails, with Alba unveiling a line-up of vacuum-sealed and labelled cocktails for punters to pre-order and pick up.
Ranging from about 14 per cent ABV up to 30 per cent ABV, Mr Fleming said the cocktails are up to 30 per cent cheaper than they would be in-store and because they are anaerobic, you can store them for months in the fridge without any loss of quality.
“We’ve put together a collection which has hit all the bases,” Mr Fleming said.
“We wanted to build a cocktail program different to what we normally do.”
Mr Fleming said Alba is also finding success in unexpected places: their live sourdough culture is hugely popular, and the venue will start live-streaming demonstrations on how to turn it into fresh crusty bread.
Alba is just one of many Brisbane bars to take their offerings online and to-go to survive, with well-known watering holes Cobbler at West End, Alba’s Burnett Lane neighbour Death & Taxes, and Savile Row at Fortitude Valley all offering takeaway cocktails.
Under COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, bars such as Alba, Death & Taxes and others can sell takeaway alcohol consisting of packaged beer (bottled or canned), wine, distilled spirits, cider and ready-to-drink beverages, such as pre-mixed spirits and cocktails.
A maximum of 2.25 litres of liquor (total volume) can be sold per transaction including a 750ml limit on distilled spirits within the total volume of any transaction.
A representative of the Office for Liquor and Gaming Regulation said that takeaway cocktails must still comply with applicable food safety standards.
“The OLGR does not regulate the Food Standards Code, which includes provisions around food safety and food labelling,” they said.
“In Queensland, enforcement of the Food Standards Code is a joint responsibility of Queensland Health and local government.
“Licensees who are not already aware of their obligations should contact these agencies.
“Officers from the OLGR and the Queensland Police Service have been visiting venues
across Queensland to educate licensees and ensure compliance with the COVID-19 Chief
Health Officer directions as well as the Liquor Act 1992.
“Licensees who are found to be non-compliant risk fines and closure of their venue.”
The representative said no complains had been received to date.
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