Here are the top 10 best bartenders on the Gold Coast as voted by you
A GOOD bartender does far more than just plonk a vodka, lime and soda in front of you at the bar. Here’s a list of the Gold Coast’s finest who’ve got it all down to a fine art, as voted by you.
Best of Gold Coast
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A GOOD bartender does far more than just plonk a vodka, lime and soda in front of you at the bar. They remember your favourites and give you a knowing nod on first sight. They’re your therapist, your confidante and if you’re really lucky, your wingman. They know how to cheer you up when you’re down and how to keep the good times rolling when you’re rocking. So here’s a list of the Gold Coast’s finest who’ve got it all down to a fine art, as voted by you.
10. Carl Rawcliffe: Elsewhere, Surfers Paradise
1/23 Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise
5592 6880
Lancashire lad Carl Rawcliffe’s reasons for being behind the bar are simple; he loves a good time and a bit of banter.
“The banter and the people are what I love, I can’t afford to go out every night so I might as well work behind the bar and get paid to do it,” he said.
“elsewhere is like my home away from home, it’s such a close-knit community.
“I quite like the hustle and bustle; I like the excitement, the speed and meeting new people.”
Carl said the he could see himself in bartending forever, with his very own bar potentially being in his future.
“I’ve been doing it for so long I kind of got good at it and I’ve been ticking off targets as I go,” he said.
“When the new elsewhere opens up I’ll be the main bartender there and maybe I’ll be a manager in the future.
“I think we’re catching up with Melbourne, which is good, and I’d say a few mates and myself will probably open our own bar in the future.”
9. Harrison Davies: House of Brews
17 Orchid Avenue, Surfers Paradise
5526 2601
http://www.houseofbrews.com.au/
Hailing from the Surfers Paradise brew house notorious for its creative cocktails, Harrison said he would like to see more ‘wow factor’ cocktails circulating the Gold Coast.
“The wow factor is the future of bartending,” he said.
“When they receive their drinks or get a step by step verbal process on how to make an interesting and extravagant drink.
“If they can consistently say wow every time, you are doing it right.”
Harrison said he loves being in the heart of the tourist strip as it gives him the opportunity to experience the different cultures of their clientele and meet a large volume of completely new people.
8. Julian John Batley-Glenn: Not Tonight
Corner Davenport Street and Nerang Street, Southport
5532 5000
With a fine dining background, Julian John Batley-Glenn takes a chef’s approach to making cocktails, focusing on making combinations from scratch and ideal pairings.
“I’m a qualified chef, I’ve only been in bartending for about three years, but I’ve been in fine dining since I was 14 so it was time for a change,” he said.
“Having that knowledge means I can bring in some unique flavours, experiment and get in the kitchen to create a cocktail.
“For Halloween we just did a pumpkin chai martini with roast pumpkin that I folded through the syrup.”
Julian said his style of bartending is definitely a bit cheeky but he’s never afraid to poke some fun at himself too.
7. Alexandro Liquito: Room 81
Sofitel Building, 81 Surf Parade, Broadbeach
5592 2250
http://www.sofitelgoldcoast.com.au/en/room81.html
Alexandro Liquito has been around cocktails and hospitality since he was 14, and he says he’s always been passionate about mixing and making people happy.
Now he works at Room 81 inside the Sofitel, Broadbeach, creating mind-blowing cocktails that play with dry ice, colour and fruit.
“I just like trying new things to make our customer’s experience even better,” he said.
“I make these creations because I’m having fun and I want customers to have fun.
“I think having fun with what you do is the key to happiness.”
6. Alvin Roldan: Bin 232
Shop 2378, Pacific Fair, Broadbeach
5539 8888
“I’ve been a bartender for a solid 14 years now, it’s been a massive part of my upbringing in hospitality,” he said.
“I actually started behind the coffee machine but I went to a bar for a bit of downtime and saw the bartender flairtending and thought it was amazing.
“I did flairing back in my prime but it’s died down on the Gold Coast — it’s not good for pace and high volume.”
“I like turning a bad mood into a good mood, whether someone is at the bar for three minutes or over an hour,” he said.
5. Mitch Kuhne: Love Nightlife
Niecon Plaza, Albert Avenue, Broadbeach
0423 801 195
This one’s a bit of a fairytale: a bartender working at Love finds love, and not the love that fizzles out by 6AM the next morning either.
Mitch Kuhne recalls many memorable moments, but the most memorable was meeting his current girlfriend.
“I have so many memorable moments from bartending whether it be the people I’ve met, the places I’ve been, things I’ve seen or the drinks I’ve made,” he said.
“As much as I’m going to get it from my friends and as cheesy as it sounds meeting my girlfriend would have to be the most memorable moment yet even, if she says she doesn’t remember the night.
“But what first started off as a job to pay the bills has now turned into a passion I want to go further in, especially in the cocktail scene.”
4. Tom Angel: Kiyomi Japanese Restaurant
Jupiters Casino, Broadbeach
5592 8130
https://www.jupitersgoldcoast.com.au/restaurants/kiyomi
Despite being born almost completely deaf, Tom Angel works in the front lines of customer service after never being satisfied being put behind the scenes.
He now manages the bar at Kiyomi, one of the city’s most luxurious fine dining restaurants where he has left a lasting impression on many who have worked alongside Tom or been served by him.
Along with this accolade, Tom also won Best Employee in Food and Beverage at the 2015 Queensland Hotels Association Awards for Excellence and was named in the Top 100 Club in the Diageo World Class Bartender competition in both 2015 and 2016.
Tom says his flavour of the month is a Southside with gin, lime and mint — simple but amazing when made properly.
3. Georgia Lightowler: Bonita Bonita
2460 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach
5575 2669
A Mexican tequila bar needs a bartender who knows what they’re doing and Georgia Lightowler definitely fits the bill, with tequila being the 22-year-old English lass’ potion of choice.
“I would have to say tequila is my favourite spirit to work with and Bonita has over 100 different types so that’s perfect for me,” she said.
“When I started working here I was like ‘I am home’.
“The Bonita Margarita is a classic, you can’t beat it.”
Hailing from England she said she’s been working behind the bar since she was about 15 and has loved the old-school standards of customer satisfaction and personable service since then.
2. Liam A McDonald: Elsewhere, Surfers Paradise
1/23 Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise
5592 6880
Last year’s winner, Liam McDonald is still serving up a storm as the bar manager at Surfers’ only alternative club, elsewhere.
While he may have been knocked off his perch, he wouldn’t change a thing.
“I’m extremely happy where I am, elsewhere is such a great venue I wouldn’t change a thing right now,” he said.
“It’s a fun environment, plenty of good banter.
“elsewhere has opened a lot of great doors for me, it’s a great place to meet people that I might not normally get to meet.”
elsewhere has hosted big names before they were big, including The Presets, Cut Copy and Flume, meaning Liam and his cohorts regularly mingle with DJ royalty.
“Coolest person I’ve served, for me, was Nancy Wang from LCD Sound System,” he said.
“She was really nice, she was on the gin cocktails all night.”
1. Emma Glanville: The Bedroom, Surfers Paradise
26 Orchid Ave, Surfers Paradise
5592 0088
Bubbly, fun and friendly, it’s no wonder patrons love Emma Glanville. While many nightclub bartenders have a stereotype of being impatient and abrupt, Emma’s love for her job has kept her out of that category.
“I started bartending in nightclubs during 2013, I was looking for a job that was upbeat and fun and where the hours would work around my existing job at Club Helensvale,” she said.
“A nightclub sounded ideal and too good to be true, but here I am four years later still loving every shift and balancing the two jobs.
“It makes it a lot easier to go to work when you enjoy it.”
Emma’s surroundings at The Bedroom play a large part in why she finds her job so enjoyable and that includes her colleagues who have turned into lifelong friends.
“The team I work with plays a massive part in this for me, the shifts wouldn’t be the same without their constant love and support for one another,” she said.
“We’ve all been through so much together and I couldn’t think of a more amazing group of people who I would want to work with in the industry.
“Every night brings new laughs and adventures for all of us at the Bedroom and the bond we have is just inseparable.”
But despite the fun she has with The Bedroom team, her focus is firmly fixed on the patrons, who she strives to satisfy every single shift.
“I like being able to satisfy a customer’s needs and requests, customising drinks to their request and continuously keeping the patrons happy,” Emma said.
“I thrive off the upbeat and fast-paced environment and we have the patrons to thank for that.
“Without their support the club wouldn’t be the same.”
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