Gin Palace founder Vernon Chalker dies aged 55
Tributes are flowing for Vernon Chalker — the man who founded Melbourne’s legendary Gin Palace — after he died at 55. A laneway institution, the venue heralded a boom of cocktail bars in the 1990s and transformed the city’s nightlife scene.
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Vernon Chalker, founder of Melbourne’s Gin Palace and Bar Ampere, has died at 55.
One of the pioneers of Melbourne’s laneway bar scene, Chalker was also behind some of the city’s most loved and enduring venues, including Madame Brussels and Collins Quarter.
But it is Gin Palace, which pre-empted the boom in boutique craft spirits by two decades, in which Chalker’s legacy will be remembered.
As famous for its chicken sandwiches as its 3am closing time, when it opened in the late 1990s, Gin Palace heralded the boom of bars that took cocktail-making seriously, with service more like that found at a restaurant rather than a pub.
A statement from the Chalker family read: “Vernon was our beloved son, brother, uncle and best friend. He will be dearly missed and forever in our hearts.”
Longtime friend and business partner Paula Scholes, also known as Miss Pearls, led tributes to Chalker on social media, posting: “Thank you for bringing us all together and starting long life relationships that are built on true love and respect. Rest in peace my Vernon.”
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