Who | Dee Allen
Where | Melbourne, Australia
Current Bar | Eau De Vie Melbourne
Past Bar(s) | The Kodiak Club, Helvetica Bar (Perth), 399 Bar (Perth), The Bakery (Perth)
Favourite Spirit | Whisky
Favourite Juice | Grapefruit
Favourite Classic Cocktail | Daiquiri
Favourite Part of the Job | Ability to constantly learn, even after 10 years, as the industry continues to evolve
Favourite After Work Drink | Martini
Favourite at Home Drink | Wine
Favourite bar in the world | Gerald’s Bar (Melbourne)
Best known for | I’m a detail oriented perfectionist, with a talent for finding the missing ingredient. I’ll make you the best martini you ever had.
Best story from behind the wood | The stuff about famous customers and hilarious mistakes falls away for me. (Besides, I have no romantic engagement stories.) My favourite story is about the second bar I worked at. It was a neighbourhood place, open from 10am-midnight every day, so we had lots of regulars. When we’d been open for about 2 years we held a cocktail competition where 10 of our regular customers made the drinks instead of us. No introductions were necessary. Somehow, despite their different ages and backgrounds they were all friends already.
What do you collect? Photography books, swizzles, scarves, records, pineapple heads (to plant and regrow)
Favourite thing about your city? Architecture
What was the last photo that you took? Documentation of a dehydrating cucumber peels – a garnish experiment
Where was your last vacation? Perth
Any claims to fame? Recipe published by Gaz Regan in 2013’s 101 best new cocktails. (See here)
Red or White? White
Cointreau or Grand Marnier? Cointreau
London or Paris? Paris
Glass or Tin? Tin
Are you available for freelance gigs? Yes
Find her: I write about using food science in drinks, recipes, problem solving and drink ideas here | Twitter
Media: Cocktail Virgin: Bitter Stripper
Booze in Pretty Cups
Bars & Clubs
The Mix Lab: Seven Years Flip