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Time Out Sydney Bar Awards 2016

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Posted 2015-12-09 by GiGi GMV ⇒ follow

Sun 06 Dec 2015

Christmas is just around the corner and December is definitely the month to party!

Time Out Bar Awards is an industry-recognised celebration of talent, voted on by independent editors and reviewers. Over the last few months, hundreds of nominations have poured in for the best watering holes in Sydney - from classic haunts like O Bar and Dining, to new favourite Eau De Vie. So who who will walk away with the coveted awards?

On Sunday 6 December 2015, the Time Out Bar Awards announced the 2016's winners of Sydney's bar scene and it was our chance to raise a glass to the city's hottest bars.

The award ceremony was held at Sydney's coolest rooftop terrace at the Star on a beautiful Summer's day. Sydney loves a rooftop, so it's the perfect spot for a summer party with harbour views and sunset beats. The expansive views of Sydney Harbour and the city skyline from the balcony of the Sky Terrace was definitely an impressive venue.

Comedian Andrew McClelland was the host and DJ and he certainly provided the ultimate summer playlist to kick start the festivities.

With million-dollar views, sunshine on your face, happy jolly crowds and delectable cocktails, what more could one ask for? Oh yes, the award plaques and the recognition. Here are the award-winners:

Bar of the Year: Lobo Plantation

Best Cocktail Bar: Winner: Eau De Vie (Runner-Up: Bulletin Place )

Best Wine Bar: Winner: 121 BC (Runner-Up: Monopole )

Best Neighbourhood Bar: Winner: The Bearded Tit (Runner-Up: Wilhelmina's )

Best New Bar: Winner: This Must Be the Place (Runner-Up: Dead Ringer )

Best Bar Food: Winner: Sokyo Lounge (Runner-Up: Surly's )

Best Bartender: Winner: Jimmy Irvine – The Baxter Inn (Runner-Up: Tom Egerton – Eau De Vie)

Best Bar Team: Winner: Earl's Juke Joint (Runner-Up: Lobo Plantation)

Hot Talent Award: Winner: Rachelle Hair – The Baxter Inn (Runner-Up: Nathan Pepper – Papa Gede's)

The Party Starter Award: Winner: Astral People (Runner-Up: Picnic)

Best Party Bar: Winner: Goodgod Small Club (Runner-Up: Goro's )

People's Choice: Papa Gedes

Legend Award: Lord Mayor Clover Moore in recognition of her efforts to bolster Sydney's small bar scene.

With one of Sydney's best views in the background, the guests were in fine spirits with ample refreshment from Makers Mark's bourbon whisky cocktail, White Rabbit craft beer, Hills Cider and Gentlemans Collection wines.

There were plenty of bar snacks to fuel us in between drinks provided by The Star's 'signature' kitchens. There were more than enough duck pancakes, beef sliders, tacos and spanner crabs to go around.

We begin our afternoon with some lovely cherry tomato tarts. They were good appetisers to pair with Markers' cocktail on a warm Summer's day.

Next, we tried the mini beef burgers. They may looked petite but they were packed with flavour. We paired the slider with a refreshing White Rabbit craft beer.

The next appetiser was the fresh spanner crab on cos lettuce. The sophisticated combination of Australian seafood and mango salsa marked a great start to our eating journey.

The Peking duck pancakes were the crowd's favourite. After a few drinks, these lovely tightly-packed savory duck parcels were the perfect go-to food.

My friend really liked the slow cooked pulled pork taco. It was freshly made and generously filled with tasty pulled pork, summer coriander salsa, creamy guacamole and topped with pork cracklings. It was a great summer snack that tasted healthy and refreshing.

The vegetarian version, falafel-Chickpea Fritters taco was served in a soft tortilla with baby gem and pico de gallotaco. It tasted a bit bland for our liking. The conversation was merry and the spirit was high, so we got another round of drinks.

Next, the hot food finally made their appearances. The elegant prawn spring rolls were addictive and the satay chicken skewers were juicy and tender. They were the perfect snacks that made us to go for more. Definitely recommended together with Makers Mark's bourbon on the rocks.

The dish that truly made our day was the red-velvet vanilla-cream profiterole with strawberry injection! It looked amazing and fun to eat.

They were perfect with a glass of Gentlemans Collection's white wine.

In addition to great music, snacks and all the excitement of the awards ceremony, all party invitees partied hard and were very social. I had thought bartenders were hard to get along because they looked so cool and collected behind bars, but they were really a fun bunch to party with when they don't need to pour drinks for anyone.

The dangerously delicious melt-in-our mouth chocolate opera cakes were the last to arrive. With that marked the perfect ending to a really wonderful awards ceremony.