Zeta Bar – Hilton Sydney
Zeta changed the face of Sydney’s bar landscape when it burst onto the drinking scene as part of The Hilton Sydney’s red carpet re-opening in 2005. Zeta has since established a reputation as one of the most cutting edge and pioneering bars in the Southern Hemisphere.
In fact, Zeta Bar is fast becoming a Sydney must with visiting international celebs Jessica Simpson, Kimberley Stewart, James Blunt, Nicky Hilton, Snoop Dogg, Gordon Ramsay and Nicole Ritchie having all partied there… And Aussie A-listers Jennifer Hawkins, Hugh Jackman, Ian Thorpe and Megan Gale often stop by for a beverage. Even namesake Catherine Zeta-Jones, appropriately enough, was a star visitor.
After a dramatic $200 million reconstruction, the Sydney Hilton reopened in mid-2005 and quickly re-established itself as the premier Sydney venue for conferences and events as well as a superb place to stay.
Part of the renaissance was the creation of the Zeta Bar. It has a sister trendsetter at the Park Lane Hilton in London’s elite Mayfair but the similarity ends with the name. Sydney’s Zeta was designed by the New York’s Tony Chi (see box story) and has become a true Sydney icon, both distinctively cosmopolitan and characteristically Australian at the same time.
And it has a host of awards to back up the praises of customers, including Bar of the Year – AHA Awards 2008 and 2006; Bar of the Year – HM Awards, 2007; Cocktail List of the Year – 6th Annual Bar Awards, 2006; Best Bar Presentation and Service – National AHA Awards, 2006; and Best New Bar – ALIA Awards, 2005.
The inspired interior features indulgent spaces to sip cocktails. A sleek oak wood island bar runs the length of the main room flooded in a deep red and purple glow from huge glass lamps. In the lounge there is an array of plush leather ottomans and dark timber tub chairs centred around a stylish oversized fireplace that burns with sparkling glass rocks.
Labelled in Hilton promotions as, “Sydney’s sexiest nightspot”, Zeta is located atop a rooftop terrace in the heart of the CBD.
But while it’s surrounds and aesthetics are fantastic, it is the pioneering championing of molecular mixology that has won so many loyal followers. Techniques include misting; an art form that enhances the flavour of a cocktail by breaking down the composites in gin and vodka; spritzing; involves using CO² gas syphons to add a carbonated topping to drinks; and ice; bartenders around the world are now showing an unprecedented interest in making ice a centrepiece of drinks where it was previously an anonymous bit player. One of the techniques involves creating ice spheres that remain at the bottom of the glass while another is triple frozen ice that takes forever to melt.
Much of the praise needs to go to Zeta’s bar consultant/mixologist, Grant Collins of Barsolutions Inc. After a decade long career at some of Britain’s finest bars including Bank Restaurant and Zander Bar (where in 2000 he was awarded the coveted title of UK Bar Manager Of The Year), Grant is not only one of Sydney’s leading bartenders but also one of the most highly regarded bar managers in Australia. Most recently, Grant spent four years at Sydney’s Water Bar at W Hotel where he claimed 23 industry awards including a ranking in Conde Nast Traveler’s Top 10 Bars in the World (2004) and Wallpaper magazine’s Top Five Bars In The World (2005), as well as personally picking up Australian Bar Manager Of The Year at the 2003 and 2004 ALIA awards.
Barsolutions is a leading bar consultancy company set up by Grant and Mike Enright (see box story).
Brett Clarke is Zeta’s operations manager and has also worked at some of Britain’s leading innovative bars including TGI Fridays in Crawley, West Sussex and being part of the opening team at Red Cube in Leicester Square in 2000-2001 before moving to Navajo Joe’s in Covent Garden and as assistant bar manager at Roadhouse, arguably one of the most famous high volume flair bars in the world.
Brett has a reputation for being one of London’s best bartenders and has completed freelance work for Bacardi, Smirnoff and Squeeze. Arriving in Sydney in 2004, he accepted the role as bar manager for Aqua Luna. Brett then opened Lenin Bar in Circular Quay and managed two other bars for the parent company Bubble Champagne Lounge and Minus 5 Ice Lounge.
Assisting Brett is Manuel Prior who began bartending in his hometown of Rome over 12 years ago. In 1997 he moved to London where he quickly moved through the ranks to become bar supervisor at Oxo Tower. He then went on to work at bars such as Mint Bar and Smollensky’s in Canary Wharf. Manuel was also bar manager at Nic’s Bar in Angel and it was here that he was able to focus on his passion for mixology.
Innovative and chic, Zeta fits in well with Hilton Sydney’s other stunningly opulent facilities like Glass Brassiere – another Tony Chi design – made so popular by restaurateur Luke Mangan’s creative culinary expertise.
Tony Chi – less visible design
Restaurant-bar designer, Tony Chi is an intense man, full of passion for his work and the philosophies behind it. Since founding his New York design firm, Tony Chi & Associates, in 1984, Chi has been in high demand across the globe, putting his signature on restaurants from San Francisco to Singapore.
The creative force behind stylish spots such as Aqua Las Vegas and Harley-Davidson Café in New York, Chi finds the subtleties of understated rather than flamboyant restaurant and bar interiors are essential in creating a look that retains beauty over time. “I’m trying to make design less visible,” said the 44-year-old native of Taipei. “I play a key supporting role to whatever the mission we collectively have. I often talk to staff about how we can create invisible design. How do we create design that becomes a tool to accomplish a message?”
Typical clients are corporations or hotel companies rather than individual entrepreneurs, mainly due to the cost of Chi’s services. Many, like the Hilton group, the Bellagio Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas and Hong Kong-based Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, are repeat customers.
Wary of trends that fade quickly, Chi chooses instead to combine elements of the past, present and future, creating designs that are, in effect, timeless. And while no two projects are alike, he employs various trademark elements that make each design his own. Although he graduated from New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in fine art, Chi said most of what he has learnt about design is self-taught, the result of growing maturity and experience.
Help to beat the competition
The hospitality industry today is constantly changing as the market continues to grow at an exponential rate. Nowhere is this change more obvious than within the bar industry. In the last 10 years, Australia has been steadily moving away from traditional drinking patterns in almost all circles of society, particularly in the capital cities. This change is by no means constant or predictable as more and more products become available and trends appear and disappear in a matter of months.
Add to this the current over saturation of bars, night clubs and pubs competing in an ever-demanding market as well as the increasing demands and expectations of consumers plus complying with all manner of legal requirements, having the edge over the competition is not just tougher but more crucial than ever.
Barsolutions provides professional consultancy services in bar management, design, bar events, mobile bar hire, cocktail creation and mixology, bar music, bar school and entertainment solutions. Often used by international distributors such as Maxxium, Moet Hennessey, Diageo, Pernod Ricard and Lion-Nathan, the company’s directors and bar consultants have won many accolades for their services in Australia and around the world and has the expertise to give an establishment the edge over its competitors whether it be a new venture, a make-over or just a finetune.
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