The bartender

Anneliese Grazioli

Hanky Panky Lounge and Bar Kokomo

Anneliese has progressively worked through the tiers of hospitality to get to where she is now. Starting in cafes at 14, she progressed to the role of restaurant manager by 19, and opened her first venue, Hanky Panky Lounge, around 10 years later at the start of 2022. Since then, Anneliese has opened her second venture, the Caribbean-inspired Bar Kokomo.

Can you share a moment or experience behind the bar that made you fall even more in love with your craft? 

The biggest impact on me is my teams, seeing them succeed and even just making a move forward fills me with so much inspiration and excitement. Whether it is just seeing them connect with a guest, giving them a great experience or seeing them upskill and become wonderful members of the team. 

The hero cocktail

Tlaquepaque

Ingredients

• 1800 Cristilano

• Lychee Hydrosol

• Toasted Seasme and Dragonfruit Distilllate Liqueur

Like this cocktail? The full recipe can be found in Top 25 Bartenders Australia. Get your copy by clicking the button below.

The bar

Hanky Panky Lounge

I opened Hanky Panky Lounge with my then long-time employers David & Kellie Robinson. I wasn’t particularly looking to open a bar but after running restaurants for close to a decade I was definitely looking for what I wanted to do next. After a couple of extra hard years an opportunity came up and I decided that I really wanted to contribute to the bar scene in Darwin. It was an opportunity to show our town a great experience with the knowledge and passion our (small) bar community has up here. An added bonus was having a venue where we are able to train up new bartenders and help create a better bar community in Darwin.

Hanky Panky Lounge is open Sunday-Wednesday 4pm-12am and Thursday-Saturday 12pm-2am.