The bartender

Kayla Saito

Molli

After thirteen years, Kayla’s resume is extensive, spanning beyond being a long list of leading Australian establishments to include neighbourhood jaunts in Nashville Tennessee and tiki bars in Hawaii, the two places she grew up in. Now, Kayla helps manage the bar programs across The Mulberry Group’s portfolio, alongside her day to day post as Bar Manager at Molli.

What does the concept of “hospitality” mean to you, and how do you embody it in your daily work? 

Hospitality for me is the attempt at creating and nurturing connections between people, places, ingredients and memories. I try my hand at this through building the bridges between the people and products with transparency of processes and ingredients in my drinks. 

The hero cocktail

Deceptacon 

Ingredients

• Fords Gin

• Longan Liqueur

• Longan Infused Sake

• Ama-Lactic Acid Solution 

• Saline Solution

• Rich Sugar Syrup
  

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

The bar

Molli

I’ve been stationed at Dessous off of Flinders Lane in Melbourne’s CBD for a bit over 4 months now. It’s a cosy basement restaurant with an incredible menu serving up heaps of cocktails and wine. Next year (2024) I’ll be moving to a new venue from the Mulberry Group located in Abbotsford.