Bartender

The bartender

Tom Opie

The Waratah

Like many, Tom scored his first hospo gig by flat out lying on his resume that he did in fact know what a Negroni was. Since then, his work has taken him from Wollongong bars, to Sydney, and even to a comp in Bologna, Italy, where he represented Australia on the world stage. Now, he supervises The Waratah, Evan Stroeve’s latest bar.

What initially drew you to the world of bartending, and what keeps that passion alive today?

Initially, I guess the look of bartenders shaking things and being the purveyor of good times for people. That quickly shifted to an obsession with microbiology, the science of flavour and smell which is what keeps the fire alive today. I'm still young for the industry, full of motivation and a want to be better everyday which is nice because I feel like not everyone has that at 29. I also love changing people's perspectives and broadening their horizons when it comes to flavour, nothing like introducing a new spirit, wine or cocktail to someone and them frothing it. And a lot of that comes from study and knowledge of things to show people.