Hello guys,
Is there someone here that didn’t heard about Mr. Gorge Camorra? I mean, this guy is everywhere, and when I say everywhere, I mean it literally! He is probably one of the most active Aussie bartenders that ever walked the Earth. Now he is at one competition, tomorrow he is on another continent, visiting distilleries and spreading the cocktail world. What a cha(m)p!
I must say that it took me a while to pin him down and ask him several questions about his bartending career but was worth the wait. This guy is truly a gentleman and next time you are in Geelong, Australia, you must pay him a visit! Without further ado, I give you Gorge and his wise thoughts regarding our industry!
1. Hello Gorge and thank you for your time. We know very little about Australian bartenders and bar tending in general, so what can you tell us about the aussie bar scene? What is hot and what is not?
The Australian bar industry is huge and we are leading a lot of trends around the world.
With bartenders such as Tim Phillips (World class global winner 2012) and many other Australians consistently making top 3 over the last few years and many winning global finals there is a wealth of experience and passion in our industry.
Melbourne and Sydney has a fantastic bar scene with venues such as "Black Pearl Melbourne", "The Baxter Inn Sydney", "The Everleigh Melbourne"
and "Bulletin Place Sydney" all making top 50 of worlds best bars. Australia's other cities such as Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide are equally as talented so it's safe to say the bar scene over here is in great hands.
What is hot at the moment I believe is "amaros" and "vermouths" with Aussie bartenders and their guests now drinking more "aperitifs" and "digestifs" than ever before.
The Australian spirits category is thriving with brands such as "West Winds Gin", "Four Pillars Gin", "Starward Whisky", "Lark Whisky" and "Camorra Liqueurs" doing extremely well with consumers and a few Aussie spirits winning awards internationally.
2. Even though we are pretty far away from Australia, we can see that the aussie bartenders are going great, we see them at trade shows around the world, competitions, etc. but how was bar tending back in the day? How did you start on this road paved with shakers and booze?
Well Mihai, I have a strange story!
I ran a successful air conditioning business and had no experience whatsoever in hospitality but I was a dj on weekends and wanted to play at my own venue. Two friends and I renovated a nightclub and did a 4 hour bar tending course where we learnt how to pour a beer, make a simple cocktail and pour a scotch and coke.
We were way under prepared and on our opening weekend we had 2000 people come through our doors. We ran out of change, stock and had no idea what we were doing but I had to learn very fast or lose all my money I'd invested. Luckily things went well and after 2 years we sold the club and I opened a cocktail bar by myself. Once again I didn't really have much experience with cocktails but I learnt from trial and error and a lot of you tube. When I look back at my first few cocktail lists from back then I laugh because the drinks weren't great but i was always successful because we gave great service and kept the customers happy and coming back.
3. Where are you now? We know that you have a spirits company (we got to taste your products this year) but how is your bar tending career? What are you up to right now?
At the moment I don't own a venue for the first time in 13 years but I am waiting on planning approval for a speakeasy that I will open at the end of the year called The 18th Amendment . I am still entering cocktail competitions, teaching hospitality to
unemployed youths, doing a lot of training sessions with "Camorra Liqueurs" at venues as well as being the brand ambassador for "Uberbartools". I'm still very busy in the industry.
4. The 18th Amendment, huh? That is a cool name that says a lot. How did you came up with the idea and what are you planning for this project?
The 18th amendment was the law that brought in prohibition in America so I plan on a small basement bar with hidden entrance with a huge range of spirits and we will focus on twists on classic cocktails and Spanish tapas available (I am Spanish after all) . At the moment I have over 400 spirits in stock to use and I will have more. As I am a hospitality trainer we will focus on Whiskey, rum, gin clubs to educate guests about what they are drinking. I have worked as a trainer for "Patron Tequila", "Haymans Gin", "Botanist Gin", "Buffalo Trace" and numerous other brands for last 3 years so passing on knowledge to consumers is something I am very passionate about. People in Australia are really interested in what they are drinking and the craft beer and spirits categories are something I will push.
5. It seems that you have a lot of experience with a lot of spirits. Is this one of the reasons who made you launch "Camorra Liqueurs?" Usually, bartenders want to create their own gin or aperitif. How did you decided to start making your liqueurs?
I guess the reason I decided to create my liqueurs is number one there are too many Australian gins and whiskey to compete with as there seems to be a new distillery 
opening monthly over here so the competition is getting fierce, secondly I don't have the budget to open a distillery. Eventually though I would love to create my own rum and I have a few experimental casks of rum that have been ageing in barrels for the last 3 years that are coming along nicely, also we are close to completion of our "Aperitivo" and working on an "Amaro" similar to Fernet.
6. It seems that you are a very busy man. How do you manage to stay in balance with work and personal life? Many people say that being a bartender is a lifestyle. What are your thoughts on this matter?
Being a bartender is definitely a lifestyle but luckily I am at a point in my career where I can take time off for weddings, friends parties etc. Unfortunately what happens is you tend to not see friends from outside the industry as much and you tend to start being friends with fellow industry people because their weekends are Sunday/ Monday's. It's a very hard thing to balance because at the start of my bar tending career I missed out on a social life.
My advice would be do not miss out on important friends milestones and to prioritize your life because in the end family and friends are more important.
7. So, seminars, masterclasses, a liquor company, a new bar soon to open, lots of competitions...What's next for you? We could see that you have a lot on your plate right now but do you have any bar related future plans? Things that you would like to do in the future?
Yes things are very busy . I just found out a few days ago that I got through to the "42 Below Vodka Cocktail Earth Cup" final in Queens-town, New Zealand so am very excited.
I am anxiously awaiting the opening of my next venue so that will keep me busy for the near future, as far as other things coming up I'm not too sure but building my liqueur brand internationally is definitely on the priority list however first I need to conquer the Australian market. 🙂
8. Indeed it seems that you are very busy. We wish all the best in your career and in your personal life as well. In the meantime, is there a message that you would like to say to the Romanian bartenders?
Thank you!
My message to Romanian bartenders is:
Work hard, be creative, use social media *smartly* and enter as many competitions as you can to put Romanian bartenders on the map internationally.
Be proud of where you are from and be passionate about what you do, help teach others in your industry as this creates a great bar tending community.
Most importantly: have fun! 🙂
