The bartender

Alfie Simmons

Maybe Mae Basement (SA)

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A BARTENDER:

I’ve always been an artist, attending Uni as an Arts student, finally majoring in Professional Acting and Dance. When I lived in Los Angeles it was just a means of income that I could balance with my acting career. When I moved to Australia in 2017 I found a culture that was passionate, curious, and in love with bartending and hospitality while living in Darwin. The friends and family I have from the Northern Territory inspired me to care more, showed me how to extend my creativity into bartending, and taught me a great deal about the craft and culture. They continue to inspire me every day.

WHO WAS YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCE (DOESN’T HAVE TO BE INDUSTRY RELATED):
I’m constantly influenced and inspired by the creatives, the ones who find innovation in how they approach the world. Creativity drives me, and I admire anyone who is able to bring that to life, Heston comes to mind, but writers and directors too. Vonnegut, Murikami, Wes Anderson, one of my favorite stories was about how Dali would find his inspiration in that period just between sleep and awake when the mind is lucid but the consciousness is still in dreams. I think my influences change from time to time but the ship that rides the storm is always just the magical concept of pure uninhibited creativity.

The hero cocktail

Hundred Acre Wood

The concept is in finding balance with alcohol. I’m speaking of course of the relationship we have with alcohol as consumers. This drink is 2 parts, a Cocktail and a Mocktail that pair with one another, I’ve used wastage products from each in their counterpart.

The idea is to encourage moderation while drinking. The goal is to relieve the persuasive pressure of finishing a drink quickly and free you to take your time, enjoy the night, bounce back and forth between both serves and rest easy knowing the liquid isn’t going anywhere. It’s about the ride, not the destination.
I’ve called it “Hundred Acre Wood” and it was inspired by the flavors and ingredients that grow right at our doorstep. The flavors of home.
In SA we have a wealth of farms and orchards at our fingertips, and fresh ingredients always make for better cocktails. The ingredients for my drink were sourced from the wooded areas near Adelaide, most foraged personally. Even the rye grains that make up the 100% Rye profile of the Gospel Straight Rye Whiskey are sourced from South Australia. In every way, from ingredients to spirit, to creation, this cocktail is a reflection of the wealth of opportunity South Australia has to offer.

Ingredients

• The Gospel Straight Rye Whiskey

• Kuitpo “Pine Cone Rye”

• Foraged Sheoak Nuts

• Corella Pear Juice

• “Forest Floor” Cep tincture

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

The bar

Maybe Mae Basement

Maybe Mae is more than just a cocktail bar. It’s a bartender’s bar and a place for the people. It’s a cozy little New York inspired speakeasy where the lights are low and the blues music is slow. It’s a home and a safe space for friends and loved ones across the country where they’ve always been welcomed with good vibes and high fives and the occasional shot. I’ve worked here for a little longer than 2 years now with a strong team I’m proud to be a part of.