Drinks by Grant Collins (Zeta, Manly Pavilion, Ku-De-Ta, Bali)

Grant is the founder and managing director of cutting edge Sydney based bar consultancy company barsolutions.

Grant started his career in the US before returning to his native London to manage the hip Zander Bar which earned him the prestigious title of UK Bar Manager of the Year 2000.

Discovering the allure of the Sydney lifestyle after a brief holiday, Grant took over as Bar Manager at the newly opened Water Bar at the W Hotel in Woolloomooloo in 2001. Within 5 months, it was awarded the Bar of the Year 2001 by the Sydney Morning Herald.

The following year, Grant won the Australian Liquor Industry’s Bar Manager of the Year award and then in 2003 Hoteliers Magazine awarded Hotel Bar Cocktail List of the Year to the Water Bar and Grant also won the AHA Food and Beverage Employee of the Year. Incredibly Grant`s passion and drive for cocktail creation led him to receiving 18 awards on behalf of the Water Bar.

Whilst at Water Bar Grant’s flair and originality in cocktail creation attracted a loyal following at the Water Bar for a taste of the Grant Collins experience.
The Starwood Hotel Group used Grant’s proven winning formula to set up their growing stable of international bars most recently with the Westin’s Lounge Bar in Kuala Lumpur, also consulting on the opening of the W Hotel bar in Seoul, South Korea and Karma resorts in Thailand and Bali.

This vast experience and industry recognition saw the formation of Grant’s “barsolutions’ consultancy company. Under this banner, Grant consults with Moet-Hennessy, assisting in the marketing of their vast range of luxury liquor products. As the consultant to the hottest bar in Australia, Zeta at Hilton Sydney, he was pivotal in leading them to be awarded Australian Liquor Industry’s Best New Bar 2005, AHA “Cocktail bar Of The Year 2006” within its first year of opening. Recently Zeta Bar was awarded “Cocktail list of the year 2006 and 2007” by bartender magazine as well as being voted AHA’s “Hotel Cocktail Bar Of The Year” in 2007, 2008 and 2009 as well as bein nominated as “One Of The Hottest Bars In The Southern Hemisphere” by Conde Nast Traveler. Zeta has now collected an astonishing 15 key awards in a little over 4 years.

Grant has also consulted all over Asia, working in Bali, China, Japan, India, Singapore, Thailand, as well as setting up the hip new Lotus Bar in Hong Kong which has opened to rave reviews and designing the new bars and cocktail lists for KU DE TA in Bali which has since been awarded “Cocktail Bar Of The Year” at the Yak awards. More recently he was brought on board to consult on a new luxury venue in Jakarta, Potato Head, creating a bespoke and innovative cocktail list to great acclaim.

The White Hart won"Small Bar Of The Year" at the recent Bartender Magazine Awards 2011" staged at Doltone House. This was probably the most highly contested award of them all with so many small bars in Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane & now Sydney.

This success continues Grant Collins & barsolutions award winning run with them collecting 20 awards from Zeta Bar, 10 Aawrds @ Ku De Ta Bali as well as 14 awards with his time at The Water Bar between 2001 & 2005. While in the UK also collecting 5 awards including "UK Bar Manager Of The Year" & "UK Bar Of The Year" (Zander Bar) both in 2000.

This is also the first award for any bar on Sydney`s Northshore so a great bonus for Grosvenor St & Neutral Bay!