The inaugural Time Out Bar Awards were held on a Monday (presumably to accommodate all the hospos on their only ‘lite’ night of the week).   The awards aimed to recognise some of the outstanding people that make Melbourne’s bars what they are.  At $50 a ticket for 5hrs of food, drinks and entertainment it seemed a deal too good for Theresa and me to let up.

The majority of the 300 plus crowd were from industry.  This made it a great opportunity to mingle with those in the know and also to get to know a number of our fellow writers.

We were mercifully presented with a rare warm and sunny Spring Melbourne night.  The impressive outdoor deck at The Emerson, a new venue for me, did a stellar job of keeping us in general state of entertainment.

After sloshing down a few beers and numerous Cuban concoctions of deliciousness the awards took place…you can see a full list of winners here.

It was a school night but we continued to dance and eat the night away like we were first years at O-Week.  I was ready to leave and made my intentions clear but then a voice from the crowd said…

No, you can’t.
Why?
You have to come to the after party…
The after party?!

We boarded a bus which took us to Los Barbudos and were treated to another few hours of free Cuban inspired goodness.  The night became a little hazy at this point but numbers were swapped, people were loose, and it was a Monday night epic for the ages.  Thank you to the good folk at Time Out for showing us how to party!

-Ruki