The bumper November issue of Gourmet Traveller launched last night with a fittingly huge party. The magazine took over Rockpool Bar & Grill in Sydney for an epic 50th birthday black-tie bash in collaboration with Patrón, the world’s leading premium tequila. To prep for the once-in-a-lifetime event, Rockpool chef Neil Perry hopped a ride on the Patrón jet into the Mexican state of Jalisco, the home of tequila, to do hands-on research, tasting his way through the street foods of Guadalajara, meeting with agave farmers in the highlands, and blending a bespoke barrel for the event with distillers at the Hacienda Patrón.
The 300 guests at the party, included chefs, restaurateurs and a handful of lucky subscribers experienced the spectacle of Rockpool Bar & Grill becoming Cantina Rockpool for one night only, its wood-fired grill sizzling with Mexican spice, its army of staff pouring Margaritas, and its walls ringing with the sounds of mariachi musicians and DJs, celebrity DJ Alex Dimitriades among them. “It was a pretty amazing party,” said Perry.
The 50th-anniversary Gourmet Traveller, hits newsstands on Monday 24 October.
Here is a link to some of the pictures from the night.
Captions are as follows:
20. The gatefold cover of Gourmet Traveller’s 50th anniversary issue
48. Patrón Tequila’s Lee Applbaum and Nikki Phillips
54. Kylie Kwong and Anthea Loucas Bosha
58, Kylie Kwong
71. Gourmet Traveller’s Brooke Donaldson and pastry chef Christopher Thé
84. Neil Perry, Paul Carmichael and Guy Grossi
103. Gio Paradiso and Giorgio de Maria
179. Ronni Kahn and Adam Liaw
187. Pat Nourse, Belinda So and Kendall Hill
203. Rockpool Bar and Grill
233. Neil Perry on the taco station
292. Kylie Javier Ashton, Sam Christie and Sarah Doyle
303. Adriana Picker, Josh Niland and Nikki To
304. Josh Lewis and Mat Lindsay
336. Neil Perry, Anthea Loucas Bosha and the four-tier Lady Baltimore cake
362. Rockpool Bar and Grill
36. Pat Nourse, Anthea Loucas Bosha, Neil Perry, Lynette Phillips, Lee Applbaum
