Ice is Nice: A Wellington Stalwart on the Art of Service, Good Ice and Building A Cocktail

Wellington hospitality has a few genuine institutions left. Dee’s Place — basement bar, no signage, twelve seats at the bar, juicer running — is becoming one of them. This week Tash sits down with Devan Nesbitt, bar manager and day-one crew at Dee’s, to talk about how you build a bar that people actually want to drink in, when you’re the customer. Devan’s path runs through Matterhorn and Hawthorne Lounge to name just a couple and a slice of iconic Wellington bartending compressed into one conversation. A business degree that didn’t finish. A Negroni he’d never heard of. A pact with a mate that turned into a career pivot. They get into the ice. Specifically: why ice is the most important ingredient in any bar, what a Hoshizaki cube tilted just off-centre does to the drinking experience, and why Tash has never had a cold nose problem at Dee’s. From there: vermouth blending as house philosophy, the slow conversion of single malt loyalists to American whiskey, and what seasonal produce-led menus actually look like when you don’t have a rotovap.Also: milk punch, the Remember the Maine, Chattanooga Bottled in Bond, and why the staffy drink is a Michelob Ultra. Maybe a whiskey. Depends on the weekend.In this episode:* How Matterhorn and Hawthorne shaped a generation of Wellington bartenders* Why Dee’s was designed around the bar, not the tables* Ice as the most considered ingredient in the glass* The American whiskey conversion programme, and how rye is usually where it starts* Seasonal menus without the fancy equipment* On mentorship: teaching fundamentals without the kitchen militia energy* Outstanding Bartender of the Year, and why it still comes back to service Get full access to More Good Drinks at www.moregooddrinks.com/subscribe