Our Company
Director of Barmetrix Australasia gets Lifetime Achievement Award
Tuesday, 25 September 2007 12:05
Raising the Bar
As you sip on your rose-infused Cosmopolitan at your local, while eyeing a team of stylish bar professional go about their work, it might pay to make a mental note to thank one of Australia’s hardest-working bar professionals, Jason Jelicich, for helping to make this scene a reality.
Last week, former champion bartender and now successful businessman, Jason Jelicich has just received the major award for ‘Contribution to the Industry’ at the annual 2007 Bar Awards held in the grand ballroom at the Hilton Sydney on Sept 18th.
A 2-decade veteran of the Australian bar industry, Jason has devoted his career to improving the standards of professionalism in bars around Australia and the world. Growing from being an award winning cocktail and flair bartender (spinning bottles & glasses etc), to running his own bartending school, to now franchising his latest venture, Barmetrix, throughout Australia, the US and Canada.
Bar guru Jason Jelicich grew up in bars, serving his first margaritas at the tender age of 16 (please don’t tell the liquor board).
‘Like the majority of people who entry my industry’ says Mr. Jelicich ‘it was baptism by fire. The ‘sink or swim’ staff induction program’.
Jason’s father owned & managed bars in Auckland, NZ during the mid 80’s and Jason worked part-time as a waiter/ bussie while he was studying for a double major in languages. ‘I really didn’t know what to do with myself; I was studying French & German at Uni, but just couldn’t quiet see myself becoming an interpreter!’
One night, the bartender at his dad’s latest place stormed out over some minor disagreement, leaving Jason and his father to cover the bar. Sure enough, the first drink order to arrive was for 2 margaritas.
‘It must have looked quiet funny as Dad & I had no idea what we were doing and we ran around for probably 15minutes trying to make these drinks – but the ended up giving us a $10 tip – I think they felt sorry for us!’
Leaving his studies in favour of a more glamorous and financially rewarding hospitality/ bar career wasn’t a hard choice for Jason, preferring to study cocktail recipes and mixology skills as he played his craft as a bartender.
‘I fell in love with bartending – it was one of the first jobs that I really enjoyed’ explains Jason ‘I was getting paid to make people happy by mixing them drinks – and having a ball in the process’.
In 1989, Jason shifted to Sydney to further expand his bourgeoning hospitality career and found work in a new American ‘theme’ restaurant in the Rocks called the Red Onion. Similar to concept franchise restaurants such as the Hard Rock cafe and TGI Fridays, the training program at the Red Onion was thorough & stretching.
‘After a few years bartending I had picked up a heavy dose of ‘I-know-it-all-it is’’, explains Jason ‘but what I saw there really opened my eyes – it was the first time I experienced a well-crafted bar system’
Jason then moved to Melbourne to open another American concept bar/ restaurant called Bobby McGee’s.
‘When Bobby McGee’s arrived in Melbourne – the town didn’t know what hit it. Suddenly there was this bar attached to a hotel with queue outside the front and raking in over $30k in liquor sales on a Friday & Saturday night. We were selling more cocktails than half of Melbourne bars put together. It made a big impact on the scene there’ Jason explains.