Renowned Adelaide bar calls it a day

Adelaide small bar, Cushdy, which has been at the forefront of the city's cocktail scene since it opened six years ago, will be closing its doors for good on October 1.

Cushdy owner Shaun Pattinson told TheShout the bar's licence and furnishings had been sold to undisclosed buyers, with him retaining ownership of the bar's name. 

"They already have an idea of what they want to set it up to be. It's not going to have a cocktail focus, it's going to be clubbier, but it will look the same when you walk inside," he said.

Cushdy opened in January 2008 on Hindley Street in the city centre, a location that has not been ideal for a cocktail-focused bar.

"I initially thought Adelaide people were ready for a destination bar but it didn't work out that way. In Adelaide if you're in the dodgy part of town where the crowd is 18 to 25 year olds, to do anything that's a bit different is really, really hard."

"So the fact that we have survived for as long as we have doing the style of drinks that we do in that location is a big thing," said Pattinson.

However, he said the venue has not been struggling financially, and the decision to close has been for personal reasons.

"I want people to know that we are choosing to leave. Even though the location has always been an issue at the end of the day it is purely that we want a change in scenery and I want a break to recharge the batteries," said Pattinson. 

He hasn't ruled out opening up in another part of Adelaide in the future, but for the time being he will be keeping occupied and connected to the industry by conducting staff training for local bars.

Since it opened, Cushdy has played a key role in the development and growth of the local cocktail scene, with the venue playing host to numerous training sessions, master classes and competitions that have helped a great deal of local bartenders improve their craft.

"I'd like to think that hopefully we managed to stoke the fire and get people a bit more passionate about the industry and show them you can go onto bigger and better things," said Pattinson.

Source: The Shout, 12 August 2013