Every QT Hotel has its own flavour.
In Melbourne, it's Italian and in Perth, Mediterranean dishes dominate the menu.
When QT Newcastle opened its doors in June, the hotel's top-level bar, Rooftop at QT, launched with a menu of Japanese-inspired food and drinks.
The menu is based on the laid back style of Japan's izakaya bars, with small bites to accompany the drinks list that includes a vast selection of Japanese spirits, sake and umeshu (plum wine).
Snacks and small plates include tempura prawns with wasabi mayo; gyoza; chicken katsu burger; New Zealand sashimi with golden sesame and ponzu; and, for something sweet, almond mochi.
"It is an izakaya-style food menu so people can have a small bite with a beer or a cocktail," bar manager Nat McAlary tells Weekender.
"It's not about having a full meal, but having a pick and a nibble while you're sitting there with friends for a couple of hours."
Nat McAlary joined QT Newcastle after three years at QT Melbourne.
Each QT has its own signature cocktail list, according to Nat, and at Rooftop at QT there are four on the menu, each with its own Japanese flavour.
The most popular is the Yuzu (Asian citrus fruit) Spritz, which is an aromatic, fresh and zingy take on a spritz with Four Pillars yuzu gin, while the Tomasu is their take on a spicy margarita.
Rooftop at QT also has a substantial offering of Japanese whiskeys, with 20 on the list that vary in price from the Suntory Toki to the high-end The Yamakazi 18yo.
She describes that drop as "Japanese luxury in a bottle".
McAlary says Japanese whiskey is a good introduction for people who want to enjoy a lighter style of whiskey.
"All of them are barrel aged in things like ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry barrels, so there is something for everyone," she says.
"We are using one in an Old Fashioned [cocktail] at the moment and it's a Japanese whiskey that has been barrel aged in ex-bourbon barrels so it has characteristics of bourbon but it's still a Japanese whiskey.
"We use that as a baseline and we work out what people usually drink in terms of rum or a sweeter style bourbon, and we then try to match what they might like in a Japanese whiskey."
Elsewhere on the menu is a selection of sake that is served either cold or at room temperature, and umeshu, a sweet plum wine that is served over ice or with soda.
A new menu will launch on December 9 with five signature cocktails added to the list including more spritzes for summer.
"We are launching a new food menu on the Rooftop in December too so there will be a lot more snacks and finger food with everything from edamame to sushi rolls and lobster rolls," she says.
"We are also extending our sashimi plates with locally sourced seafood.
"Now that we have seen what the locals and hotel guests like to eat and like to drink, we are really confident in our new summer menu."
Nat's guide to QT's cocktails
Yuzu Spritz "It's the most popular cocktail at Rooftop. We have the yuzu gin with the Strangelove yuzu soda and a bit of Cointreau for sweetness. We added kaffir lime to it as well because it goes so well together."
Harajuku Highball "A highball is a great introduction to having Japanese whiskey. I added umeshu and plum sugar syrup to cut down the intensity of the whiskey for people that don't like whiskey, and a little bit of lemon juice topped with soda. For people that are a bit wary of whiskey, we think we change them with this one."
Tomasu "When I was interviewing staff and asking what their most popular cocktails were, 90 per cent said that people in Newcastle love drinking spicy margaritas, so that's where the influence for the Tomasu came from, which is a Japanese-inspired spicy margarita. You get the smokiness from the mescal with half tequila, fresh lime juice, a little bit of agave, smoked salt and togarashi [Japanese spice mix]."
Kawaii Cherry Sour "We wanted to do something with cherry blossom. We were thinking about what we can use behind the bar that has a big flavour profile, so we went with cherry. We use the Luxsado maraschino cherries which are stored in cherry syrup. We weren't using the syrup in anything else so it has some of the cherry syrup, cherry liquor and Four Pillars dry gin."
WHAT DO YOU THINK? We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Newcastle Herald website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
