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Hands in the air, it’s time to make a big scene! We’re poppin’ bottles sky high as Rooftop at QT receives Bar of the Year in the 2022 Remix Magazine’s lifestyle awards, as voted by YOU! Mwah.
It’s no small feat, our Rooftop team are shaking magic and making sure you have the best damn time whenever you come on up. Rooftop at QT is led by our talented Bar Manager Egor Petrov, who is also merrymaking, as his spirit baby Bayside Rum was awarded a silver medal in this years New Zealand Spirit Awards. Woo! The man behind the bar and the Rooftop menu, we thought we’d get to know Egor a little better, and unveil his unique spirit.QT: Let’s start with a fun fact?
Egor: Believe it or not, I was a champion ballroom dancer (we will be requesting a performance Egor).QT: Creating fabulous cocktails for QT Auckland comes so naturally to you, tell us where your master skills come from?
Egor: I landed my first bartender job out of school and instantly thought “I could make a career out of this”. My love for mixology and passion for fine spirits really took off during my time with Britomart Hospitality Company, which was the best in Auckland in terms of cocktails. They really put a lot of effort into training and development, and everyone I worked with had so much passion for drinks and spirits. I then decided that I needed a change so I went on to work in Dubai for 4.5 years, where I worked with Sean Connolly, before overseeing the beverage program for a hotel, as well as managing their gorgeous cocktail sky lounge…on the 122 floor of the Burj Khalifa. When Covid hit and I saw the opportunity to come back home and finally realised my dream of creating my own product.I’ve been with QT for just over a year. I manage the QT Rooftop Bar and curated the current cocktail menu. We are about to release our new menu which should be a whole lot of fun.
QT: Tell us about Bayside Rum… the only Rum made with Kumera!
Egor: I’ve always wanted my own brand, a lot of bartenders dream of opening their own bar but I want to take my product to the world, you can’t do that with a bar. I had some experience learning how to distil a few years back and thought I’d try it for myself. We’re on a mission to create a distinctly Kiwi rum, which starts growing the yeast colony in a native New Zealand Kumera mash. The rum rests in NZ ex-pinot noir casks for at least three months, and the result is a rum unique in colour and flavour, merging the tropical notes of a freshly distilled molasses spirit with red fruit and spice notes of ex-red wine barrels.QT: The label and graphics for Bayside Rum are something else. Who creates these and what is the inspiration behind the design?
Egor: The label was created by my wife Anna who brings a wealth of knowledge and a creative flair to Bayside Rum Co. The label was purely inspiration, I treat it as art. The name Bayside comes from a little nature reserve behind my parents’ house where I grew up..we tried for Waitemata but it was a no-go, I like Bayside anyway.QT: How do you take your Rum?
Egor: I like it neat, it’s also a good way to keep learning the nuances of the rum. It also goes really well in a Mai Tai.QT: Would you share a cocktail recipe with Bayside Rum that we can make at home
Egor: Our signature serve is Bayside Rum Highball, this is our ode with NZ ingredients.45ml Bayside ‘Three Moons’ Rum
120ml East Imperial Grapefruit Soda
1 wedge of fresh lime or grapefruit
Add all ingredients to a tall glass, add ice and garnish with a slice of lime or grapefruit.Step into the elevator, hit the 6th floor and shimmy on up to Rooftop at QT where you can taste this delectable drop and see just what makes Rooftop at QT such an oh-so-fine fine bar.
Image Credit: @Baysiderumco
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