This week on OverProof, I sit down with Timo Janse — founder of Dutch Courage Cocktail Bar in Amsterdam, creator of the Perfect Serve Bar Show, organiser of Amsterdam Cocktail Week, and the man who used his bar opening savings to build a national bar show instead because nobody else was going to do it.

Timo's path into hospitality started as a side job while studying economics — a dive bar on weekends, then a boutique hotel bar where he showed up as a temp and ended up managing the place within weeks. From there, nearly a decade behind the stick at Door 74, Amsterdam's legendary speakeasy, before finally getting the keys to his own venue — two weeks before COVID hit.

He talks about what it took to actually open Dutch Courage: the false starts, the asbestos ceiling nobody mentioned until they were ready to sign, the banks that wouldn't touch him until he'd already survived five years without them, and the insurance broker who told him not to bother thinking about a pension. He also gets into what it looked like to run three bars, split from a business partner the right way, and come out the other side with one venue, more clarity, and a sign on his wall that says nobody's ever gotten smarter from a meeting.

And there's a guest shift story. I won't ruin it. Just know it involves a cucumber, a three-floor bar where every single staff member was on their first day, and Timo having to be physically dragged out at the end of his shift.

I sit down with Jason Williams — Director at Housemade Hospitality in Sydney, spirits evangelist turned venue operator, and the man with his face on a gin that became the official pour of the Singapore Sling.

Jason's path into hospitality was deliberate from the start — Eagle Boys Pizza at 13, a Hyatt Regency resort, nightclubs in Brisbane, cocktail bars in Melbourne, and eventually a Group Bars Manager role at Keystone before getting headhunted to Singapore to run the bar consultancy arm of Proof and Company. Over eight years, he worked on some of the most significant bar openings in Asia Pacific — Raffles, Atlas, a $500M Four Seasons in Seoul — before returning to Sydney to co-found Housemade Hospitality with his business partners.

Housemade now operates 13 venues, including four across the heritage-listed Hinchcliffe House at Circular Quay. They hit five years this year. One of those venues had to close. Jason talks about that too.

We get into what scaling a group actually costs you — your attention, your relationships, your ability to taste every cocktail in every bar. He shares where he thinks bar consultancy is heading, why he thinks most people are using AI like embarrassing Facebook posts from 2010, and what it means to miss your best friend's wedding for a bar opening and know, without much doubt, that you'd probably do it again.

I interview Zara Madrusan — founder of The Everleigh, Heartbreaker, Everleigh Bottling Co, Connie's Navy Strength, Ice Co, Bar Margaux, LB's Record Bar, and Bartenders Choice Consultancy, co-writer of Madrusan Cocktail Companion, and A Spot at the Bar.

Zara shares her path from studying theatre and performance in London to landing in Melbourne on a whim, walking into The Everleigh five days later, and falling completely under its spell. She describes that first visit — the waft of freshly pressed mint, the choreographed dance between bartenders and floor staff, the feeling of being transported — and knowing immediately she wanted to be part of it.

She explains how the team took her under their wing, taught her everything, and eventually handed her the keys to The Elk Room to run events. From there, her creativity sparked: test the bartender challenges, immersive concepts, and ideas borrowed from London's underground bar scene. She talks about how her theatre background shaped the way she sees hospitality and how that lens gave her permission to pitch wild ideas to a team generous enough to back them.

We also get into what it's like juggling multiple venues, how she knew she wanted this career before she knew it was even possible, and the moment her passion shifted from drinks alone to the full experience of running spaces.

Congrats on being nominated for Tales for your new book!

Find The Madrusan Cocktail Companion here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Madrusan-Cocktail-Companion-Contributions-Bartenders/dp/1761500449

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