Mary White, The Lobo Plantation

To be a jack of all trades is easy. To master them all? That’s something else

WHEN MARY WHITE first landed in Christchurch fresh out of college in North Carolina, working in bars was a side hustle. By the time she came to Sydney two years later, that hustle had become a fully fledged obsession. White landed a gig at Palmer and Co on the back of the skills she’d honed on her travels. Six months later, Paige Aubort got in touch about the Lobo Plantation, the rum bar that leaves others sprawled on a dusty back road in Barbados. Cut to today and White has more than four years on the clock at Lobo – one and a half as GM. Step inside the Cuban-styled space complete with rattan chairs and jungle prints, and if White’s not shaking two tins behind the bar, she’ll be running the floor with consummate ease. Express an interest in the 300-deep rum list, and she’ll delve into it with the passion of someone who’s learnt their product through years of tasting and teaching. If you want to get into the nuances of Martinican, Jamaican, or – heck – even Mexican rum, there’s no better guide. Ask for a classic, and she’ll stir it down quick, no sweat, then light up the butane torch to give the signature Old Grogram its toasted cinnamon finish. “It can be about skill and cocktails and all that,” she says, “but at the end of the day, it really is about connecting with that person coming in, and making sure they have the best time – that’s hospitality in a nutshell.” à1/ 209 Clarence St, Sydney 2000.