Kurtis Bosley

Kurtis Bosley founded CBK Hospitality Group in 2017 after graduating with a degree in architecture. The group was originally a consulting company that worked with restaurants to design venues, build signature drink menus and offer an end to end solution for those getting into the industry. Over the next 24 months, the group led by Kurtis worked on 50+ campaigns for hospitality brands, businesses, product launches and venue builds. Towards the end of 2018, Kurtis started to see success in his role including awards from Food Service 30 under 30 for work in the industry and Business Awards Young Entrepreneur of the year.

Luiz Palma Mezcla

In early 2019, after finally finding the right space, Kurtis opened his first restaurant, Corretto Dee Why, which has gone onto win a handful of awards and with a bar team that has won a number of cocktail competitions, with acknowledgements from Australian Bartender Magazine, Timeout and Broadsheet. The venue has been accredited with elevating the Dee Why cocktail scene with the first venue to really focus on craft cocktails, using local ingredients and modern techniques to create cocktails.

Rosa Frambois

Early 2021, CBK Hospitality Group was re-branded into Oi Hospitality Group with the consulting company growing and the opening of the second venue, Banco Manly. A focus on charcoal cooking and ethical drinking in a unique, hidden space in the back streets of Manly which opened a new opportunity to test our drinks creation processes on a new audience.

From 2021, Kurtis worked as a drinks specialist for Moet Hennessy, focusing heavily on their dark spirit portfolio through national training programs that were built specifically for bartenders and hosting events around Australia and New Zealand. This role expanded into building drinks strategies for the spirit portfolio and working with their sales teams to help train consumers and buying on how best to utilize spirits in mixed drinks and cocktails.

Hightime Sime

In 2023, Kurtis opened his third restaurant, ULLO Pizza & Wine on Dee Why beach with a focus on a more Italian style food offering, aperitivo style cocktails and as it has become accustomed to Oi Hospitality Venues, an extensive list of Signature Cocktails. During this time, the launch of ‘Bottled by BLOC’ was also happening out of Manly with bottled cocktails & wholesale batching for breweries, solving the issues of quality control for bars, restaurants and breweries who don’t have the teams who can consistently push out cocktails in busy, fast paced venues!

Tatyana’s Spring

Name three cocktails which are a must have while at your bar.

Our group beverage managers are focusing heavily on local ingredients, classic techniques and getting back to the basics of making a delicious cocktail. Our signature’s list at each venue is where you can find our guests favourites drinks over time and for me, any of our punch or spritz style drinks are always a big winner. With that said, at Corretto Dee Why you MUST drink the Lamington Old Fashioned (Coconut washed Jim Beam Rye, PX Sherry, Crème de Cacao, Toasted Coconut & Raspberry, Chocolate, Salt, Lactic), at Banco Manly, our smoke & mirrors (Makers Mark Bourbon, Islay Whisky, Apricot, Burnt Orange, Wattle seed & Salted Caramel) and at ULLO Pizza & Wine our Native Plum Spritz (Tanica, Lemon Myrtle, Seablight, Oscar 697, Citrus, Passionberry & Soda)

Waltzing Alchemist

Which is your signature cocktail?

Our venues feature a full list of signature cocktails that I’ve help craft but for me, my signature cocktail that you can find me making, drinking & enjoying on a night out is a little twist on a French 75 we called a French 95 utilizing Makers Mark Bourbon as the base of a French 75 recipe with French Champagne, Lemon and an oversize twist.

Barblezzz

What is your advice to aspiring bartenders and bar managers?

There’s no right or wrong way to make your way through the ranks and stand out from your peers. I’ve always loved the idea of CANEI (constant and never ending improvement) and that ‘you can learn something from everyone you meet’. With these two thoughts in mind, I’ve always loved spending time with other bartenders and bar owners as surrounding yourself with like minded individuals who you look up to does nothing but inspire and motivate you to do more. In Sydney I’m so thankfully to call many of these people friends and by spending time around industry folk, you’ll continue to grow and find new, exciting opportunities!

Caffeina-tte

What is the USP of your bar/bars?

In Australia, Sydney in particular, cost of living pressures are making their way into the bar world which unfortunately means it’s harder to get people out and into our venues to enjoy our offering. As a result, all of my venues have shifted into a focus on ‘vibe dining’ where it’s not just about the food & drink offering anymore, it’s about ensuring the environment from the way staff interact with guests, music, lighting, ambience and experience is more fun and inviting in a way that hopefully gets guests into venue a few times a week !

Rosemary Mist

At work, which is your most challenging activity and why?

The challenges never end so to narrow it down to just one is a little difficult BUT the one, ongoing challenge I’m currently focusing on is knowing when to push our group towards growth and knowing when to slow down. The knowledge of when your team and venues are ready for expansion and knowing when you need to slow down is something that’s difficult to understand when you’re in a full entrepreneur growth mindsets but at times, you’re only putting unnecessary stress on your team and business that isn’t beneficial in the long run. NOW YOUR LIMITS!

Bee-kee-pee

When are you happiest?

Behind the bar making drinks or hosting.. I love time spent behind the bar with the team, making drinks on a busy weekend night, watching guests enjoy their experiences at the bar! It’ll never get old!

Which is your favourite city for food, travel and fashion?

I just got back from London, the drink scene has blown my mind with venues like Seed Library by Mr Lyan really standing out as exceptional. I’ve spent many, many years in Indonesia and will always love those countries for travel & hospitality, New York for fast pace dining scene and my FOREVER LOVE is Japan for fashion/design and their unique approach to hospitality.

La-Somka-Rosa

How many people are part of your team and how do you plan to make a guest’s experience special while they are a guest in your bar?

Oi Hospitality currently employs over 70 staff across 5 businesses with a document that we built in the early stages of the company being our golden rules which the venues are run by. This is paramount to our guest experience as it guides everything we do in each shift from the way we interact with guests, look after them and see them out at the end of the time with us.

What is the secret for making a perfect cocktail?

Research more interesting ingredients, follow your favourite bars and speak to as many other bartenders as possible to learn as much as you can. Enter as many competitions and talk with everyone you meet in bars and at hospitality events!