Meet the people who make it happen; Grant Collins, Manuel Prior and Kim McDiarmid.
After a decade at some of the UK`s finest bars, including Bank Restaurant and Zander Bar (where he was awarded “UK Bar Manager Of The Year”), Grant Collins is one of the most highly regarded bar managers in Australia. Most recently Grant spent four years at Sydney’s Water Bar at W Hotel, where he led Water Bar to 23 awards including a ranking in Conde Nast Traveller’s “Top 10 Bars in the World” (2004) and Wallpaper Magazine’s “Top Five Bars In The World” (2005). He also personally picked up “Australian Bar Manager Of The Year” at the 2003 and 2004 ALIA awards and was named one of the "World's Greatest Bartenders" by Travel and Leisure.
Manuel Prior began bartending in his hometown, Rome, over 15 years ago. In 1997 he moved to London, where he became Bar Supervisor at OXO Tower. He went on to work as Head Bartender at Mint Bar and Smollensky’s in Canary Wharf. Manuel was also Bar Manager at Nic’s Bar in Angel, where he focussed on his passion for Mixology. Nic’s bar went on to be awarded the “Best Cocktail Bar in North London”. In 2004, Manuel arrived in Australia to begin working at Aqua Luna, Circular Quay. The opening of Lenin Bar in Circular Quay saw Manuel take on the position of Head Bartender and later the position of Bar Manager at Lenin’s two new venues, Bubble Champagne Lounge and Minus 5 Ice Bar.
Kim McDiarmid is a true ‘Sydneysider” in the international team at Zeta Bar. Hailing from a hospitality bred family; he began at the age of 17, developing his bartending skills in bars and nightclubs within Sydney. He also built an Event Management career at International Management Group (IMG), coordinating international sporting events such as the Sydney International and Ironman. Having hospitality in his blood, Kim pursued a career in bars and was promoted to Head Bartender of Lenin Bar, Bubble Champagne Cocktail Lounge and Minus 5 Ice Bar, where he took on the Assistant Manager role. In 2008 Kim worked at Blu Horizon Bar at Shangri-La, before joining the Zeta team in 2010.