Images: Provided.
Gerry Ebert has spent the past 10 years dreaming of opening his own cocktail bar. This Saturday, he’ll finally get to welcome guests into it.
Velvet Violet is set to open above Adelaide’s Wakefield Hotel, transforming the upstairs space into a glamorous, disco-inspired venue designed around cocktails, live entertainment and making memories.
“I’ve actually had the business plan for this bar written for about 10 years. It has just been sitting there,” Gerry, the venue’s general manager, told Glam Adelaide.
After working in hospitality for the past decade, Gerry finally found the opportunity to bring his concept to life when he joined the Wakefield Hotel earlier this year, working alongside owners Pat and Josh.
“They said, ‘We’ve got this space upstairs and we’d love to do something with it’,” Gerry says.
“I said, ‘Well, I’ve got a plan’.”
It was, as Gerry puts it, a “right-place, right-time moment”.
“I walked in, and we all banded together to build this dream of mine.”
Velvet Violet is located on the first floor of the Wakefield Hotel. (Image: Wakefield Hotel.)
Part of the inspiration for Velvet Violet comes from one of Adelaide’s former cocktail institutions, La Bohème.
The French cocktail bar on Grote Street was one of the first places Gerry frequented after moving to Adelaide from Central Queensland, and became intertwined with some of his most important memories.
It was where Gerry celebrated milestones, including an engagement party, before the bar closed around 2015 or 2016 when Victoria Tower was built.
“I’ve always wanted to recreate a place where people can have core memories like that, memories that stay with them,” Gerry said.
“For me, being able to create a space that can give people those memories has always been a dream.”
That sense of nostalgia is also woven into the venue’s name, which comes from Gerry’s signature cocktail, the 23rd Street Violet Gin Sour.
The creative cocktails go hand in hand with the venue’s design, which Gerry describes as “Studio 54 meets Grace Jones.” Think gold ceilings, purple and black walls, neon lights and a gold mirror ball.
The result is intended to feel like a world of its own upstairs, while retaining the welcoming atmosphere of the Wakefield Hotel downstairs.
At the front of the venue, a private tasting room has also been created, designed more like a dining room and providing a space for private tastings and events.
“Most importantly, it’s also about creating a safe and inclusive space,” Gerry says.
“It doesn’t matter what walk of life you come from. Everyone is welcome and is there to have a great time.”
That philosophy will be reflected in the venue’s entertainment, with drag, cabaret and burlesque sitting alongside jazz, DJs and acoustic performances.
“For me, growing up queer, having a space where everyone gets a seat at the table is the ultimate goal,” Gerry says.
And after waiting 10 years to see the idea become reality, the opening carries a little extra weight.
“There have been days when it has been a hard slog building it upstairs,” Gerry says.
“But then I’ll sit there at the end of the night and look around, and it’s an overwhelming feeling to see your dream happening in front of you.”
Velvet Violet
When: Opening this Saturday
Where: 76 Wakefield Street, Adelaide (Wakefield Hotel Upstairs)
To find out more, click here.
