Before + After

Overview

Before + After is Brisbane's only specialty amaro bar, hidden down a laneway off George Street with no proper signage. George Curtis, formerly bar manager at Agnes, opened Before + After in August 2022 around a personal obsession — he'd been drinking, collecting and importing amaro from small Italian websites for years before he had a bar to put it in. The name splits the experience in two: Before is a list of light, clean cocktails built for aperitif hour around seasonal native ingredients, while After moves into proper digestif territory, backed by a bar of around 75 amari.

It's a basement bar with no signage by design — part of a deliberate hidden-away concept, even if a couple of small signs have since crept in. Just 32 seats keep it personal, and the service leans on genuine conversation rather than a laminated menu, since most people walking in don't know what amaro actually is or what they like (yet). Food stays snack-sized: a grilled cheese Sizzler toast with pear and mustard, and a shrimp roll finished with fernet mayo and fried garlic.

Images: Daniel Joseph.

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