What a difference a year makes - just ask Jason Purcell, who, alongside his family, took a 'deep end' risk to open The Old George and Dragon.

Now, almost 12 months later, they aren't just surviving - they're finalists in the Hunter Region Tourism Awards.

And how are they celebrating? In style, of course, by converting their classy bar into a spooky haven for a Halloween bash, complete with a hearse parked out front.

Dressed as Dracula and Michael Jackson, Jason and his son Nic Purcell will welcome guests.

Nic, 18, started from the ground up as a glassy and now works the bar.

He crafted a Halloween-themed cocktail called the 'Sloe and Spooky,' using a local orange liqueur from Phoenix Distillery, sloe gin for sweetness, and pineapple juice for froth.

"It took a bit of work, but I'm re

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