A ‘porno chic’ hideaway where the spirit of the ’70s lives on in style, down below the hustle and bustle of city streets.
Bars look to all manner of themes and bygone eras for inspiration, but Double Deuce Lounge has to be the only watering hole on the planet that takes its name from a cult favourite 1989 Patrick Swayze flick (Road House, if you’re wondering) and its cues from the so-called Golden Age of Porn (look it up – or not). A little silly? Most definitely. Does it work? Absolutely.
Co-owners Charlie Lehmann, Sebastian “Cosmo” Soto and Dardan Shervashidze shook up the city’s bar landscape in 2014 with the opening of Ramblin’ Rascal Tavern, a self-styled “five-star dive bar” slinging low-brow tinnies of beer, top-shelf Cognac and pretty much everything in between. Here, at their hotly anticipated and highly acclaimed follow-up, serious cocktails are more a focus, but fun remains at the top of the agenda.
Head down the stairs, have a seat and a member of the team will offer you the drinks list, which arrives in the form of a VHS case with a naughty cover. Flip through, and you’ll spot familiar favourites, forgotten classics and inventive house creations, all of which are made with precision and care. Case in point: a Cosmopolitan that’s shaken to new heights by the addition of pomegranate, rosella and apricot. Or how about a Stinger? A fave of early 20th-century socialites, this version comes laced with Fernet Branca for an extra blast of bitterness.
These folks aren’t messing around – they really know what they’re doing. Little wonder, then, that they took home Time Out Sydney’s Cocktail Bar of the Year award in 2020, a mere six months after they opened the doors.
Double D succeeds by never letting the source material get in the way of a very adult drinking experience. Sure, the bar team might be dressed like a bunch of extras from Boogie Nights – all greased-up quiffs, wide lapels, short-shorts and knee-high socks – but they cover the bases with polish, professionalism and top-quality banter. Their cocktail knowledge is as vast as it is varied; they’ll mix you whatever you like without batting an eyelash, and they’ll mix it cold and stiff.
Even at full capacity, there’s always breathing room thanks to a table-service-only policy, which means you’ll never need to queue for drinks or jostle for space at the bar. That frees you up to enjoy yourself to the fullest, whether high up on a stool with your elbows on the bar or slotted into one of the red leather banquettes. Be forewarned: it’s not unusual for the place to break out into song every now and again, so best to brush up on your James Brown, Curtis Mayfield and Aretha Franklin ahead of your visit.
