Frank Mac’s tips its hat to the history of The Rocks and the owners’ Irish heritage, and comes complete with live music, Irish Coffees, an epic gin list and Martinis every which way.
In 2018, Ciara Doran and Eoin Daniels took a chance and opened whisky bar The Doss House in a heritage space in The Rocks. It fast became a leading light for the precinct, drawing locals and tourists alike for its old-world charm, fine hospitality and immense whisky list. When the lease came up on a space just a few doors up, the pair jumped, opening Frank Mac’s in late 2021. Instead of whisky, gin was the focus, with more than 100 juniper-based spirits lining the backbar, each offered as a nip or in a Martini (your way) and a list of signature cocktails that leans hard into the spirit.
Like The Doss House, Irish blood pumps through Frank Mac’s veins. It’s a place for the scallywags, urchins, beggars, speculators, scoundrels, rascals and card sharks, among other ne’er-do-wells, as the welcome on the menu says. And if that wasn’t enough of a hint, the two Irish Coffees offered up-front bring home the connection. The bar is a nod to Frank Mac himself, Ciara’s great-uncle, a lovable regular at his own local back in Ireland. The hospitality is just as warm as Frank would expect, but despite the connection, and the 1840s heritage surrounds, Frank Mac’s is also very ‘now’ in its approach, flexing with your tastes, welcoming all, and running with a mantra of “drink less, but better”. Follow their advice and you’ll do well here.
