The new bars on the block and a few institutions – put these seven venues on your hit list.
One of Sydney’s best-loved cocktail bars and dine-in delicatessens. The big sell is canned cocktails. Try a Mar-tinny or its caffeinated cousin, the Espresso Mar-tinny. There’s even a Cosmopoli-tin, served icy-cold with plenty of flourish. Prefer something straight-up? Consider the Coffee Manhattan: rye, sweet vermouth, bitters and coffee beans.
A new one from the guys behind Tio’s, Cantina OK! and Bar Planet. The decor is reminiscent of a 1960s West Hollywood tavern, but the drinks are very much steeped in the here and now. Herbs specialises in Negronis of all kinds, including a bright green and deliciously herbaceous version (pictured), incorporating a bitter parsley liqueur in place of the usual Campari alongside gin and vermouth.
“Cool drinks, warm service” is the catchcry at this snug Enmore bar. The menu offers modern classics such as the Breakfast Martini (gin, orange marmalade and Cointreau shaken with lemon juice) and originals such as the Spicy Pisco Punch – pisco, pineapple and lemon juices, pineapple syrup and chilli brine, all shaken with an egg white.
A love letter to tiki cocktails, where brightly lit puffer fish lanterns dangle from the rattan ceiling, and drinks come brightly coloured and occasionally on fire. Perhaps it’ll be a Dark and Stormy – rum, ginger beer and a dash of lime juice – or a Neptune's Neverland. Possibly the most OTT shared cocktail in town, it is (a) served in a clamshell bowl, (b) features a dolphin carved out of a fresh banana and (c) is $350.
Look for the neon esky marking the way down to a fun basement bar where the music, drinks and decor are all about the 1990s. Cocktails (pictured) are all about fun. The Punk Banana Highball is served with its very own edible banana-flavoured sticker. And, thanks to a whole lot of science equipment behind the bar, you can try a completely see-through Mango Daiquiri. Wild.
A poolside mezcalería with a tequila- and mezcal-focused drinks list. Try a Spicy Margarita or a Batanga – a tall sweet-savoury-salty mix of tequila, cola and bitter liqueur. For something slightly sweeter, take a swing at their rum-spiked take on a Mexican mango shake, the Chamoyada. Order some chips and guacamole to snack on the side.
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