Zeta Bar – Sydney CBD
As I’m served a pale yellow cocktail with a tea bag in it and what looks to be whipped cream floating on top (it’s actually an Earl Grey foam), the barmaid tells me not many people order this.
“I don’t know why,” she says. “It’s a great drink”.
I take a sip and she’s right — in fact, it’s far better than I would have thought. Called the Pomerancza and Earl Grey sour, this is one of Zeta Bar’s signature foam cocktails. Taking inspiration from molecular gastronomy (where chefs such as Ferran Adria create meals using flavoured foams and gels), the drink is served in a glass coffee mug with a spoon and two sugar cubes on the side.
The foam is slightly sweet and offsets the cocktail’s sourness so well that it’s almost too easy to drink. Before I know it I’m halfway through it and force myself to slow down – after all, the cocktail is supposed to change over time as the foam melts into it.
Zeta also has a range of “grilled” cocktails, such as the burnt lemon and vanilla margarita that I try. The idea of burning fruit such as lemon is to caramelise it slightly and change the flavour, although I’m not sure this works for the margarita. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a good margarita – but somehow it tastes a little more like orange than lemon to me, and I’m a sucker for lemon flavours. The vanilla in the drink is subtle and after a few sips I almost forget it’s in it, although the cocktail’s vanilla aroma is relatively strong.
Zeta Bar’s atmosphere is dark and elegant. Ambient lounge music is on the sound system (and DJs play here on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays), there’s wood paneling, curtained off banquettes on one side (which look like mini harems, according to one of my drinking companions), as well as a handful of small tables and ottomans and two long tables with bar stools. My one complaint with this bar is that there’s not enough seating here. On the plus side, however, it has one of the best smoking areas in Sydney, being directly opposite the QVB and with a view that stretches down George Street. As a non-smoker even I like to venture out here for a glimpse.
The next time I visit Zeta there’s a page of tiki cocktails that’s been added to the menu. Inspired by Polynesia and the carved wooden statues that can be found from Easter Island to New Zealand, tiki bars and restaurants swept across the US (and to a lesser degree around the world) after World War 2 only to die out in the late 70s – but a revival is happening around the world and certainly at Zeta.
My companion and I order the Mai Tai, arguably the archetypal tiki cocktail. Zeta’s version is made from Flor de Caña (a respectable rum from Nicaragua) and Havana Club blanco that’s mixed with lime juice, orange curaceo, rock candy syrup and orgeat (an almond-flavoured syrup usually made either with rose or orange water). It’s then served in a hollowed-out pineapple with ice, a sparkler and a cocktail umbrella (the only comparable experience I’ve had in Sydney is the pina colada served in a coconut at Rambutan).
At $22 the Mai Tai isn’t cheap but it certainly hits the spot. The flavours are well balanced, it’s not too sweet and it’s possibly the least alcoholic-tasting cocktail I’ve ever had – and it’s great on a hot summer’s night. If only they had a hammock and an ATM on the balcony.
The Zeta Zombie is a little less pricey ($19) and has a bit more bite in terms of flavour, both of which are qualities that appeal to me. This is a rum punch made with 10 Cane rum, Flor de Caña and Grand Marnier and is shaken with pineapple, lemon, lime and pomegranate juices before being served in a tall glass.
True to its promise, I honestly do feel like a zombie as I write this the day after (I might have had quite a few drinks before ordering the tiki cocktails) – but it was worth it. The only other thing to add is that the service here is fantastic (and I apologise to the bartender for not tipping for my Mai Tai!), making it one of my favourite Sydney bars. If you need a great spot for a date or an after-work drink then Zeta Bar is certainly worth a look.
Now it’s your turn – how do you rate Zeta Bar?
(7 votes, average: 4.14 out of 5)
Loading ...
Zeta Bar, Level 4, 488 George Street, Hilton Sydney. Phone 9265 6070, or see the Zeta Bar website
Related posts:
Wow I’ve never tried anything like the Pomerancza and Earl Grey sour you described. I wish I’d read this before I went to Zeta bar the other night, I would have tried it. You should check out Zeta bars cryogenically frozen cocktail sorbets one Friday night. They transform the bar into a 50′s inspired ice cream parlour. Not as sophisticated as the cocktails you’ve described but a bit of fun.
Ms D
http://eatdrinkplaysydney.blogspot.com/2010/02/zeta-cryogenic-sorbet-and-cocktail-bar.html
Thanks for that — I was planning on checking out their cocktail sorbets but just never got around to it …
If real fruits and spices were used to infuse and compliment the alcohol in these cocktails I would not be as offended by the pricing or lack of management that reeks from the lower bar aptly named Marble Bar.
Zeta Bar’s Earl Grey sour seems reminisent of one Of Sydney’s finest. Award winning cocktail masters, mixing at @ Oxford Street’s Gilligans some years ago with his “Tea List”….. Zeta Bar’s Earl Grey sour is as blatant rip off, not coming close to Gilligans 2005 “Gin Blossom”. Call yourself elite, prove it. Show me what your worth!!!