Update: Sadly, the Summer Tiki bar has gone the way of summer and is no longer running at Zeta. Still, you can find plenty of other Tiki options on Bar Zine - just type Tiki in the search bar at the top of this page and see what's on offer There's no shortage of Tiki bars in Sydney these days but, for a scientific take on the genre, try Zeta’s balcony Tiki bar, which … [Read more...]
Grandma’s bar – Sydney CBD
There’s a small bar in the basement of an otherwise innocuous building on Clarence Street that’s become my favourite bar of the moment. Called Grandma’s, it calls itself a “retro-sexual haven of cosmopolitan kitsch and faded granny glamour” on its website and to be honest I just can’t beat that description. Once you climb down the stairs past the animal head with horns on … [Read more...]
Alabama Fogcutter cocktail recipe
You'd be hard pressed to find this late 19th century cocktail anywhere in Australia (although if you do know of a bar that serves it, add a comment below) but we did come across it at The Victoria Room. Served in a tall glass, this is like an old-school tiki drink that combines rum (the staple of tiki drinks) with cognac and gin and a variety of fruit juices. It might not cut … [Read more...]
Tiki cocktail recipes (and the winner of last week’s Appleton Estate rum competition)
It would be irresponsible of us to announce the winner of last week’s competition, in which a tiki mug from Tiki Farm and three bottles of Appleton Estate rum were up for grabs, without also listing some tiki recipes so that the winner can inaugurate the mug and the losers can drown their sorrows in tropical juice and rum. So without further ado, the winner is (drum roll … [Read more...]
Zeta Bar – Sydney CBD
You don’t expect to see a piece of crisp bacon served on top of a cocktail glass, but that’s what you get when you order the Smoked Bacon and Maple Syrup Manhattan at Zeta. The bourbon is infused with bacon and maple-smoked cedar before being mixed with a dash of cherry syrup and sweet and dry vermouth. Don’t let the cherry and maple syrup fool you, however – this is a strong, … [Read more...]