Sydney’s 10 best cocktail bars

IT WAS the summer of the Frosé for Aussie bar-goers everywhere. But the frozen, wine-based drink wasn’t the only contender in Sydney’s cocktail wave.

Rum-based cocktails are the star of the show at The Lobo Plantation.

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IT WAS the summer of the Frosé for Aussie bar-goers everywhere. But the frozen, wine-based drink wasn’t the only contender in Sydney’s cocktail wave.

Whether you’re a traditionalist on the search for the best Old Fashioned or an experimentalist daring enough to try bacon bourbon mixed with blood orange jam, there’s a cocktail to wet everyone’s whistle. Here’s our pick of the 10 best cocktail bars.

1. THE LOBO PLANTATION — SYDNEY

This small CBD cocktail bar is drawing in crowds for its rum-based drinks, dressed up with a Caribbean flare. Our pick of tropical tipple is the ‘Mr Magoo’, a tribute to the 1950s cartoon. It’s a fun concoction of pineapple rum, Lillet Blanc, cacao and fresh lemon juice mixed with ginger beer.

Bartender Jake Downs mixing a masterpiece at This Must be the Place.

2. THIS MUST BE THE PLACE — DARLINGHURST

A Nordic-feel bar named after a Talking Heads track is just bound to be cool. Two of Australia’s top bartenders are reinvigorating the bar scene with their 19th century Imperial Shaker. The Gloss is a standout, made with fresh strawberries, citrus vodka, watermelon-infused Riesling and rosewater. It’s devilishly sweet yet fresh and restrained.

Eau de Vie is an experience to be savoured, and not just for the drinks.

3. EAU DE VIE — DARLINGHURST

The Eau de Vie cocktail experience is like stepping onto the set of a Baz Luhrmann film. Torch-blazed drinks and crystal glasses pluming with liquid nitrogen are just some of the theatrics that lure the debonair folks to this haunt. A must-try on the whiskey-focused menu is the Smokey Rob Roy, a mix of whiskey, cigar-infused rum, vermouth and orange bitters, served under a cloud of wood smoke.

Papa Gedes has a cool voodoo vibe and some seriously good cocktails.

4. PAPA GEDES — SYDNEY

This tongue-in-cheek tavern dedicates its entire menu to Papa Gede “A mischievous voodoo spirit and soulful guide.” The tiki cocktails are a bit kooky, but the real trailblazer is The Zombie; two rums, Cointreau, apricot, grapefruit and lime, mixed together and set on FIRE.

Step back into the 1920s at the speakeasy-styled Palmer & Co.

5. PALMER & CO

A 1920s Prohibition cocktail bar has a certain seductive air about it. The modern-day speakeasy will transport you back in time with dapper waiters and flapper-dressed waitresses. Listen to a live jazz band from Wednesday to Sunday night as you marvel in over 30 gins, 40 tequilas and 80 whiskies. We’re a sucker for the nostalgic Moonlight & Love Song, made with Altos Blanco tequila, Violette, Rosemary Wine, Lemon and Rose Salt.

Earl’s Juke Joint is always jumping on a weekend. Pictured is owner Pasan Wijesena.

6. EARL’S JUKE JOINT — NEWTOWN

Its façade is a dank 1950s butcher shop, but walk inside this New Orleans-inspired bar and you’ll be hit with the soulful beat of the Deep South. The cocktail menu is easy-going and focuses on quality. We take our hat off to the Phife Dawg, a refreshing mix of rum, lime, sugar cane and Angostura bitters.

Grandma’s has just what you need after a tough week.

The Barber Shop is an homage to the golden days of gin.

7. GRANDMA’S — CBD

Grandma’s welcomes you to the only other place as kitsch and cosy as your own gran’s lounge. The long, creative cocktail list is matched only by the eclectic decor, with token-granny toffee apples and knitting yarn scattered around. While there are tropical drinks a plenty, we can’t help but indulge in the Cold Trippn 2.0, made with pamper especial rum, dark chocolate liquor and cold drip coffee served in a teacup because it isn’t a visit to Grandma’s without a cup of tea.

8. PS40

You won’t find any Diet Coke mixed drinks at Sydney’s first soda factory. The all-natural soda line is entirely homemade, with cocktails containing adventurous ingredients that mirror the food menu. For the daring, we suggest the superbly puntastic Thyme to Turnip the Beet cocktail, with beet-infused Tanqueray gin, sherry, turnip puree, thyme and egg-white.

9. THE BARBER SHOP

Bars these days come in all different packages, so it’s no surprise to step through a hipster barbershop and discover a gin tavern from a bygone era. For the sophisticated ladies and gents we recommend the Smoke and Bandages — Bombay Sapphire gin, cherry Heering, sweet vermouth, fresh orange and smoked rosemary.

10. THE WILD ROVER — SURRY HILLS

You’ll feel like old mates with the rowdy bar staff from the moment you step through the unassuming ‘shirt shop’ door on Campbell street. Drinks are always either flowing or being set alight inside the dark-lit whiskey den. We recommend a good dose of the Irish Penicillin, a tasty blend of Irish whiskey, malt whiskey, lemon juice, ginger and honey syrup.