Archie Rose Bar: When Archie Rose, Sydney’s first distillery in 160 years opened its doors in March, much anticipation and excitement lay ahead of what spirits it would produce. Little did one know at the time that the Rosebery distillery was to have one of the best bars in Sydney.
The striking copper bar draws you in like a magnet. To one side, above the barrel-shaped booths, a wall of whisky is ageing in barrels. To the other side, the back bar lures with some of the best and rarest spirits. The mezzanine level gives a bird’s eye view of the venue and makes an ideal space for a private tasting or event.
The Archie Rose Bar is the best place to enjoy a tasting of the trio of spirits currently produced by the distillery. Six pages of the drinks menu are dedicated to spirit flights and the Archie Rose Flight is the place to start. You’ll get Archie Rose Original Vodka, Archie Rose Signature Dry Gin and the impressive Archie Rose White Rye.
Each spirit has recommended serves such as the excellent Archie Rose Signature Dry Gin and Bush Tonic served with lemon slice with juniper berries. It’s light, refreshing and the bush tonic by by P.S. Soda with native ingredients elevates the humble G&T to another level.
Cocktails don’t come second best and you may recognise some of the talent behind the bar from other top Sydney bars. The cocktail names are a little quirky and fun but these are serious drinks that impress casual imbibers as well as cocktail enthusiasts. Distillers in the Mist gets you Archie Rose Original Vodka with botanical distillates misted with an Islay whisky. The 7am Start is a take on the breakfast martini with Signature Dry Gin, ginger marmalade, lime juice and lemon myrtle syrup. Don’t miss out on Moonlight on the Barrelhead, an excellent sour style cocktail featuring Archie Rose White Rye with absinthe, lemon and agave.
It’s not all Archie Rose spirits, though they are the preference on the first visit. As we mentioned before, the bar stocks a growing collection of top shelf and rare spirits so subsequent visits to the bar are a given.
Archie Rose Distilling Co holds distillery tours which run for an hour and you can book online for $10 or $20 which includes a tasting.
Archie Rose Bar
Address: 61 Mentmore Ave, Rosebery
Phone: 02 8458 2300
Website: archierose.com.au
Photo: Supplied
