Spring has sprung in Sydney town and with it come seasonal cocktails to get you out of winter hibernation.
Here’s what Sydney is drinking at some of the best cocktail bars:
At The Swinging Cat, a New Orleans themed bar, it’s cold pressed spirits. Fruit, nuts and spices are macerated in alcohol for a period of time before the solids are cold pressed into syrups using an industrial strength cold press machine. The rich syrups are then used in a variety of cocktails such as the Elysian Fields Ave, a twist on the Mai Tai with tropical fruit and rum, and Magnolia, a Julep style drink with dried peach bourbon. (more on The Swinging Cat cocktails here)
Eau de Vie bar’s seasonal cocktails continues to pay homage to a range of traditional crafts from the Apothecary to the Spiceblender. Their latest additions include the Alpine Swizzle with whisky, Amaro Braulio, fir liqueur, grapefruit and Peychaud’s syrup served like a Mint Julep with crushed ice, and The Deerstalker, combining whisky with wormwood-kissed vermouth, port, herbal Becherovka and bitter Cynar in a spirit-forward cocktail sipped through a pipe. (more on Eau de Vie cocktails here)
Specialty gin bar, The Barber Shop is taking the Martini to another level. They’re offering a choice of over 20 tinctures to enhance the flavour of the timeless classic cocktail. With nearly 300 gins on the back bar, the combinations are countless. (more on The Barber Shop Martini Project here)
Sydney Hilton’s Zeta Bar is honouring the various Hilton Hotel bars responsible for creating legendary drinks. The cocktails are a modern interpretation of famous classics which include the rum and bourbon based Martinique Smash and the Coconut Grenade, a take on the Pina Colada served in a coconut with all the theatrics of dry ice. (more on Zeta Bar cocktails here)
At the quirky and hip QT Sydney hotel, The Gilt Lounge‘s seasonal menu has taken a fun approach with some of their cocktails. With a nod to Bondi hipsters, the green-hued The Natural Hipster (pictured) is a twist on the Margarita with a tequila base, aloe vera juice, lime juice, agave syrup and spirulina. On the other end of the flavour scale, they make a Weis Daiquiri , a dessert in a glass with gold rum, macadamia syrup and melted Weis mango sorbet. (more on The Gilt Lounge cocktails here)
Taking health conscious cocktails to new levels, O Bar and Dining has taken the philosophy of healthy choice and applied it to cocktails by using natural sweeteners with fruit, spice and spirits along with wholefood ingredients. The Healthy Culture combines Fairtrade quinoa vodka, freshly juiced honeydew melon as antioxidant, woodland honey, wild lime kombucha and fennel tips. It’s light, refreshing, delicious and guaranteed to make you feel good. (more on O Bar and Dining health conscious cocktails here)
Photo Credit – O Bar and Dining, used with permission.
