If you know where to look, you can find bars tucked away in Sydney's Central Business District (CBD) that the typical tourist are very unlikely to happen upon
Seek and ye shall find: You may wonder why a bar would have no signs outside or be set back from the main streets in the kind of alleyways someone who doesn't know a city is unlikely to venture into.
Cheaper rent could well be a factor – but being off the beaten track doesn't seem to lessen the appeal to locals.
Usually independently owned, these bars often they have a theme – specialising in one specific form of alcohol or cultural subject. If you are visiting someone who lives in Sydney, there's a good chance they'll have a couple of favourites they'll take you to. We were visiting our 25 year old daughter, who had been in the city for 8 months and had begun to find her way around that scene, so took great delight in introducing it to us.
Whisky Galore! My favourite is Baxter Inn, a bar that stocks nearly 700 different whiskies, where I'd arranged to meet an Aussie friend, born in Sydney, along with my daughter. Baxters is devilishly difficult to find even if you are given directions. There's a very uninviting dark passageway between a hairdressing studio and a cycle shop at 152-156 Clarence Street in central Sydney. This leads to a small courtyard with a bar in the left corner as you walk in. There sat said friend. Not bothering to check the name of the bar we exchanged greetings. My daughter chuckled when she saw us sitting outside the bar and said: "Wrong bar Dad. Baxters is over there" - pointing to the opposite corner of the courtyard. We looked across to see only a guy standing where dull grey walls met. Only when we were right alongside him did we see the door he was supervising (I understand that is the term for what bouncers do these days).
Through this industrial metal door were concrete stairs that made you feel you're descending to something like the boiler room of the building. A couple of flights down you come to a very nice solid wooden door, the other side of which is Baxter Inn.
What a contrast to its entrance. A subtly lit room with old framed prints plastering rich red brick walls, and even on a Monday evening, completely full with the sort of buzzy atmosphere that tells you everyone is very happy to be there. The real star though is the whisky wall. You know the ladders they have in libraries to access the highest rows of books? Same here to help the bar staff retrieve the furthest flung bottles.
Easing ourselves in with a beer, a bottle of delicious Aussie pinot noir and a whisky based cocktail, we were ready to round off the evening by sampling some single malt. I told the barman my whisky preferences (Oban, Cardhu, Glenlivet) and asked for recommendations of ones I didn't know that would deliver similar satisfaction. He hit the mark straightaway with the taster he offered, but still insisted we sample a couple of others he thought we'd like, before we committed to a paid-for measure of the first. Of course we subsequently bought the others too.
One of those nights you sign the bill and think at the time "Did I really spend that?", but on the way home sit back on the train feeling warm and fuzzy, and that it was worth every penny. It was.
The other bar in the courtyard is The Barber Shop, who specialise in gin. Not as attractive inside as Baxters but with some interesting brands and flavours of gin, and of course, the ubiquitous eclectic range of cocktails that mother's ruin lends itself to so well.
A Rum Do: The Lobo Plantation, a little further north up Clarence, stocks more than 400 varieties of rum. The door supervisor here is less than 5 yards from the main drag, but concealed through a narrow archway that gives no indication of what lies beyond. Another basement bar, its sweeping staircase is a much grander affair than Baxter's concrete.The room captures the essence of the Caribbean in a stylish and sophisticated manner, with both seating and décor incorporating a variety of styles that meld together well. But what about the drinks?
The cocktail menu is extensive, and there are 'tours' offered where you can sample a series of pre-selected brands of rum from specified geographical areas. Wine and beer are available too.
On the Thursday night we dropped in the place was full, the vibe was great and the bar staff moved with pace and purpose to ensure there were no long waits for drinks. A signature of Lobo is the burning of cinnamon sticks that accompany some cocktails, lit at one end like a cigar, but using an oversized burner that shoots gargantuan flames for spectacular effect.
Grab A Granny: Venture even further up Clarence to find Grandma's. Another basement bar with no signage, it is underneath a guitar shop. Unashamedly kitsch, with tongue very firmly in cheek, Grandma's sense of fun can't help but be infectious to its patrons. You can get beer and wine, but rum based cocktails are its 'raison-d'etre', prepared with even more theatre than at Lobo.
Rediscover Your Mojo: Take a stroll one block east from Clarence and you can find the Mojo Record Bar on York Street. A great example of a cultural theme bar, Mojo is in the basement of its own vintage vinyl shop. As you might expect, the room is decorated with reproductions of iconic album covers, photography and posters featuring the biggest names throughout music history.
You can almost guarantee a slight crick in the neck trying to identify the vinyl singles stuck all over the ceiling, but it inevitably has the soul-warming effect of bringing back musical memories of yesteryear, sparking impassioned discussion about the merits – or otherwise - of the various artists, their creations and legacies. Great fun.
There are countless other such bars secreted around Sydney serving up evenings to remember for those in the know. Since returning home I've discovered a great website that not only tells you where they are located but also rates them to help you find the ones that suit you best.www.bestsmallbars.com/sydney
So if you visit Sydney, no excuses now for not finding some more of the bars that the locals would like to keep their own little secret.
The facts
Resolve not to whinge about prices - it's not Australia's fault the pound has halved in value. Brits use to rave about how cheap Oz was when you could get AU$3 to the pound.
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