Eau-De-Vie

-33.87657547, 151.22079468

Address: 229 Darlinghurst Rd Darlinghurst Sydney, 2010 Australia Telephone: +61(0)293572470 Website: http://eaudevie.com.au/ Users rating   0/5   0 vote

Tags:
Bars & Pubs

N° of employees: n/a

Description:
Hidden in the back of the Kirketon is a terrific new bar with friendly service and dynamite cocktails

Eau de Vie
published on 9 Feb 2010

You know what's missing from Sydney bars? Service. Some would argue that the drinks are the thing and a friendly bartender is a bonus. But those people are smoking crack. There has to be balance. And that's where Eau de Vie comes in: creating cocktails so good your head will explode and combining them with smarts and good old-fashioned conversation.

Eau de Vie is a cool place to do your drinking. And if you didn't know it was there, you'd walk right past the Kirketon without giving it a second thought. But now that you know, you'll walk straight through the lobby and out the back to be greeted by a warm, dimly lit room dotted with lounges and tables with a massive bar taking pride of place.

Behind the staggeringly well stocked bar you'll meet the effervescent Glaswegian Barry Chalmers – star bartender of Brisbane's the Bowery and Sky Room who can win over the crustiest of old soaks. Chalmers leads a dynamite team of can shakers including Elle Wormald from Tokonoma (see opposite page), Max Greco from the Bayswater and Calum Lawrie straight off the boat from Edinburgh.

Owner Sven Almenning is passionate about creating a bar where the drinks are king. "We want to deliver true drinking experiences where people get excited about what's in the glass the same way you may get excited about what's on the plate in a great restaurant," he says. "No one leaves Tetsuya's gushing about the décor, yet when it comes to bars most owners spend their cash on making the place look great rather than focusing on fantastic drinks."

Almenning also has the most impressive collection of cocktail accessories you're likely to see in a bar, from a copper mould for making spherical ice cubes to a 1930s German glass cocktail shaker shaped like a lady's leg that's been nicknamed the Heather Mills. And check out the case of crystal decanters set on the bar filled with the type of liquor that requires a six-figure bank balance just to sniff it.

So what the hell do you drink? Anything you want, really. But if you were to order off the list, you might try their Margarita made Tommy's style (agave syrup rather than sugar as the sweetener) dressed with popcorn salt. Or try the seemingly-innocuous-yet-deadly East Side Peach (poached peaches, pink grapefruit and lime juice, mint, gin). Then there's their Dark'n'Stormy – arguably the best in town – made with house-made ginger beer. You can upgrade your rum too, if you like, for a Dark'n'Stormy deluxe.

Have we mentioned the glassware? Ornate Royal Doulton tumblers, and proper silver beakers for their outstanding Mint Juleps. The cocktail list itself may be brief, but take this as a sign of confidence. There's nothing you can't throw at them they won't know how to make and if you go omakase (trust the bartender) you'll be in for a treat.

This is Sydney's best new bar. Drink here.

Time Out. Sydney

Opening time:
Open every day from 6pm til 1am, except for Sundays when service finishes at midnight.

Directions:
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