These four spots are the toast of the town.
Kittyhawk
Themed around the 1944 liberation of Paris, this stellar bar is dedicated to rum and rye. The collection of military paraphernalia is impressive, but not as much as the number of bottles lining the bar, some 130 types of bitters among them. For cocktails, try the Chest Candy Cobbler with Martini Bianco, Tío Pepe, fresh lemon, and oregano.
The Barber Shop
Sydney’s bearded hipsters are a thirsty bunch—they couldn’t possibly have a trim without a beverage in hand, it seems. Thankfully, this place caters to both their grooming and drinking needs with a menu that lists everything from a straight-blade hot-towel shave to a heart-stopping London Rattlesnake: a cool muddle of gin, sherry, honey, fennel seed, and cinnamon.
Beta
Little sister to Greek restaurant Alpha at Sydney’s Hellenic Club, Beta occupies a luxe upper-floor space with soaring ceilings, exposed brick walls, and pops of aqua, gray, and dusty pink. Cocktails come with a Grecian twist—try the Aegean, which sees La Fée Bohemian absinthe poured over ice with a dash of Jete sparkling wine.
Moya’s Juniper Lounge
An intimate gin joint in Redfern, Moya’s dedicates a page in its menu to each drink, listing ingredients and telling tales about its origin. If you like yours to pack a punch, go straight for the Ward Eight, a punchy mix of Jensen’s Bermondsey gin, rye, grenadine, and lemon.
This article originally appeared in the December 2016/January 2017 print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Raising the Bar”).