Eau de Vie possess such high accolades as Best Cocktail Bar 2011 (Australian Bar Awards), New Bar of the Year 2011 (Time Out Bar Awards) and World’s Best New Cocktail Bar (Spirited Awards). Having been on my radar for a while I was most excited to visit this lovely, little speakeasy. It is hard to find. It is in the foyer of the Kirketon Hotel in Darlinghurst. You go through the door at the end of the small foyer, past the bathrooms, and to the end of the track where it says “exit”, and hey presto, bar nirvana. It is dark and old-world. The barmen are in white shirts and braces. I am liking it.
My hot date, The American Oculist, and I are both in the mood for a Contender, “I coulda beena contender”, but instead, we’ll have two. The Contender is strawberry infused Tanqueray, honey water, mandarin and rosemary syrup and apple juice shaken real hard and served up with a drizzle of lemon and pepper. Cheers!
The Contender is sweet and aromatic and does not taste alcoholic at all. C’est dangereux! I love the interplay of the pepper with the fruity notes. The rosemary adds a mysterious, tribal quality and brings a depth to the drink. It is quite marvellous.
We only have time for one drink, as our dinner reservation is pressing but I would like to return to this secluded pocket of goodness and sample more of their fine cocktails… And now to find someone to finance this trip… Hmmmmm.
