AUSTRALIANTRAVELLER.COM 25
PHOTOGRAPHY: GUY BAILEY (COCKTAIL), ALANA DIMOU (MADAME SHANGHAI). STYLING: REBECCAXU (COCKTAIL). COCKTAIL PRODUCTS: 1806 MATT GOLD COCKTAIL KIT, $149.95
BARGEEK.COM.AUONEFORTHEROAD
THE RECIPE
THE BANKSII
‘WINTER’ SIDE CAR1 pure cane-sugar cube
30 ml Cognac
20 ml Causes & Cures Semi Dry
White Vermouth
10 ml orange juiceRub the rim of a cocktail glass with
orange, then dip in sugar mixed with a
tiny pinch of cinnamon. Place a sugar
cube in a Boston glass and add Cognac,
vermouth and orange juice. Muddle
until sugar has dissolved, add ice and
stir until condensation forms. Strain
into the pre-prepared cocktail glass.The cocktails that put the most considered Australian craft spirits
to good use, with recipes from the best bartenders in the country.
Last year gin was all the rage – this year, vermouth is
in vogue. Indeed, such is the newfound appetite for
vermouth that a dedicated bar Banksii, named after
botanist Sir Joseph Banks, opened last year at
Sydney’s Barangaroo to satiate the city’s desire for
the botanical-infused fortified wine. Causes & Cures
is a great example of the stuff and is made down
in Healesville, Victoria, its name harking back to
vermouth’s original use as an Italian medicine.
“Causes & Cures Semi Dry White was one of the
first Australian vermouths I tried and it’s still one
of my favourites,” says Banksii’s sommelier Rebecca
Lines. “It’s bold and has a good depth of flavour due to
the viognier grapes and the use of oak in the process
of making it. There are plenty of orange notes from
the Seville oranges they use, so I’ve used it as a
replacement for Cointreau in the classic Side Car
cocktail, also switching lemon juice out for orange
juice. The faintest hint of cinnamon adds to the
winter appeal of this cocktail.” Enjoy!HOT OPENINGS
Rosetta and Chin Chin migrate south
Two of Melbourne’s most loved
restaurants are opening Sydney
outposts in the second half of 2017.
Neil Perry’s Italian fine diner ROSETTA
is set to hit in August, while the more
casual CHIN CHIN is rumoured to
be taking up residence in the historic
Griffiths Tea building in Surry Hills in
September, headed up by Graeme
Hunt (pictured) of Spice Temple
Melbourne. chinchinrestaurant.com.au;
rosettarestaurant.com.au
The George on Collins
After a $4-million renovation,
Melbourne’s iconic GEORGES building
basement welcomes diners from
breakfast right through to late-night
cocktails. Head Chef Tom Brockbank
(formerly ESTELLE BISTRO, POLLEN
STREET SOCIAL, NO. 8) is now
plating up a European-influenced
menu intended to be socially conscious.
Intriguing. georgesoncollins.com.au
Madame Shanghai
Sydney’s LOTUS DINING has opened
a new Shanghai street-food and
dumpling house across from Hyde
Park. Eluding to 1930s Shanghai
with luxe Chinoiserie
accents, the cocktail bar
takes full advantage of
its park vistas. Chef
Chris Yan’s menu is
shaokao-style – that’s
Chinese barbecue to
you – and full of heady
spices. lotusdining.com.au
Antipodean
Two-hatted GASTRO PARK,
the iconic Potts Point restaurant,
has changed tack entirely to become
ANTIPODEAN, a more wallet-friendly
diner with a huge focus on Australian
and New Zealand produce and
a more approachable food ethos.
antipodeanrestaurantandbar.comFROM SEMINYAK TO SWAN RIVER
IF YOU WERE GOING TO INSTALL A BALI BAR IN
AUSTRALIA, THERE’D BE NO BETTER PLACE THAN
OUR WEST SIDE CITY. AFTER ALL, THE INDONESIAN
PLAYGROUND IS AN EASY ESCAPE FOR PERTHITES. BUT
TO SAVE YOU THE FLIGHT, BALI HAS ARRIVED HERE IN
THE FORM OF KU DE TA, SPRAWLING ACROSS THREE
SPACES AND A DECK PERCHED OVER THE SWAN RIVER.
WITH RELAXED WATERSIDE DINING AND CHILLED BEATS
FROM DAWN UNTIL DUSK, IT’S A BALINESE CONCEPT
WITH A VERY PERTH SENSE OF STYLE. KUDETA.COM.AUTREND: MELBOURNE’S
BOUTIQUE BOTTLE-OS
Always the first to boutiquefy the
bacchanalian, Melbourne has been
sprouting thoughtfully curated bottle shops
for the more oenologically minded.
WINE REPUBLIC: With stores in Fitzroy,
Northcote and Windsor, this very different
chain stocks rare whiskies, bottles from
small Champagne houses, and interesting
hand-selected wines. winerepublic.com.au
ATLAS VINIFERA: A bottleshop and bar, this
Richmond establishment is for ‘wine
explorers’, stocking about 350 bottles of
lovingly selected wines. atlasvinifera.com.au
SAMUEL PEPYS: This Northcote newcomer
specialises in organic, biodynamic and
sustainable wine as well as local hoppy
offerings. The staff are only too happy to
help you select, and even often taste, that
perfect drop. samuelpepys.com.auSHORTCUTS | Wine & dine