Bars in Darlinghurst

Shady Pines Saloon

Darlinghurst

Start with a set-up - that's a whiskey with a beer back. You can have a can of the sessionable Coopers Malt with some bottom-shelf basics on one hand, but you can also trade up with a Rosita, a crisp, artisan-made Spanish blond beer, and on the other, something along the lines of a measure of Eagle Rare, just one of the fine bourbons and ryes on pour. 

Hinky Dinks

Darlinghurst

Dan Knight and Jeremy Shipley (both ex-Longrain, among a bunch of other places) are at the helm of Hinky Dinks. The two of them are masters of the party cocktail from way back and mix twisted tiki gear as well as some tall refreshing drinks like the Castaway Collins or a four person Hinky Spring Pitcher.

Darlie Laundromatic

Darlinghurst

The world is your oyster at Darlie Laundromatic. You might order an ice-cream sandwich and don a beehive while playing Rock'n'Roll Bingo (every Tuesday, 6-10pm). Or you might just nab a spot at the communal table out front with a Sapporo and a mini chilli dog - yep, add Darlie Laundromatic to list of bars serving hot dogs.

Love Tilly Devine

Darlinghurst

Rare is the wine bar that opens its nebbiolo chapter with a story about David Byrne, self-harm and high school. Or, indeed, has a nebbiolo section at all. But this is Love Tilly Devine - a bar where one good turn truly deserves another. Sommelier Matt Swieboda and chef Tim Webber have turned a dank storeroom out the back of Crown Street's Best Cellars into an excellent little wine bar.

The Local Taphouse

Darlinghurst

You come to the Local Taphouse to drink beer, and very good beer it is. They’ll have up to 20 on tap at any one time, a rollcall of hard-to-find local craftsman and the odd international: things like the ‘Dog’s Breakfast’, a heady, bacon-rye number from Victoria’s Bridge Road Brewers, or the lifted aromatics of the ‘Triple Moine' from Belgium’s Du Bocq. 

The Victoria Room

Darlinghurst

The Victoria Room is a serious cocktail bar with serious cocktails. Yes, it's easy enough to take along your girlfriends (or flamboyant boyfriends), grab a lounge and spend the evening bitching over a round of Vodka Things (bisongrass vodka, cassis, lemon and apple juice), but the bar is also home to some serious bartending talent so order outside the box and you will be well rewarded.

Eau de Vie

Darlinghurst

Eau de Vie is hidden in the back of the Kirketon Hotel. The cocktail bar is staffed by a team who are as much about having a good time as they are making you the best damned cocktails you're likely to drink in Sydney. The range of booze is mind blowing, and owner Sven Almenning is also in possession of the greatest collection of antique cocktail accessories in the country.

The Hazy Rose

Darlinghurst

You’ll want to make sure to try the Fernet Julep. It’s a punch in the kisser of bourbon mint and Fernet Branca – everyone’s favourite Italian bitter-and-herbaceous liqueur – served in a pewter tankard. It’ll put hairs on your chest whether you want them or not. 

The Commons

Surry Hills

Following a recent refurb they've renamed the bar downstairs the Downtown Bar and kitted it out with a whole new classic cocktail list. It still has that"oh! I've stumbled into a 1960s ski cabin!" look to it, but now there's more on offer drinks-wise than the usual beer and wine offerings. Order yourself a Sazerac or a whiskey Sour, and take one of the low-slung lounges off to the side of the bar, or a spot at the communal table.

Pocket Bar

Darlinghurst

Don't be talked into resting on a chaise longue - a pew at the bar is definitely the way forward here where a slick bar team will whip you up art deco-era classics like a Corpse Reviver #2 or the Golden Dawn (calvados, gin, orange juice, Cointreau and apricot brandy) or something more progressive from their constantly refined selection of house specialities.