Black-tea ice cubes, sultana swizzle sticks, honeycomb, vodka, gin, rye and more all shaken and stirred and muddled and served for your pleasure - meet the drinks (and their makers) you'll find at the year's biggest cocktail carnival
Discover this sweet little laneway bar in the heart of the CBD
Credit: Anna Kucera
Credit: Anna Kucera
Credit: Anna Kucera
Credit: Anna Kucera
Credit: Anna Kucera
Credit: Anna Kucera
Credit: Anna Kucera
Credit: Anna Kucera
First published on . Updated on .
Where the 106-year-old carriageway would have once admitted horse-drawn carriages bringing goods up from Darling Harbour, now you’ll find the old stone tunnel dotted with well-heeled couples sharing a carafe of the house wine over flickering candlelight. The back courtyard now hosts after-work drink instead of hoists and cranes, and the slick, narrow bar is a far cry from its former life as a cloakroom.
On a balmy evening, wet your whistle on a frosty Peroni red pilsner before hitting the harder stuff. On Wednesday and Thursday evenings that means $25 jugs of fruity cocktails. Nothing says "summer nights" like a jug of Pimm’s and a refreshing brew downed in a hidden pocket of historic Sydney.
They like to keep things in the family at SILY. The house wine here is a mer-joe and a pinot grigi-joe (geddit), both named after co-owner Nick White’s first nephew who was born on the night the bar opened. Family friends at the Two Italian Boys winery make the two wines exclusively for the bar. We reckon having your own wine is just about the best 18th birthday present a kid could ask for.
The snacks here encourage gentle grazing. Dips, olives and bowls of little cocktail pickles will keep your hands busy; or for something more than a snack but less than a meal order a selection of three – a cheese, charcuterie and an antipasto of your choosing. A wedge of ultra-creamy cheese coupled with the Barossa gypsy leg ham and Nick White’s hand-made juicy, marinated button mushrooms lay the foundations for a seriously high-end ploughman's. Insider's tip: you can sneakily double your cheese allowance by ordering the chevre stuffed piquillo peppers – score one for menu cunning.
If you prefer to scarf down your food then go for a toastie – same delicious deli goods, but instead of being arranged invitingly on a wooden board to be portioned out slowly, they come stuffed between two pieces of sourdough and will last mere moments on the plate.
The outdoor seats don’t appear until 5.30pm and get hustled back indoors around ten, so get in early for prime courtyard seats to maximise your time at this romantic little spot in the heart of the CBD.
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07
This place is amazing, I am Champy Ringdoor and I thoroughly endorse the cheese rings at this establishment.
Posted on Wed 31 Oct 2012 00:19:07