16 Argyle Street, The Rocks, Sydney
Thisisalice.com.au
All cocktail descriptions by Dante Davies, Alice Head Bartender
Cocktail photography by Ethan Smart
Alice, located basement level in the heritage-listed, former Bond Stores at 16 Argyle Street, is the newest addition to the Hunter Street Hospitality portfolio which includes Rockpool Bar & Grill, Spice Temple & Sake.
Channelling vintage glamour, the Alice cocktail program was curated by industry veteran Steve McDermott (formerly the Barber Shop, Duke of Clarence et al). The approach to drinks making is serious and advanced yet sprinkled with fun. Here, Steve tells us about the drinks policy and Head Bartender, Dante Davies showcases three new drinks from the list.
“We take a fun approach to cocktails at Alice. Dante and I send each other random ideas or photos of ingredients we might see at a greengrocer, for example, or ideas for silly cocktail names, new ingredients (including a pimped-out sherbet called “turbo shurbo”) and we’ve been down some interesting Google rabbit holes in our R&D sessions.” – Steve McDermott, Hunter St. Hospitality Group Bar Manager
Steve McDermott, Hunter St. Hospitality Group Bar Manager says: “We launched the first cocktail menu at Alice three months ago, as the opening list for the venue.
“When I began working on the launch cocktail list, it was Spring, the venue wasn’t finished, there was no bar and no other staff. I’d use the bar at our other venue, Saké The Rocks between services or usually just end up trying out new stuff in my kitchen at home.
“This time around it’s been very different: Alice is open, so we can base things on the style and feel of the place, and we also have a team, including Head Bartender Dante Davies, who I get to throw ideas around with. Collaborating on a cocktail list again has been a lot of fun.
“We take a fun approach to cocktails at Alice. Dante and I send each other random ideas or photos of ingredients we might see at a greengrocer, for example, or ideas for silly cocktail names, new ingredients (including a pimped-out sherbet called “turbo shurbo”) and we’ve been down some interesting Google rabbit holes in our R&D sessions.
“The three cocktails below are creations from Dante that will be available at Alice this summer.”
Summer Cobbler
Each week we have a florist who comes in to change out the fresh flowers in the venue. (This is partly why the venue smells so good.) As a big plant geek, I found myself drawing inspiration from these beautiful arrangements and wondering how I could combine both of my passions. As the flavour profile of this drink creatively snowballed, we ended up trying to emulate the kind of ingredients you’d find in a floral perfume: Viola
30mL Hennessy VS
10mL Ruby Grapefruit Sherbert
10mL Native Australian Honey Water
15mL SupaGrenadine
4 dash rosewater
1 slice Ruby GrapefruitMethod Add grapefruit to a shaker and lightly muddle, add all other ingredients, shake and strain over crushed ice. Garnish Ruby grapefruit slice, rose petal, freeze dried Manuka, pomegranate seeds and rose water.
Te Quiero
This Cocktail is a bit of a cheesy one. Te Quiero is Spanish for “I love you”, whilst kiwi fruit is my partner’s favourite thing to eat … You get the idea.
The golden kiwi is run though a juicer and the result is super flavoursome and textural. It pairs perfectly with Blanco Tequila and the addition of Apricot Brandy and the Yellow Chartreuse really takes it to another level. It’s definitely something you want to sip on a hot summer’s day!
40ml Patron Silver
20mL Apricot Brandy
5mL Chartreuse Yellow
5 drops saline
5 drops foamer
20mL Lime Juice
30mL Juiced Golden Kiwi
20mL Agave
Bittermans Tiki BittersMethod Shake all ingredients, double-strain into an Old Fashioned glass with stamped Blox ice. Garnish with rimmed pineapple leaves and Tiki Bitters in the stamp to highlight
Lofi Fruit Fizz
What originally started as a spritz designed to look like a slice of watermelon ended as a fun, funky and fresh tasting fizz that looks like a Weiss bar. We tried a few bright and fresh tasting herbal ingredients to complement the big fruit flavour in this drink. Fresh Geraldton Wax was the clear winner with those beautiful aromatic citrussy and piney notes, and the flowers make for a amazing yet simple garnish.
40mL Dry Vermouth
20mL Poor Tom’s Gin
20mL Coconut Cream
30mL Watermelon Juice
1 sprig Geraldton Wax
Foamer
20ml Citric Acid
15ml simple syrup
75mL Prosecco
soda
Method Combine all ingredients except Prosecco into a shaker, shake, shake and then shake some more. Into a chilled highball add a splash of soda, strain contents of shaker over the top and finally top with Prosecco. Gently top until foam is about 1-2cm above the glass. Garnish Sprig of Geraldton Wax.