Kittyhawk
16 Phillip Lane, Sydney
kittyhawk.com.au
We love how cocktail menus allow bartenders an opportunity to get creative. The menu is the embodiment of not only the food and drinks you offer but it’s also your venue in a snapshot. Here, we take a look at some of that cocktail creativity with Kittyhawk’s 11th menu, dedicated to the stories, feats, accomplishments and people of WWII.
The team started planning this back in June with managers Daniel Hilton and Mary White sitting down with owner-operator Jared Merlino to discuss the future of Kittyhawk’s beverage program and what they wanted it to look like. Having taken their name after the WWII fighter jet and inspired by end-of-war celebrations, the latest menu leans heavily into its themes.
Group Ops Manager Mary White says: “This list is unlike anything we’ve done before, with our bar manager taking a highly technical and out-of-the-box approach to the drinks. This is one of the best menus I have ever seen to date, and we are very proud of the results.”
Four keywords were selected to inspire and curate this list – Liberty, Engineering, Innovation and Decorated – focusing their creativity and approach to the new menu. Now in a standalone book, the four themes act as chapters, narrating the history that is slowly being lost from living memory.
Liberty captures the small moments of celebration and frivolity whereas Engineering champions the technical and sharper drinks. Innovation is where Bar Manager, Daniel Hilton, has run wild with out-of-the-box flavours and Decorated closes out the list with our absolute best versions of split base classic cocktails (Sazeracs, Martinis, Old Fashioneds).
Daniel says, “This menu acts as a time capsule, giving you small moments to explore and uncover the past – to discover something new as you sip away. I’ve always been inspired by Salvatore Calabrese’s ‘History in a Glass’ chat and I wanted to create something that truly represented Kittyhawk and what we are about”.
The menu is available in venue now.
Douglas Bader
45ml Wild Turkey Rye
15ml Sesame Infused PX sherry
30ml Celery Fennel Ginger Shrub
20ml Lemon
10ml Simple
Egg White – dash
Soda to top
Garnish: Sesame Fruit Glass