Tim Philips of Bulletin Place: A World Class 50 Experience

Since it opened in December 2012, Bulletin Place has set itself among the world’s best bars with its innovative cocktails and a relaxed ambience.

Tim Philips, Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year 2012, along with co-owners Adi Ruiz and Rob Sloan have created the kind of small bar that Sydney needs in the heart of the city.

The intimate bar with a 50 person capacity takes its name from the Bulletin Place laneway located at the rear of Sydney’s Circular Quay, a burgeoning hub for drinking and dining. Ascend the stairs and you’ll find yourself in a welcoming small neighbourhood style-bar with weathered walls, exposed light fittings, painted murals and a communal table that invites conviviality among patrons.

Bulletin Place

Two rolls of butcher’s paper hang on separate walls. One lists the daily-changing cocktail menu made using quality spirits with fresh and seasonal ingredients, the other is where you can buy a drink for someone and surprise them on their next visit.

The cocktails are primarily fruit-driven and based on what is best and in season. Tim’s Rhubarb Fizz cocktail has been featured in The World Class 50, a definitive guide to some of the best drinking experiences around the world, an online passport for any visitor or traveller to a world class experience.

Tim Philips

The Rhubarb Fizz showcases seasonal rhubarb from Victoria, made into compote and cooked with vanilla and star anise. The cocktail is made with Tanqueray No. Ten, Pedro Ximenez Sherry, fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup and a dash of egg white, shaken then slowly topped with soda.

Rhubarb Fizz

“You drink it like beer, through the foam,” Tim explains. Much like the traditional fizz with gin, lemon and soda, it is meant to be drunk in the morning, traditionally with a straw. Fresh, easy-drinking and simply delicious, the drink is a combination of spirits, fruit, vegetable and protein and finishes with a lingering aniseed and sherry sweetness from the sherry.

Bulletin Place bar is located upstairs at 10-14 Bulletin Place, Sydney.

Editor’s Note: In 2013, I photographed Tim Philips of Bulletin Place for The World Class 50: The Definitive Drinking Guide, a website that showcases fifty of the most innovative and talented bartenders from across the globe, their cocktails and inspiration. Click on the link below to see the full article on Tim which features my photography and includes his cocktail.

Tim Philips’ Rhubarb Fizz
bit.ly/WC50Tim

See also, Luke Ashton of Vasco