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The Victoria Room Alice in Wonderland Cocktails

Step inside The Victoria Room and you will find yourself down the rabbit hole in the world of Alice in Wonderland. The Darlinghurst stalwart has launched a new cocktail menu playing on the popular novel with whimsical and interactive drinks.

The Victoria Room Alice in Wonderland
The Flightless Fairy

Under a new bar team with Bar Manager, Dave Green, the cocktail menu is a three part journey that starts Down the Rabbit Hole, moves Inside the Mad Hatter’s Mind and ends with sinful attitudes and guilty pleasures under Off with Their Heads.

The Victoria Room Alice in Wonderland
Charcuterie ($26)

The Flightless Fairy ($20) is your choice to start the night. Freshly juiced apples are shaken with a peach liqueur and the right measure of absinthe into a refreshing and sessionable cocktail that can easily lead to another. The drink balances the tartness of the apples with the sweetness of peach and ends with a savoury hit of anise from the absinthe.

The Victoria Room Alice in Wonderland
Down the Wicked River

Down the Wicked River ($25) takes Old Pultney 17 YO whisky and stirs it down with salted caramel,  chestnut liqueur then smokes it with Australian paper bark.

The Victoria Room Alice in Wonderland
Down the Wicked River

The drink is then poured over a chilled polished rock which keeps it cold without dilution.

The cocktail engages the senses and invites you to remove the glass lid, inhale the smoke aroma before taking the first sip. Sweet, honeyed fruit with smoke and a sweet/salty finish make it a layered cocktail best enjoyed while keeping the lid on the glass in between sips.

The Victoria Room Alice in Wonderland
Fresh Pickings

Fresh Pickings ($21) is made with Herradura Tequila that has been infused with marigold for two and a half days which adds a peppery character to the drink. The cocktail is also made with Cointreau Noir, Celery Shrub Bitters then dusted with cinnamon and chocolate powder and served with edible marigold flower as a garnish.

The cocktail may be female-friendly but there are too many elements at play. The tequila flavour is masked and the sweet elements from the cinnamon and chocolate powder compete with the savoury component of the carrot and celery.

The Victoria Room Alice in Wonderland Cocktails
Mad Hatter’s Secret Tea

Mad Hatter’s Secret Tea ($22) takes Hendrick’s Gin and mixes it with Montenegro Amaro and Cardamom bitters. The drink will be served from a walking cane (not available at the time) and served into a Hendrick’s teacup with a block of ice.

The cocktail strikes the perfect balance of gin, bitterness from the Amaro and a strong and delicious hit of cardamom. Beware the Mad Hatter as this drink may lead you to order another.

The Victoria Room Alice in Wonderland
Flaming Cinnamon

Mosaic Hopping ($20) is a creative take on a tiki-like drink. Appleton 8 year old rum is infused with hops and mixed with Licor 43 (vanilla liqueur), pineapple juice and topped with aloe vera foam and smoked cinnamon.

The Victoria Room Alice in Wonderland
Mosaic Hopping

Sip the drink through the foam and you get a different flavour sensation compared to sipping the drink straight. The cocktail starts with sweetness from the pineapple and rum and ends dry from the hops which makes it a complex and layered cocktail.

The Victoria Room Alice in Wonderland
Waking Up from the Dream

Waking Up from the Dream ($22) offers the most fun and interactive aspects of all the cocktails. The drink is first prepared in a large vessel.

The Victoria Room Alice in Wonderland
Cocktail Injected into Ice

Woodford Reserve bourbon is stirred down with Cointreau Noir, Maple Syrup and orange bitters over ice. The liquid is then injected with a syringe into a ball of ice.

The Victoria Room Alice in Wonderland
Waking Up from the Dream

A spoon is provided for you to crack the ice which releases the flavour of the drink. Sensational.

The Victoria Room Alice in Wonderland
L-R: Abel Talos, Andrew Hemingway, Emma Watt, William Wolfenden, Dave Green (middle)

With a choice of 18 cocktails in varying strengths and drinkability, there are many temptations on offer. Like Alice, let your curiosity guide you into the wonderland of The Victoria Room.

Photography © by Kevin Burke for Gourmantic – Copyright: All rights reserved.

The Victoria Room
Level 1, 235 Victoria Street
Darlinghurst NSW
www.thevictoriaroom.com

About the author

Corinne Mossati

Corinne Mossati is a drinks writer, author of GROW YOUR OWN COCKTAIL GARDEN, SHRUBS & BOTANICAL SODAS and founder/editor of Gourmantic, Cocktails & Bars and The Gourmantic Garden. She has been writing extensively about spirits, cocktails, bars and cocktail gardening in more recent years. She is a spirits and cocktail competition judge, Icons of Whisky Australia nominee, contributor to Diageo Bar Academy, cocktail developer and is named in Australian Bartender Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential List. Her cocktail garden was featured on ABC TV’s Gardening Australia and has won several awards. She is a contributor to Real World Gardener radio program and is featured in several publications including Pip Magazine, Organic Gardener, Australian Bartender and Breathe (UK). Read the full bio here.

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