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