Since we last featured Palmer & Co, the Prohibition style bar has released a new cocktail list designed for summer and warm weather sipping.
Palmer & Co
As we mentioned previously, Palmer & Co prides itself on making everything in house with the exception of the spirits. Since it opened in 2012, the subterranean bar has built a solid reputation for serving some of the finest crafted cocktails in Sydney in a 1920s style setting.
Mario La Pietra
The new cocktail list is designed to take you from the Kitchen Cocktails to Signature Cocktails and the Lost and Forgotten Cocktails with a focus on punches and classic drinks.
Gin & Bell
From the Kitchen Cocktail comes Gin & Bell ($19), made with Palmer & Co.’ bathtub gin, capsicum and vanilla shrub, Dolin dry vermouth and citrus served in an elegant wine glass. Palmer & Co Bar Supervisor, Mario La Pietra refers to it as a “Gin Martini with an identity crisis”. With its aromatic wine notes, the aperitif style cocktail highlights botanicals from the gin with the savoury notes of the capsicum and the brightness of citrus.
Marcello
Named after Italian legendary actor, Marcello Mastroianni of “La Dolce Vita” (60s), Marcello ($19) brings the flavours of Altos Reposado Tequila with Punt e Mes vermouth, Manzanilla sherry, cedarwood and orange bitters in a masculine style of drink. The eucalyptus leaf garnish evokes notes of aftershave while the cocktail is beautifully balanced with pronounced sherry flavours that linger with woody notes from the cedarwood. If you like boozy stirred drinks with great balance and complexity, Marcello hits all the right notes.
Incidentally, Marcello is variation on the famous Adonis cocktail from the mid-1880s and the male version of the Sophia cocktail created by bartender Andrea Gualdi during his time at Palmer & Co before moving to Maybe Frank in Surry Hills.
El Heraldo de Cuba
Wrapped in a copy of the newspaper by the same name, El Heraldo de Cuba ($19) is an easy drinking Campari-driven cocktail with Havana Club 7yo rum, Bitter Campari, Apricot Brandy and fresh citrus and an orange blossom water spray.
La Petite Gironde
Onto the South-West of France, La Petite Gironde ($19) is an elegant sipper made with Altos Reposado tequila infused with saffron, Lillet blonde aperitif, Suze gentiane liqueur, honey, citrus and Peychaud’s aromatic bitters. Appealing to those who like a sweeter style of drink, the balanced combination of honey with saffron along with floral and earthy notes put the tequila in the background. The drink is served on La Petite Gironde coaster, a French daily newspaper founded in 1872.
Vodka FLASH Lime
Palmer & Co may be a serious and Prohibition style cocktail bar but it remains a bar for the people. If you like your vodka-lime-soda, the Vodka FLASH Lime ($19) takes it up a few notches with Absolut Elyx vodka, sencha tea and mango cordial, yuzu and seltzer. Served long, it’s a little tart and refreshing from the yuzu forward with hints of mango wrapped in a light fizz.
MoanInglorious
MoanInglorious ($19) appeals to whisky fans with its combination of Chivas Regal 12yo whisky, rhubarb and pineapple shrub, egg white, citrus, seltzer and hints of peat from a Laphroaig mist. Essentially a long whisky sour, it’s very easy to drink and comes with a dehydrated raspberry garnish.
Apothecary
Order the Apothecary ($19) with Beefeater London dry gin, Manzanilla sherry, eucalyptus and citrus and it comes served at your table with the lavender scent. While it may look feminine, the drink packs a punch with a perfect balance of gin, citrus and the brightness of eucalyptus.
Smoked on the Water
When a whisky highball goes on holidays in the Caribbean, you get Smoked on the Water ($19). This hybrid child of whisky and Pina Colada is made with Chivas Regal 12yo whisky, pineapple, magic citrus and sparkling coconut water and finished with a Laphroaig spray. The “magic citrus” is a mix of water and citric acid. Long, refreshing and layered, the drink starts with familiar whisky notes which lead onto fruity sweetness, coconut and finishes with the aromas of peat from Laphroaig.
Hanky Punk
If you enjoy dark beer, try the Hanky Punk ($19), a variation on the Hanky Panky with a side of Guinness which you pour on top. This “bartender- friendly” drink is a serious grown up drink with robust flavours of Jameson Irish whiskey, Antica Formula vermouth, Fernet Branca and the boldness of Guinness. After a hard, long day at work, we couldn’t think of anything better.
Brandy Punch a la Thomas
Moving onto the Lost and Forgotten Cocktails, Brandy Punch a la Thomas ($19) was the first drink to be featured in “The Bon Vivant’s Companion” 1862 by Jerry “The Professor” Thomas. The punch is combines Hennessy VS Cognac with lemon sherbet, fresh pineapple, raspberry cordial, citrus and aromatic bitters in a classic and brandy-based cocktail that is simply delicious.
Season Ticket
Season Ticket ($19) appeared in “Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks” written by William Terrington, in 1869. At first sip, it’s not easy to decipher the combination of flavours of Oloroso sherry, lemon sherbet, fresh mint, orange blossom water, citrus and apple cider. This is a drink to sit on and explore the flavours with every sip. The more you drink it, the more you appreciate that it’s unlike any drink you would have tasted.
Gin Punch a la Terrington
Gin Punch a la Terrington ($19) is another great punch from the 1869 print of William Terrington’ “Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks”. Citrusy and herbal with refreshing tartness and crispness, the punch is made with Plymouth Gin, green Chartreuse, lemon sherbet, citrus and seltzer.
Manhattan Cooler
Another forgotten classic, the Manhattan Cooler ($19) combines dark rum with Malbec, lemon sherbet and citrus. Bright and complex, the drink is a perfect balance of rum, wine and citrus served in a goblet with a citrus sugar rim as garnish.
Sherry Cobbler
For a simple expression of a good sherry-based cocktail, you can’t go past the Sherry Cobbler with Oloroso sherry and Palmer & Co’s own lemon sherbet.
Charcuterie Menu
If the cocktails make you hungry, Palmer & Co’s extensive charcuterie menu includes cheese gratin and caramelised onion dip, soft German Pretzel, house-made veggie pickles and Kranski hot dog as well as charcuterie and cheese boards.
Whether it’s an aperitif style cocktail after work, an after dinner modern interpretation of a classic or simply catching up with friends over lost and forgotten cocktails, head down the stairs into the world of Palmer & Co to enjoy these finest seasonal libations.
Palmer & Co.
Abercrombie Lane
Sydney NSW
merivale.com.au/palmerandco
Photography © by Gourmantic – Copyright: All rights reserved.
[…] Tequila, Punt e Mes Vermouth, Manzanilla Sherry, cedarwood and orange bitters, eucalyptus leaf) at Palmer & Co created and prepared by Mario La […]