The Baxter Inn
This suave modern-day speakeasy (it's hidden in an alley and down a staircase, so don't get flustered if you don't actually find it on Clarence Street) is a temple of brown liquor. In fact, there are so many whiskeys and bourbons behind the bar that the bartenders have to use a rolling ladder to get to many of them. But when they do, ah, they make magic! These may well be the most talented mixologists in town. But they're a friendly bunch, happy to patiently walk customers through the many choices. They also dress the part of the old-fashioned barkeep, with many sporting dapper mustaches, and all are adorned with '20s-era caps. It sounds twee, I know, but it adds immensely to the ambiance. But my favorite throwback here is one that's accidental: Because this is a basement bar, cellphone reception is nil, so people actually talk with one another. And that makes this one of the best places in Sydney to actually meet locals.
This suave modern-day speakeasy (it's hidden in an alley and down a staircase, so don't get flustered if you don't actually find it on Clarence Street) is a temple of brown liquor. In fact, there are so many whiskeys and bourbons behind the bar that the bartenders have to use a rolling ladder to get to many of them. But when they do, ah, they make magic! These may well be the most talented mixologists in town. But they're a friendly bunch, happy to patiently walk customers through the many choices. They also dress the part of the old-fashioned barkeep, with many sporting dapper mustaches, and all are adorned with '20s-era caps. It sounds twee, I know, but it adds immensely to the ambiance. But my favorite throwback here is one that's accidental: Because this is a basement bar, cellphone reception is nil, so people actually talk with one another. And that makes this one of the best places in Sydney to actually meet locals.
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