Could we be entering an age of the hyphenate bar? Take PS40, for instance: it’s a soda factory-bar; Archie Rose in Sydney is a distillery-bar; and so too is this new venture, Brix Distillers.
We suspect the reason for the hyphenated bar is more to do with the prefix than the suffix, with the bar in the equation performing the important role of bringing in cash whilst the real operation — the distillery, the brewery — builds up demand for its products.
Whatever the reason, there’s lots to admire in a bar that makes its own spirits, and Brix Distillers is all about charting a new direction for rum.
They’ve got Doug Laming (ex-Smoking Panda, Rabbit Hole) heading up the bar side of things, and an inventive cocktail list that draws heavily upon their rums, with Laming throwing a fair whack of technique at it, too. But it’s not just their own rums you can pick up here; they’ve got a strong list of some 150 rums on the back bar and a range of rum flights to choose from.
With space for 70 people in the bar, they are open seven days from midday until late. You’ll find Brix Distillers at 350 Bourke Street, Surry Hills, NSW.