Jasmyne Tea

Funky Bar, Newtown

Won't you take me to - Funky BAAAAR. Sorry, personal moment.

When Roxy and I went to the Enmore Theatre to see Elbow (it was INSANE), we met up beforehand for drinks and dinner. We walked a little way down King Street from the station, examining menus, until we reached the front of Funky Bar - the chilled vibe, crystal chandeliers, and the promise of a Hubba Bubba cocktail lured us in.

Our waitress was a bubbly girl wearing a short black dress and a top hat, and she led us to a small table in the middle of the bar, gave us menus, and told us to give her a wave when we were ready to order. I was struck by her buoyant yet professional attitude, and her ability to know exactly when we'd be needing her assistance - I'd barely looked up from the menu before she flounced over and asked what drink I'd like.

While we were waiting on our orders, I admired this kick-ass wallpaper which I hope to one day have in my bedroom.

Citrus Hubba Bubba - $16.00

Apparantly the Head Mixologist at Funky Bar, Preshanth Pillay, makes all of the syrups in house (and guards the recipes zealously), which I find extremely impressive. The Citrus Hubba Bubba actually tasted like the chewing gum from my childhood, except the extreme sweetness was countered by the contreau and gin in this drink.

Fairy Floss Martini - $16.00

Roxy and I then tried the Fairy Floss Martini, which we didn't find quite as interesting as the previous drink, but the sweet cotton candy flavour was definitely there - the taste of ethenol was simply stronger in this drink, and there wasn't as much contrast in flavour.

Atlantic Salmon - $26.00

Roxy ordered the Atlantic Salmon, which was panfried to flaky perfection and served with an olive crust and vegetables, including fennel, spinach, and tomato.

Vegetable Risotto - $22.00

In this dish, the arborio rice was perfectly cooked until soft, but with a slight bite, and was studded with zucchini, tomato, onion and spinach, and topped with parmesan. I didn't actually start out hungry at the beginning of our night, but you know I ate that all up :)

Heading South - $16.00

I'm going to be honest and say that I don't remember this cocktail, it was Roxy's and I was pretty tipsy, I don't remember what she said about it - my bad!

Espresso Martini - $16.00

My espresso martini was an invigorating concoction of Bailey's, Kahlua, and (obviously) espresso. It was smooth going down, and was actually pretty reminiscent of a good iced coffee.

Funky Bar is a fantastic place for a Friday night after-work drink, and we would have stayed to see the band they had lined up at 8pm, but we had a prior engagement with Guy Garvey to attend. The food is divine, with a varied menu and many dishes designed to share, and the drinks are out of this world - not too expensive, but incredibly good quality.

Funky Bar

256 King St
Newtown, NSW
2042

Phone: 02 9557 9755

http://funkybarsydney.com.au

The Absinthe Salon, Surry Hills

I've had a fascination with absinthe since I first saw it being consumed by Lodz on the television series Carnivale (which is WICKED). I also witnessed it being drunk by Johnny Depp in From Hell, and then Ewen McGregor in Moulin Rouge!. I wondered what the milky green drink was, that seemed to affect all of these characters so strongly with visions and hallucinations. The first time I ordered it was a couple of years ago at The Ruby Revue which is held at the Art House, and unfortunately they completely fudged the order, giving me a glass of harsh, bitter absinthe diluted with warm water. They had also run out of sugar, which totally ruined the expectations I'd had. However, I was still determined to one day try REAL, properly prepared absinthe, and so apparently were a couple of friends.

Source

My darlings Roxy, Sonia and I decided to quench our collective curiosities at The Absinthe Salon, a little parlour in Surry Hills that specialises exclusively in serving this drink. There is a three drink limit (the weakest variety of absinthe is 45 percent), and they close at 10pm, so straight off the bat I get the impression that this little establishment is serious about appreciating the absinthe they serve. We got a little lost trying the find the place (damned iPhones), but when we reached the store-front it was unmistakable that we were there:

We rang the doorbell, and even though we were a little early, a lady in a black bustle skirt and maroon underbust corset graciously let us in. The front room was filled with paraphernalia related to the consumption of this spirit, from traditional absinthe glasses and perforated spoons, to books and display bottles. These things are for sale except for the absinthe bottles, which they can't legally sell over the counter, but it is not this room which we came for, and we were lead to the back room where about 10 tables were spread out, and chairs were grouped into intimate pairs or trios.

We were shown to our table, and each one had an old fashioned water fountain, and absinthe glasses and spoons. We were also given menus, in which the drink selections were sorted in order of alcohol content. The lady who showed us in explained that each drink would have a different taste as well, and that all of the selections they have on the menu are either French or Swiss, as opposed to the Czech varieties we commonly buy here in Australia, which are really harsh and bitter.

We made our first selections from the tame end of the menu, and the lady swung by to show us how to prepare our drinks.

First, a measure of absinthe was poured into our glasses:

Then a French 'A La Perruche' sugar cube goes onto a perforated spoon, which is balanced over the top of the glass. The tap is then turned on at a slow, steady drip - the idea is to dissolve the sugar and dilute the absinthe at the same time:

The ratio should be at least 1:1 water to absinthe, but can be diluted up to 4:1 depending on taste and preference. As the absinthe becomes diluted, it starts to 'louche', or change colour:

Nouvelle Vague - $17.00

And then it's ready to drink!

Francois Guy - $15.00

My first drink was French, the Francois Guy, and was a verte, however by itself the colour is more of a yellow than anything. Our hostess told us it was made at the Distillerie Pierre Guy, and gave us a short background of how it was made. As the water was added (at a ratio of 3:1), it louches almost straight away to white. The aroma was very sweet and chock full of anise, which hid everything but the smallest amount of bitter wormwood. My first sip was a shock of anise and alcohol, and at first it's like a kick in the teeth, but as I got used to the strength of the drink, I found myself enjoying it immensely. I definitely thought it a good choice for my first glass.

The second one I tried was the Nouvelle Vague (as above), which was stronger at 68%. Our hostess told us this was a Swiss variety, made at Oliver Matter AG, and it was a light, rich green colour before I added the water and sugar. Because it had a higher alcohol content, I used two sugar cubes and a bit more water. Being so new to absinthe, I'm not sure if I was able to fully appreciate all of the subtle differences in these two varieties, but the prominent notes of chocolate and coffee were obvious, with anise and wormwood in the background.

One thing I was shocked to discover in my experience here was that absinthe tasting can have the complexity and variety that wine or cognac tasting can - each variety has its own character. When sampling these varieties in a setting as dark and decadent as The Absinthe Salon, where every question is answered to the fullest extent in an attempt to educate and the hosts dress the part, the experience becomes extraordinary.

We'll definitely come back here, not least to try the absinthe truffles that they had run out of - but not too often, because after those two drinks, I couldn't even let myself in to my apartment.

Note: There were NO hallucinations experienced by any of us after our two drinks each.

The Absinthe Salon

87 Albion St
Surry Hills, NSW
2010

Phone: 02 9211 6632

www.absinthesalon.com.au

Bookings Essential

Grzaniec (Polish Hot Beer Drink)

I've been sick as a dog for over a week now, and as a result I spent Easter Sunday all alone in bed, and missed my sister's first Easter Egg Hunt. Not happy, Jan!

When telling of my woes to all and sundry, I noticed something interesting: Almost every person I told who was of European background had their own hot alcoholic beverage that they swore would make me feel better, from a shot of hot plum brandy to mulled wine. Stephen's dad went so far as to make his suggestion for me, a sort of polish version of egg-nog that they make with beer, and it really did make me feel a lot better, at least for the rest of the night. The beer he used was BeezNeez*, a honey and wheat beer, and it was absolutely divine - the entire drink hardly tasted of beer at all, and the honey in the beer went well with the spices. The sugar, while copious, is more for the froth than sweetness, although it does make a difference in the taste.

*However, he did say that any sort of European beer would work, especially a blonde ale of some sort.

Grzaniec

INGREDIENTS

2 egg yolks

4 tablespoons sugar

345mL beer (BeezNeez if possible)

1/2 flat teaspoon cinnamon

2 - 3 whole cloves

 

    1. Whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar in a large mug until fully combined.

    2. Combine the beer, cinnamon and cloves in a small saucepan and slowly bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. This should take at least 5 minutes.

    3. Slowly pour the beer mixture into the egg mixture with one hand, and whisk with the other. The resulting mixture should be warm, frothy, and completely combined. Serve immediately.