Eau De Vie

Eau de Vie is a cool place to do your drinking. And if you didn’t know it was there, you’d walk right past the Kirketon without giving it a second thought. But now that you know, you’ll walk straight through the lobby and out the back to be greeted by a warm, dimly lit room dotted with lounges and tables with a massive bar taking pride of place. Eau De Vie has had some top billing this week, most of which has highlighted its speakeasy style. While in Chicago, as most tourists do, I drank at the Green Mill, putatively Al Capone’s favourite speakeasy during Prohibition. Here, you paid the doorman, made sure you shut up during the band, and didn’t stray far from whiskey, gin or Guinness - legacy traditions from a bygone era. Contemporary Darlinghurst doesn’t require such gruffness, but what Eau De Vie can’t have in bootlegging romance, it makes up for in quiet sophistication.

The small bar, comprised currently of only a single room, displays restrained decadence, except for the lavishness of its liquor stock. The selection is a thing of beauty, and the staff know what to do with it. Where typically a cocktail bar will put twists on the classics, Eau De Vie offers some clever innovation on its list - a tea-based Hendricks concoction served in a long-stemmed china cup, for example. Engage the convivial hosts and they’ll find the right choice for you.

The place isn’t even finished yet - an expanded menu and a back room are on the way - but the deservedly gushing coverage will ensure it packs out. Grab a date and get in before they have to start waving people away.