Basement Level
82 Elizabeth St
Sydney CBD
The cocktail guru at the Rabbit Hole - Doug Laming - has been hard at work putting together a list of options that will tantalise your taste buds, and they look spectacular as well. We were visiting for the media launch of their new cocktail list and it certainly looked good.
The Rabbit Hole is indeed below ground - through a doorway off Elizabeth Street and down a flight of stairs into a long narrowish space with open areas on either end. One area is traditionally the bar area whilst the other is normally their restaurant.
With eight cocktails on offer for the launch were were always going to fail if we tried to work our way through the list.So the initial challenge was - where to start.
My choice was the XO Zombie – not just because I love rum, although that did play a part in my decision making process - the combinations here just looked so good.
The Rabbit Hole bill this as their twist on the original. It has Mt Gay XO, Cointreau and Joseph Cartron Cocody that are muddled with lime, mint and their house-made passion fruit caramel. It is then shaken with aromatic bitters, pineapple and orange. Finally it is served in a bitter, sugar rimmed glass with a flaming passion fruit.
It was absolutely delicious.
Mlady chose the shrubberry as her starter.
It's pitched at those people who like fruity drinks and this was exactly what she was in the mood for.
It starts with Russian Standard Platinum mixed with fresh strawberries, their house made raspberry and strawberry shrubb, elderflower, lemon, Fee Brother’s Rhubarb bitters and amaranth. Strawberry
powder and sorrel are used to finish this off.
She loved it. The fruity flavour was intense and she also found it very refreshing at the same time.
She said it was something she'd certainly order again.
The Executive Chef at The Rabbit Hole is Tomoyuki Usui who has previously been at LÁstrance in Paris (named San Pellegrino's 18th best restaurant in the world). It's certainly fine pedigree.
For the media launch we sampled a few of the offerings.
The slider version of their Wagyu beef burger with brie cheese on a brioche bun was absolutely delicious.
We heard that this burger has made it through to the top five in a worldwide burger competition and after tasting it we could easily see why.
The hand cut wedges were also delicious as well - and would have to be the biggest wedges we have ever seen.
My second cocktail was the mischievously named Effen Island.It consisted of lime wedges and lemongrass that was muddled with black lime syrup.
Then a long pour of Effen vodka was added and a hint of Branca Menta.
The cocktail is then topped with thick, alcoholic coconut foam.
Again it was a well prepared drink - and watching the effort that goes into individually making each cocktail certainly makes you appreciate the drink even more.
It tasted great as well although for my tastes I preferred my first choice - the XO Zombie.
Mlady's second choice was the Breakfast Bouquet.
The Rabbit Hole describes this as not dissimilar to a breakfast martini.
Larios gin is the base with Joseph Cartron double crème de cassis.
It is shaken with house-made rose and strawberry jam, wild willow water and fresh lemon.
The breakfast bouquet is finished with a dash of rhubarb bitters.
Again it was a fruity concoction that Mlady loved.
However she also acknowledged she still preferred her first drink of the night - shrubbery.
The Rabbit Hole is a quirky place to visit. It has a great atmosphere and vibe. The drinks are unique and very original. The food here tasted great and it would be well worth dropping by for drinks and staying for dinner!Sir and Mlady were guests of The Rabbit Hole for the media launch of their new cocktail list. Special thanks to Doug Laming and also to Georgie Dodd for arranging our visit.
