The Sydney Morning Herald logo
Advertisement

Magazin

Rachel Olding

Like a sexy spaceship: Magazin's stylish interior.
Like a sexy spaceship: Magazin's stylish interior.Christian Blencke

$$

No photos, no signage and no bar. There's a lot of things you won't find at Magazin, a top-secret cocktail spot beneath William Street.

You won't find a sign or a bouncer or even a little wink-wink telling you where to go. Instead, you need to be in the know and knock on a grey metal door on the corner of William and Palmer Streets to be let in by bartender Taka Shino.

The next thing you'll notice is there's no bar in this bar. It's just an intimate, dark room resembling a sexy spaceship - futuristic-looking booths, seductive lighting, sumptuous finishing touches and a DJ in the corner playing everything from deep house to old-school hip-hop at a refreshingly civilised level.

Advertisement
Magazin's cocktails experiment with spectacular ingredients.
Magazin's cocktails experiment with spectacular ingredients.Christian Blencke

The bar is hidden in the back, where the kitchen would normally be. It's here that Shino makes most of his own cocktail ingredients and mixes up some mini masterpieces to deliver to your table.

Then there's the no-photos policy. It's way too dark anyway (the menus come with mini torch lights and I almost trip over the table when I get up to leave) but there is no instagramming, no tweeting, no selfies. Amen to that. The privacy has drawn a few famous clientele down to this dark lair but owners Martin O'Sullivan, Belinda Lai and John Toubia aren't trying to be uppity or exclusionary and nor does it feel that way. (Mind you, membership is available and may be required after 9.30pm - it's $1500 to join plus $295 annually).

For the trio behind perennially popular laneway bar Grasshopper and Boston, a Circular Quay cafe/bar in the heart of 9 to 5 territory, Magazin is a ballsy concept that hasn't quite caught on yet judging by the meagre crowds when Barhop visits.

Most cocktails nudge the $20 mark.
Most cocktails nudge the $20 mark.Christian Blencke
Advertisement

It's an incredibly intimate, sexy spot where you can escape the world and just think about the drink.

Cocktails experiment with spectacular ingredients without getting too weird. Shino does his own sous vide salted caramel infusions, makes his own rhubarb bitters and grenadine, cold presses juices and does his own candied walnuts and gummy fruits for garnishing.

A hot-buttered rum (Ron Zacapa 23, Magazin winter spice burnt butter, $23) is deliciously rich and there's a fantastic take on a sour made with Tanqueray No. Ten gin, persimmon and nutmeg preserve, lemon, orgeat, walnut bitters, egg white and glace walnuts ($21).

However, the generously sized homemade cherry cola tonic with Don Julio Blanco tequila, lime, sparkling water and lime salt ($20) is too sweet and watery. And I'd like the flavour turned up a notch on the Old Fashioned-style mix of salted caramel sous vide-infused Johnnie Walker Black, scotch whisky and angostura bitters ($23).

Most are nudging $20 and if you're not massively into your bespoke ingredients, you may feel ripped off.

Advertisement

In a unique twist, wines are by label rather than individual drops. Eight wine makers - mostly French and Australian - showcase about half a dozen of their wines so you get a deeper understanding of each winemaker.

There's a great variety, from the young boutique Canberra winemaker Alex Retief's label A.Retief to the ancient Bordeaux house of Maison Tavers. But this is not for the stingy - it's bottles only, starting at $68.

Beer drinkers have to make do with Peroni, Pilsner Urquell, Cascade and Matilda Bay and there's no food.

For a bar that doesn't do a lot, there's plenty here to come searching for.

THE LOW-DOWN
YOU'LL LOVE IT IF …
you want a sexy, secluded spot for a cocktail.
YOU'LL HATE IT IF …
you've got bad eyesight, bad manners or bad finances.
GO FOR … hot buttered rum, nutmeg and walnut sour.

Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.

Sign up

From our partners

Advertisement
Advertisement