#baxter inn

September 5th was a trip.

I watched Casablanca! What a film, tight, well made, well acted, Humphrey Bogart was insanely expressive, Ingrid Bergman was flawless, the music was moving, a little cartoonish, but needless to say, “As Time Goes By” captured my heart. No wasted scenes, no wasted camera angles, no wasted cuts, what a great, great movie.

Then, instead of staying in, I went out with a few friends to see what was going on in the town on a Monday night - nothing much.

We went to Baxter Inn again, which was a welcome return. Love that spot. Got a dark beer, which reminded me of when my friend Jon got me a growler for my birthday and the beer was nice and dark and thick, good times!

Then, we moved to Grandma’s bar, a carribean themed/grandma themed/rum specializing bar, where I got a peanut butter colada, basically peanut butter and rum in a milkshake glass, with a touch of coconut. Another direct hit!

We had one awesome night out on the town, Sydney style!

 For dinner, we went to Mr. Wang’s in the CBD. It’s down a secret back alley and is in an awesome space. We went at opening because we heard there were lines, but at that time it was totally fine because it is a HUGE restaurant. It was so cool- it seemed like you were eating in a shipping warehouse that was trading with the Orient. I also loved seeing the roast ducks on a spit- straight out of Chinatown! The food was awesome. We got dumplings, the roast duck, bok choy, and stir fried rice. While that seems like standard Chinese fare, it was super fresh and high quality ingredients and is definitely one of my top Chinese food dinners ever. Yum!

After dinner, we met up with my friend Kim. I interned with Kim 6 summers ago, and she’s now an expat living in Sydney. It was fun seeing a friendly face (besides Dan’s) after almost a month of travel. We did a 3-stop bar crawl in Sydney’s CBD.

First on the list was Shirt Bar, where you could order either a cocktail or a dress shirt! Yep, there was a bar in the middle of a suit store. It was fun for the novelty factor, but we didn’t buy any shirts.

Next up was Baxter Inn, which is the most comprehensive whiskey bar I’ve ever seen. They must have had 300 bottles of whiskey from all over the world, and their staff was super knowledgeable. The bartender asked our preferences and managed to recommend whiskies that suit our individual tastes. It was a little bit of a mob scene because it was Friday night, but it was very cool. 

Baxter Inn 156 Clarence St, Sydney, 2000

With a title as meticulously specific as ‘A Guide to Sydney’s Pubs & Bars for Cheapskates and Drunkards’ (‘Cheapskate’ being a keyword for most of the pubs I review) you’re probably wondering why I would be reviewing a pricey and well to-do bar such as the Baxter Inn.

In all honesty, I never connected the dots between “Whiskey Bar” and “Expensive” until I was looking over the drink list. But by that time it was too late; I was already in love with the bar itself.

Hidden down an alley behind a bike shop, with no sign or logo and only a bouncer and a roped off area to let you know you’re in the right place; down a fire escape and through a door, straight into a speakeasy from the prohibition era.

1920s music blasts over the speaker, a welcome change from the bargain bin dance music played in most other Sydney bars. Behind the bar, bartenders supporting excellent facial hair guard a wall of whiskeys, bourbons, ports, wines, and every other type of liquor and alcohol that would send any AA member into relapse.

Now, there are beers, but a drunken glance at their prices looked like the average you’d be paying would be the festival price of $7. Besides the fact, you’re in a whiskey bar. Buying a beer here would be like buying a glass of turps at a winery. Sure it might be cheaper, but you’re kind of missing the point.

As hidden as the bar is, you’d be hard pressed to find a stool, let alone table, for you and yours to sit and enjoy your drink at. I arrived with a friend at around 7:30ish; which at most other Sydney bars would be just in time to beat out the dreaded 8pm horde. At the Baxter, however, we were the Johnny-Come-Latelies. The place was chockers. We only stayed for a couple of drinks; partly because of the crowds, and partly because we were running out of money very quickly.

There is no real way I can justify drinking here for the Cheapskate; the prices are just too high. But this place isn’t for the Cheapskate, it’s for the Drunkard. It’s for those of us who enjoy a well made and high quality drink.

Here’s an example of what I mean: I recently bought a very cheap bottle of whiskey. Now I won’t say what brand it is, but it cost under $30 and tastes like it was aging in an ashtray, even when mixed.

At the Baxter, the first drink I indulged in was a wonderfully simple cocktail called an Old Style. Bourbon in an ice filled glass, a cherry and an orange skin on top.It cost $17. It’s difficult to keep drinking at that price, but on the flip side, it was also difficult to keep drinking the whiskey I bought as well, despite how cheap it was.

The fact is that if you’re looking to drink in Sydney, you first need to figure out where you sit on the Cheapskate/Drunkard scale. Drinking at home with the terrible tasting whiskey would be deep in the Cheapskate side, while The Baxter sits on the high end of Drunkard. This isn’t a place to save money; it’s a place to enjoy art and craft of drinking.

All that said, it’ll be a while before I can afford to drink there again. But that just makes the Baxter that much more special. It’s a place to spoil yourself. To forget about saving money and simply enjoy yourself and the drink in your hand… Just make sure you’ve still got enough left in your bank account to pay the rent when you’re finished.