Punters warm to Merivale's new late night 'speakeasy' bar

Merivale’s newest bar, Palmer & Co., offers Sydneysiders a modern speakeasy-style venue where they can enjoy classy cocktails until late in the night.

Occupying the former VIP room of the now defunct Tank nightclub, Palmer & Co. is a sophisticated and stylish basement bar with a 1920s theme, decorated with images and paraphernalia from that era.

Merivale group bar manager, Mike Enright, told TheShout the space lent itself to the design, and the fit-out itself was not too laborious or complicated. The new bar also inherits Tank’s operating license, meaning it can stay open till 5am on most nights.

Booths and lounges provide most of the seating and the intimately lit room is divided by cabinets filled with bottles of booze and historical artefacts. Table service is provided or customers can order their drinks directly from two separate kitchen bars. [continues below]

Each night the bartenders manning each bar concoct a signature cocktail using homemade ingredients, which are available as a house special. The set cocktail menu offers more than a dozen accessible classic cocktails.

“We wanted to create a good offering but we are not here to educate people and tell them what to drink,” Enright said.

Cocktails are served in vintage replica glassware imported from the US, which are pre-frozen in a chest freezer that also holds blocks of ice that is hand-chipped for the drinks.

Apart from stellar cocktails, the bar also offers drinkers an extensive selection of spirits, many imported, including over 20 brandies, 30 gins, 35 rums, 40 tequilas and 80 whiskies.

"We wanted to make sure we had a good balance and range for people to be able to try," Enright said.

The food menu is built around New York style charcuterie fare and soon there will be a Cantonese restaurant, Mr Wong’s, opening in the adjacent space that Tank nightclub one occupied.

Palmer & Co., Abercrombie Lane, (02) 9240 3172

Source: The Shout, 6 June 2012