Gin and vermouth get a lot of love in the Paddington Inn bar menu
The Paddington Inn has undergone an extensive revamp in the past few months, reopening in August with new head chef Justin Schott and a brand new cocktail menu. Under the careful supervision and creative license of Bar Manager Alex and Jeremy Shipley, the cocktail menu has a heavy focus on gin- and vermouth-based aperitifs. There are also fun twists on old classics to compliment the Paddington Inn’s fine food offering. As an added bonus, all of the cocktails have one-word names, so they’re easy to order even after you’ve had a few.
The Citrus is made with Italian Bitter Orange sourced from a one-man distillery based in the Adelaide Hills, using a secret recipe known only to him and his Italian mentor. The other ingredients are Royal Rouge, which is the only rose vermouth that exists anywhere in the world, an East Imperial Yuzu Toni and a twist of lemon.
The Bold is the Paddington Inn’s answer to a Moscow Mule; it has a base of Madenii Rosso that is made with exclusively Australian botanicals. This gives it a hardy, oaky, bold style that is softened with the addition of ginger beer. It reminds us a little of sangria, so much so that if you close your eyes and savour the orange and cucumber flavours, you can almost imagine you’re relaxing in the south of Spain.
If you’re sick of those sweet, fruity cocktails that keep showing up in summertime, than the Negroni is for you. And it’s not your regular classic negroni cocktail recipe either. The one at the Paddington Inn is made with house blended vermouth, frozen rose and garnished with a dried red orange slice. It’s a zingy drink worth a try.
Of course, all that drinking – in the name of investigative journalism, obviously – makes us hungry. The Cheese Plate is spectacular, with an Australian and international selection.
The soft, warm house-baked onion focaccia is served with a generous amount of warm butter on the side and is perfect for soaking the cocktails.
Special mention goes to the spiced chicken wings with raita. They are sticky and delicious.
But the real star was the Smoked Chicken Jaffle, stuffed with succulent chicken, cream cheese, spinach and nduja. It doesn’t look like much – the photo definitely doesn’t do it justice – but it is truly the crème de la crème of the bar menu and better than any toasted sandwich I’ve ever had. I don’t want to tell you how many I ate, but suffice to say it was more than one.
To finish your night we definitely recommend trying the Coffee. It’s almost what it sounds like, but better. The drink is inspired by the popular espresso martini but is made with fresh espresso, spiced Bacardi Rum, caramel syrup and an Amara Montenegro from Bologna. And, in a stroke of genius, Alex toasts marshmallows to garnish the drink. The whole bar fills with the delicious aroma of toasted marshmallows so all you need is a warm cosy fireplace and you’d be right at home.
There are multiple ways you can enjoy The Paddington Inn. A long lunch in the restaurant, an intimate dinner upstairs in the private dining room or casual beers in the comfy booths in the front bar. But for us it’s all about the one-word cocktails and in a one-word response we say- YES.
The Paddington Inn
338 Oxford street, Paddington
02 9380 5913
http://paddingtoninn.com.au
If you’re in the area, why not try out Latin-American restaurant Tequila Mockingbird in Five Ways!