Spice Trader will complete the trifecta of luxe new venues within Castlereagh Street’s iconic Porter House building.
Earlier this year, the four-year restoration project of Castlereagh street’s landmark Porter House building, finally culminated in the opening of two incredible new venues – Dixon & Sons, and Henry’s Bread & Wine.
Now, just in time for the silly season, the Porter House will see the final instalment of the food and beverage offering open its doors to reveal an intimate fourth-floor bar, serving up an evocative signature cocktail list of flavours inspired by the restaurant’s namesake.
The cocktail list is centred around four key trade items of the era – ginger, coconut, cassia bark and coffee; a nostalgic nod to the trading past of the Porter House building. Each of the four are represented through three different cocktails, resulting in an easy-to-navigate flavour journey along the spice route.
‘Ginger’ kicks off the evening with a firey expression of Spice Trader’s spiciest sips. Signature libations include the Penicillin made with Ferrand Cognac, ginger, honey, and lemon, finished at the table with a drizzle of Talisker whisky for a smoky finish. ‘Coconut’ features exotic renditions of some of our favourite flavours. Highlights include a reimagination of the humble Piña Colada into the Piña Verde featuring Plantation Stiggins Fancy Pineapple rum with green Chartreuse and coconut cream.
‘Cassia Bark’ sees the cocktail list take a sweet turn with must-tries including the Kandy Cobbler made with Amontillado sherry, Mancino Ambrato, nectarine and cassia bark. While ‘Coffee’ explores grown-up tinctures for Negroni lovers, including a fruity Cascara Negroni made with Tanqueray gin, cascara Campari, Mancino Rosso and cold-drip coffee.
For those that prefer their booze with a little extra fire, there are three house-spiced spirits available on the rocks; Rum, infused with banana, vanilla, dried orange, clove, cassia and star anise; Australian Whisky infused with black tea, ginger, cinnamon, clove and green cardamon; and Cognac infused with dried apricot, peach, fig, nutmeg and clove.
The elevated drinks list is matched with an extravagant bar snack menu from which guests can treat themselves to a $150 tin of Shark Bay wild scampi caviar served with Crème fraiche, egg and buckwheat blini. Designed by Porter House Executive Chef Emrys Jones (Fish Butchery, Qualia) the share-style snack menu inherits the Asian influence of Dixon & Sons, other snacks include Sherry Glazed Duck Milk Buns featuring confit duck leg with rhubarb and hoisin, stuffed into a house-made rosemary milk bun and glazed with sherry vinegar and honey.
Spice Trader is open Thursday – Saturday from 5pm for walk-ins only. Head to their website to find out more.