Sydney favourite Alpha has opened up a tiny new cocktail and meze bar named Baraki, carved into the ground floor of 240 Castlereagh Street with just 8 seats.
The smaller-than-small bar will extend Executive Chef Peter Conistis’ vision beyond Alpha and upstairs cocktail bar Beta, channelling the Athens neighbourhood of Plaka with two backlit walls adorned with steel rungs filled with the likes of Greek Ouzo, whisky, European liqueurs and Australian gin.
Conistis plans an ever-changing selection of meze plates for the bar, including the likes of Dolmades, vine leaves stuffed with sour cherry and lemon; Pastourmas, spice cured beef served with pears and lentil salad; Karpouzi, watermelon and raki served with sheep’s milk feta and Toursi, grilled and marinated eggplant with black garlic and dill available to dine from. The menu also includes a number of classic dips for guests to graze on, like olives, taramosalata, tzatziki and melitzanosalata.
Bar Manager Irek Luty has put together a curated list of Greek spirits like ouzo, raki, mastiha and rakomelo, as well as put aside a dedicated gin Garden which features gins such as Monkey 47, Ocean Gin, Rogu Gin, Hendricks, Westwings Sabre, Ink, Poor Toms and Sipsmith London; and a tight list of nine cocktails. Signatures include the Cretan Warrior, made with Toplou Tsikoudia, cardamom, lime and cucumber; the Baraki Fizz, made with Kretaraki Rakomelo, blood orange and sparkling wine; the Golden Apple, featuring Metaxa 5 Star, Calvados Garnier, lemon, and dirty tonic and the Purple Poseidon, which includes Hendricks gin, Skinos Mastiha, lavender and wild mountain tea.
Address: 238 – 240 Castlereagh St, Sydney
Hours: Monday to Friday: 12pm to late; Saturday: 5pm to late
Website: http://www.alpharestaurant.com.au/
Images: Joe Cheug
