Any bar that offers pistachio nuts as a free bar snack has my complete and utter loyalty – which is why Button now has a new regular customer.

Run by the folks who launched Pocket Bar and Stitch, this is a dark, moody bar that plays old blues music and 70s rock and roll. In fact, with the long wooden bar counter and the black leather booths, this feels a lot like Stitch, especially as some of the cocktails here are the same. However, the crowd is different, with the Surry Hills locals taking the place of Stitch’s more suited clientele, and unlike Stitch, there’s no kitchen serving hot dogs. Then again, when you have pistachios and cocktails, perhaps you don’t need anything else.

I order the Pleasure Vessel, which is made with Appleton rum, Grand Marnier, marmalade, grapefruit juice, lemon juice and orange blossom water ($17). The flavours work beautifully together to create a delicately tangy drink that, in an odd way, tastes a little like an amaretto sour that’s been pimped up. I also like the attention to detail here: the glassware is great and it comes with a pithed lemon peel that’s contorted into what looks like a mini sculpture perched on the glass’s edge.

My friend orders the Flying Cloud, made with Belvedere rum, lemon juice, pear juice and cinnamon syrup ($17). I can see this as being a good winter cocktail – it’s subtle yet refreshing and the cinnamon gives it a seasonal feel that makes you think of fireplaces.

We only planned to stop in for a quick drink but we like the place so much – from the wooden décor (such as the shutters that line the entryway and the multi-textured back wall) to the flagons sitting above the bar counter and antique light fittings – that we order a final cocktail for the road.

This is the Pirate Jet, made with Bacardi Superior rum, lemon and pineapple juice, mint, orange bitters, and topped with crushed ice and a float of Myers rum ($17.50). Served tall, it’s a drink where, as you go through it, the rum starts to mingle more with the other ingredients. It’s great for those who like tropical drinks such as Hurricanes, although my favourite cocktail out of the three I ordered here is still the Pleasure Vessel. Considering this bar looks a bit like a pirate ship’s galley, the name Pleasure Vessel could also describe Button as well.

Button, 65 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills. Phone 02 9211 1544. Open every day until midnight

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I’ve always believed our economy should be based on cocktails rather than cash, and now there’s an iPhone app for Sydneysiders that takes a step in the right direction. Called My Shout, it allows you to buy people drinks and food when you’re not in the same bar as them – or if you are but are too lazy to go to the counter yourself. This means the next time you can’t make it to someone’s party you can still shout them drinks.

The app is free and the drinks don’t cost any more than normal. It also integrates with Facebook, so you can buy someone a real drink and have it appear on their page (allowing all of their Facebook friends to see how generous you are).

“You’ve seen those virtual gifts that people buy online, like a photo of a drink that you put on a friend’s Facebook wall – it doesn’t really mean anything, or when it’s your birthday on Facebook and you get 50 messages saying happy birthday. What if even ten per cent of them could be real drinks that you could redeem?” says Arri Khan, one of the co-founders of My Shout (the other co-founder is Myron Festejo). “This takes it one step further – it’s an actual, tangible gift that actually has meaning behind it.”

The app seems easy enough to use: once you choose a friend from your contacts list or from Facebook, you then select a bar you want to shout at, and then which drink (or food item). Provided your friend has an iPhone, they then need to download the MyShout App and redeem the drink in person by taking their phone to the bar and showing the redeem screen to the bartender.

At the moment five bars have signed up to it – Hemingway’s, Since I left You, Darlie Laundromatic, City Hotel and Name This Bar, plus Awkward ought to be joining them soon.

You can try out the free My Shout iPhone app by clicking http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/my-shout/id512913298?mt=8 or searching for “My Shout” in the App store.

Bars and other venues that want to be listed in the app can contact My Shout via shout@myshout.com.au.

You can also check out the MyShout website

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There’s a Seinfeld episode where Kramer decides people should make their own pizza at an Italian restaurant – and I can’t help thinking about that when I hear of the Farmers’ Market nights at Zeta Bar.

Running every Friday until June 8, the Farmers’ Market nights involve Zeta setting up stalls filled with veggies, fruit, herbs and spices. The idea is you grab a paper bag, fill it with two pieces of fruits or veggies, and then you pick the spices or herbs you want and go to the bar, where you choose both a base spirit and a modifier, which can be a liqueur or bitters.

It’s a tactile experience – you fondle the produce, sniff the herbs and spices, and there are even little bottles of spirits and liqueurs you can sniff.

Once you’ve selected everything a bartender will then make a concoction for you, and a photographer will take a Polaroid picture of you with the recipe of your cocktail written on the back.

If all that sounds confusing, however, then you can always select a Farmers’ Market Special cocktail, where all you have to do is ask the bartenders for their recommendation – I’ve tasted the grass-infused bourbon sour, which is fantastic (the grass aroma is actually infused into the eggs), as well as the beetroot mojito, which – well, which tastes far too healthy.

Those who need a hangover cure in the evening can also opt for the DIY Bloody Mary stall, complete with various kinds of tomatoes and mustards for you to choose from. There’ll also be waiters walking around offering little flowerpots filled with edible soil and jelly worms.

To complete the farm ambience there’ll also be hay on the floor, hay-scented air blowing through the vents and country music mixed with the sound of farm animals – once you hear Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire interspersed with mooing, you’ll never think of it in the same way again.

Farmers’ Markets at Zeta Bar – Hilton Sydney, Level 4, 488 George Street, Sydney, from 6pm, see the Zeta Bar website). Cocktails from $18.

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I honestly didn’t think I’d like The Bar At The End of the Wharf. I don’t know why. I guess it’s because I’m grumpy in my old age and have been to so many crappy bars in performance spaces that I didn’t trust the idea of a genuinely good cocktail bar in the Sydney Theatre Company building/wharf. And yet, I have to admit, I was wrong. I don’t like being wrong, but I do like this bar.

There are two reasons why. The first is the harbour view, which looks directly out onto Luna Park and the Harbour Bridge, as well as ferries scooting by in the night. The second is the cocktail list, which is right up my alley.

The list is filled with respectable classics such as the Old Fashioned and Vodka Gimlet as well as a few signature drinks such as By the Ears (house-infused coriander Beefeater gin, lemon juice, sugar and Perrier Jouet Champagne – $12).

I try the sazerac (Jim Beam rye, Martell VSOP cognac, Peychaud’s bitters and sugar, with a Le Mercier Absinthe rinse – $18) while my black-clad companion opts for the Charlie Chaplin (Hayman’s Sloe Gin, apricot brandy and lime juice – $14).

Both cocktails are beautifully made. The sazerac is perfectly complex and smooth whereas the Charlie Chaplin is good for those with a sweeter tooth but yet still want a good, strong drink where you can taste the liquor.

The décor here is simple and clean, from the white tiles behind the cocktail bar and food counter to the single shelf of books on one wall. The only note of frippery is the ping pong table that’s so close to the edge that I’m sure there are already countless balls floating around the harbour. At the risk of being a spoil sport, I’m not so keen on the ping pong – the last thing I want while sipping a drink and watching a view is to fend off flying ping pong balls, which is what happens to me – but as I said before, I am a grumpy old man who needs something to complain about.

The food is relatively simple too: snacks include chicken liver pate and pickled plums ($10) as well as the wagyu beef and gruyere burger ($12), plus there’s heartier fare such as the slow roast pork neck with wet polenta and pecorino ($22).

Lastly, they also have an interesting selection of beer, ranging from a Foster’s tinnie for $6 to the Young Henry’s Natural Lager for $9. Whether a Foster’s belongs in the same bar as a beautifully crafted sazerac is another matter but, all grumpiness aside, this is a bar that’s done almost everything right.

The Bar At The End of the Wharf, Sydney Theatre Company, Pier 4, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay. Open Monday to Saturday. See the The Bar At The End of the Wharf website

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Most small bars try to be eccentric, but there’s something genuinely oddball about The Lodge Wine Bar. It could be the old giant clock hanging from the ceiling that doubles as the main light fixture, the circular faded brown lounge that looks like something out of a 1940s English bachelor pad or the old framed Penfolds ad showing a gentleman driving a wine bottle. Combined with the dark wood panelling, leather armchairs, red curtains and glass-enclosed courtyard with plants and wooden benches, the Lodge Wine Bar almost feels like something a P.G. Wodehouse character would drink in – which is, believe it or not, a compliment.

The service is also a little odd. When I first walk in a staff member just looks at me blankly, as if surprised to have a customer (although the place rapidly filled up after my early 5.30 arrival). I wouldn’t say the service was rude – I even managed to coax a few smiles from the staff by the end – but it could be a wee bit more welcoming.

This isn’t a bar for cocktail lovers – instead, the drinks menu is primarily filled with a solid list of craft beers and an impressive array of wine by the bottle, although they also do wine by the glass.

I order the Stone and Wood golden ale from Byron Bay ($9), which is great – possibly the best beer I’ve tried in a month. I could be pretentious and talk about its citrus notes but to cut the crap it’s a beer that’s easy to drink and yet has a depth of flavour and somehow feels fresh. Ok, that description was still probably pretentious (and anyway, at $9 a pop you’d want it to be good!). As for food: they serve snacks such as oysters and salumi platters, but if I were to come back I’d probably try their pan con sobrassada – sourdough toast with chorizo paste and pickled beetroot ($6.50).

Lastly, the crowd here is eclectic – a mix of young and old, couples and groups. In short, this is a wine bar worthy of Balmain, a suburb that I’ve always found a little odd and yet charming myself. If I were a local I’d definitely make this a regular haunt.

The Lodge Wine Bar, 3/415 Darling Street, Balmain. Open 4pm-10pm daily

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For most of my cocktail-drinking life I’ve ignored the Old Fashioned and yet, over the past year, it’s become one of my favourite cocktails. Made with just a base spirit (usually bourbon), sugar and bitters, it’s a drink for those who want to taste the alcohol and it varies in flavour depending on the combination of spirit and bitters.

Most bartenders make an Old Fashioned with sugar syrup, with one telling me that a cube takes too long to dissolve and leads to drinks where the sweetness is heavier at the bottom of the drink. I can’t argue with this, especially since he’s considered one of the best bartenders in Australia, but as someone who makes drinks at home and not behind a bar I don’t always have sugar syrup at home – plus I’m hokey enough to like making drinks the old fashioned way (bad pun intended). As such, I usually use cubes.

My recipe is this:

• One sugar cube
• 2 ounces (60ml) of bourbon or whisky or rye
• 3-5 dashes of bitters

You simply place the sugar into the glass, add a few drops of water to help the sugar dissolve, followed by the bitters, and muddle. Add the ice and the alcohol, and stir. Adding fruit should be avoided except for the peel of an orange (or other citrus fruit). Twist (or flame it) over the drink to extract some oils, rub the peel around the edge of the glass and drop it in.

As simple as this drink is, however, there are a lot of conflicting opinions as to how to make it. Some say you should add the alcohol before the ice. Some say you shouldn’t stir – but instead serve it with a swizzle stick and let whoever receives the drink stir it to reduce dilution. And then there’s the approach of adding a little alcohol, stirring, adding more alcohol and more ice and stirring again. I’m lazy – so I just stir a few times at the end until the glass frosts nicely.

As for what spirit you use – well, there are unlimited variations. I’ve had success using Monkey Shoulder scotch and Fee Brothers orange bitters, Bulleit rye with Peychaud’s bitters and Woodford Reserve with Angostura bitters.

There are also some great variations of the Old Fashioned in Sydney bars – my favourite is the Banana Old Fashioned at Gardel’s, followed by a Honeycomb and Maple Old Fashioned that I once had at Tokonoma (although that was a while ago) and at Honeyrider you can choose what bourbon or rum you want in your Old Fashioned.

If you have any suggestions about the Old Fashioned – or have had a good one somewhere – then leave a comment below:

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Any bar named after my permanent condition is going to appeal to me, which is how I find myself in Awkward with the Amazonian Croatian (the only bar name I’d like more than Awkward would be Schmuck).

I’m a little sceptical at first since the bar is located on the corner of Darlinghurst Road and William Street – a space that hasn’t exactly screamed success in the past – and the dance music playing when I enter doesn’t console me either. However, two things stop me from fleeing – the friendly (and largely French) staff and the bizarre cocktail list, which is possibly the most oddball one I’ve ever encountered.

For example, they have the Pepper Pot Bourbon Sour, made with what they say is fresh peppercorn butter fat wash bourbon, lemon, jerky syrup and egg white. Unfortunately they ran out of one of the ingredients for this, however, so instead the Croatian orders the Milk Julep (fig-infused Monkey Shoulder scotch, roasted macadamia and condensed milk syrup – $19) while I opt for the Jeremy’s Juice (Ron De Jeremy rum – and if that name sounds familiar then yes, this brand is owned by the same Ron Jeremy who’s also a porn star, cherry-infused maraschino, lime, grapefruit oleo sacrum [oleo sacrum is made from citrus oils], grapefruit juice – $19).

The Milk Julep is served in a tin cup with crushed ice and a fig that’s soaked in whisky and skewered with roasted macadamias. Even though I expected this to be pretty awful it’s actually good. It’s still not my cup of tea – I’d much rather a mint julep any day – but the flavours go well together and the Croatian is pleased.

The Jeremy’s Juice is better, though – in fact, it’s a knock out. The sourness of the grapefruit juice counters the rum’s sweetness to make this a refreshing drink with the other ingredients giving it subtle overtones.

The decor here is as nutty as the cocktail list – the bar counter has jigsaw-piece tiles on it, there’s what looks like a pterodactyl on one wall, the chairs are made with cow-hide, the back room has fake grass and a light that looks like an owl’s nest, and the male bathroom is papered with photos of celebrities smoking. As for the paintings on the wall – well, let’s just say one actually made the Croatian gasp, which I’ve never seen her do before (I won’t even describe it here). The owner apparently wants the bar to double as an art space and so more art will be painted on the walls.

By the time I’m halfway through my cocktail I find myself feeling very comfortable in Awkward. The music has switched to something reggae-inspired that I like, we find a game of Connect Four that we start playing (they also have Jenga) and the crowd on the smoking balcony outside seem fun and unpretentious – much like the bar itself.

Awkward, 169-173 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 8am to 1am, Sunday from 8am to 10pm. See the Awkward website

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My first love was with pubs (women and cats came later) – and so even though Bar Zine usually focuses on small bars and cocktails, there are times when all I want is to be in a pub drinking beer – and the less schmick the pub, the happier I usually am. I like pubs where there is no kitsch, no animal heads on the wall and no frou frou – a place where there are still old Tooths advertisements on the wall, the pool tables are plentiful, the hipsters are somewhere else and the beer is great. And on all those counts, the humble Union in Newtown does the job nicely.

For starters, they have a great selection of craft beer on tap, from the Pinchgut pilsener to the 4 Pines Breakfast Oatmeal that I order (and love – it’s a rich, dark beer that, as the name suggests, feels substantial enough to double as a meal). The décor here is so spartan you’d think they’d just have Carlton and VB on tap, but this is actually a beer lover’s haven.

The bistro is equally surprising. Yet again, the eating area won’t win any design awards – but my fish (dory) and chips for $16 is great – light, tender and with a beautiful beer batter. And besides, why sit down like adults when you can instead gobble your food in between taking shots at the pool table?

There is a touch of frou frou in terms of the bathrooms, which smell like apples – they’re by the far the best smelling pub toilets I’ve ever come across – but that’s about it.

And so, just as the Union doesn’t overdo things, neither will I: meaning the review will end here.

The Union Hotel, 576 King Street, Newtown. See the Union Hotel website

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I can’t write an unbiased review of The Toxteth because, as a local, I only ever went to this pub for two reasons:

1) It had several pool tables and
2) I could pop in wearing velour trackpants, a tank top reading Cats Rule! and still be better dressed than most of the other drinkers.

I found that reassuring.

Now that it’s been remade by the guys behind Kinselas and Lo-Fi, however, only one pool table remains and all of a sudden Glebe’s residents have become more fashionable. Needless to say I now only wear my Cats Rule! tank top while sulking in bed.

To cut to the case, The Toxteth has been made into a UK-style gastro pub, along with pictures of the Union Jack, exposed brick walls, and a chalkboard near the pool table where anyone can write anything. This being Glebe, most of the scrawls are scatological or defamatory in nature (at least, they were the second last time I was here).

They’ve also made the second floor into an art gallery called The Tate, much as Lo-Fi had an art gallery space on the level above it (although that was then changed into a live performance venue called The Standard). Now, I actually really like Lo-Fi a lot – I think it’s a great bar – and I liked their art gallery attempt, but whether the gallery idea will work in Glebe is questionable. Still, you have to admire their guts for giving this small gallery space in a pub the same name as one of the best art galleries in the world.

As for actually reviewing the pub itself: well, I have good and bad things to say. I’ll start with something positive: it does look better. Much better, in fact, especially the courtyard area that now has a glass roof and a mini bar in the middle complete with stools. However, I would like to know why seemingly every Sydney bar feels the need to stick a stuffed animal’s head on the wall (the Toxteth has a bison’s behind the counter). It could be worse, though – at least it’s not a cat’s head.

The service, however, needs work – while half the time I’m served by friendly, professional staff, the other half of the time the service is … well, I want to say craptacular but perhaps that’s a little harsh. Let’s just say I didn’t always feel the love.

(*** Actually, since I wrote this review I then had an experience that now makes me adore the Toxteth staff – I was walking past the other day when some nutbag, without warning, attacked me. It happened so quickly that I didn’t have time to unleash my ninja skills – and before I knew it I was covered with blood. However, a Toxteth staff member then came out with bandages and waited till an ambo arrived, so the Toxteth has more than redeemed itself to me. I am, however, beginning to hate Glebe with a passion – it’s not a suburb for gentle cat-loving men such as myself***)

Then you have the food. I try the beef, bacon and cheese burger with what they say is “smoky house made bourbon BBQ sauce” and hand cut fries for $16. My burger is good – possibly even very good – although the fries are nothing to write home (or even on Bar Zine) about. However, my friend, who’s obsessed with fritters, orders the zucchini fritter burger with grilled haloumi ($16) and isn’t impressed at all – she ends up only eating half and saying it’s ok but bland. I personally think all fritters are bland, but that’s just me.

The ultimate question is whether this is better than the old Toxteth – and to be honest I’m not sure. It’s certainly busier and looks better (and I’m impressed that, on my last visit, they played How Soon is Now by The Smiths on the soundsystem) but the old Toxteth had a decent bistro, several pool tables, a jukebox and a dress code that was so relaxed that my Cat Rules! tank top blended in – and I will miss that.

PS I’ve decided it’s time to add a new revenue stream to Bar Zine by selling tank tops and shirts that say Cats Rule! on top of a photograph of my cat. After all, the only reason newspapers and magazines are dropping like flies is that they don’t sell cat merchandise. Suckers. After painstakingly designing my first collection I’ve launched my new prêt-à-porter range on CafePress. If I ever see anyone actually wearing one of these in a bar, I’ll buy them a beer as consolation. If, that is, they’re even allowed into a bar wearing one.

The Toxteth, 345 Glebe Point Road, Glebe. See The Toxteth Hotel website

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Manly’s nightlife is increasingly becoming more sophisticated, as Harlem on Central shows. Despite being opposite a backpackers and a few doors away from a kebab shop, this is a dark, sleek and elegant 1920s-style bar where the bartenders wear bow ties and a polished black dog statue guards the door on the inside.

The décor is moody with a few touches of colour, such as the gold fabric wallpaper and the purple-curtained alcoves. Its best feature is the long bar counter and stools but, as someone who always feels like a tourist in Manly, I nonetheless grab a seat near the window so I can peer at the thonged masses outside.

Actually, there is something better than both the long bar counter and backpacker voyeurism – and that’s the cocktail list, which is filled with the type of classic cocktails that I like. I order the Alonquin, made with Sazerac rye, Noilly Prat vermouth and pineapple juice ($19) while my friend orders the Georgia Julep, made with VSOP cognac, peach brandy, sugar, soda and mint ($18).

The mint in the Georgia Julep has definitely seen better days, which is a pity since the cocktail itself – and mine – are both beautifully made, and I like the silver mug that the julep is served in.

The food here follows the trend of US-style diner food, and we try the pork slider (slow-cooked crispy pork, nashi pear, red cabbage slaw – $7) and the Harlem hound (pork chipolata, mustard, sautéed onions – $6) – both of which are packed with flavour. We also like the complimentary popcorn that comes in a cocktail glass.

I’m not a fan of the hip hop playing on the sound system, which seems incongruous with the décor, but the service here is friendly and professional. Provided you can actually find this bar (there’s no sign outside, other than a floor plaque in the footpath) this is worth going to if you want a touch of New York in Manly.

Harlem on Central, Shop 4, 9-15 Central Avenue, Manly. Open every day from 5pm until midnight.

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