When they’re not travelling abroad with bar takeovers or winning cocktail competitions, the team at Door Knock bar is delighting Sydney-siders with their creative produce conscious cocktails and warm hospitality.
Door Knock Team – Photo Supplied
While some bars embrace seasonality or sustainability, Door Knock’s new menu is better described as a throwback to classics with modern techniques and a contemporary mindset. With Sydney having access to most produce all year round, the bar team has chosen not to have a season-led menu. “For a 90 to 100 pax venue, it’s harder to be a fully sustainable bar,” Co-owner Natalie Ng explains. “Instead, we’re produce conscious.”
In creating the latest cocktail list, the bar has teamed up with the kitchen to minimise waste, reuse and get the most out of every ingredient.
The gin-based Just Dill with It by Stéphane Sae leads with bright citrus aromas, the result of infusing kaffir lime leaves with Suze. Watermelon and dill stems from the kitchen are used to make a shrub, and all the ingredients with the exception of the gin go into a charger to deliver a fresh, bright and zingy spritz style drink with a good level of acidity.
Riffing on the Margarita, Down in Mexico is a team effort that combines fino sherry with blanco tequila, burnt citrus husks for acidity balanced with a little honey. The cocktail comes with a lime zest salt rim that’s had a touch of food colouring added for an instagrammable fluoro effect.
The pun-filled theme continues with a bottled cocktail that invites guests to interact with the drink. Mez-Sage in a Bottle by Natalie Ng brings an earthy, savoury note with gentle smoke from the sage-infused mezcal, a herb used in the kitchen. The flavour is complemented by acidulated apricots, brightened with sea salt and garnished with an edible apricot & sesame paper.
The blender on the back bar gets its fair share of use with It’s Mint to Be by Anna Nguyen, a blended cocktail with a white rum base, mango fino and passionfruit sorbet with lime, honey and mint, served tall and refreshing.
For a julep style cocktail, That Drink is Bananas by Liam Gavin marries Cognac with Branca Menta and fino sherry infused with banana skin. Mint is the hero upfront followed by a lingering Cognac note while the banana adds viscosity and texture.
For The Berry White by Natalie Ng & Stéphane Sae, leftover wine and port are combined with strawberries and warm spices such as cinnamon, clove, cardamom and black pepper for a wintry style Negroni served on tap and garnished with a dehydrated strawberry. The red wine gives the drink a welcome tannic note while Campari adds a little astringency.
In the spirit-forward category, The Carrot Whispers by Joy Mou ups the ante for an old fashioned style drink with a rye whiskey base, carrot and cardamom honey for sweetness and two types of amaro. The slow sipper has spice at the forefront with a vegetal element accentuated by the pickled carrot in sweet vinegar and baking spices.
Nut Milk City Limits by Natalie Ng is all about mouthfeel and texture. The blended eggnog style cocktail delights with Coco Lopez washed rum, salted macadamia & sesame orgeat and Yellow Chartreuse for a honeyed note. It’s nutty and light, not overly sweet and may just leave you singing the catchy song and eager to do the dance steps.
Click through the following pages to view images of the cocktails.
