There’s always a buzz in the industry when a new cocktail bar is about to open and when the owners are well-known and highly respected industry professionals, the excitement and anticipation are even higher.
Fortunate Son Enmore – Photo © Cocktails & Bars
Fortunate Son bar (named as “the one to watch out for” in our Top 10 New Sydney Bars 2019) opened in Enmore on December 18, 2019. Named after the Creedence song, it’s the first bar by Jason Crawley and Dylan Howarth of The Drink Cabinet.
Ask co-owner Jason Crawley about Fortunate Son bar in the lead up to its opening, and he’ll simply say, “It’s just a bar.” Ask him after it has opened, and he’ll describe it as “a neighbourhood bar with absolutely no focus whatsoever”.
If that’s not to draw locals and Sydney-siders like a magnet, there’s the duo’s warm welcome that embraces you the minute you step inside. The solid Jarrah timber fitout inspired by Napoleon House Bar in NOLA – all built and lovingly restored by Dylan Howarth – makes you feel right at home in a space that seems as if it has been around for some time, and in a very good way. It comes as no surprise that Fortunate Son has already garnered a strong neighbourhood following and loyal clientele.
“Fortunate Son is a neighbourhood bar where you have the freshest beer, great cocktails and champagne by the glass,” says Jason Crawley. “It’s the closest bar to Young Henrys which guarantees the freshest beer. We have no tab cards but tab cars,” he explains as he places little cars on the bar. “We want people to be comfortable,” and that’s exactly how you’ll feel the moment you take your seat at the bar and don’t want to leave.
The Fortunate One’s cocktail list features classics that have stood the test of time. By classics, we mean no riffs on the originals but classic cocktails the way they were meant to be. You’ll find the likes of The Last Word, Old Pal, Breakfast Martini, Mint Julep, and the Pendennis Cocktail (gin, apricot brandy liqueur, fresh lime juice & Peychaud’s Bitters), named after the Pendennis Club in Louisville. And there’s the Ramos Gin Fizz.
Don’t expect the Crawley Imperial Shaker or a team of shakers in a row shaking for 15 minutes. Crawley demonstrates the reverse shake technique and makes it look effortless. He adds sugar, citrus, gin and cream to a shaker with ice, shakes hard, discards the ice, adds the egg white and shakes for about a minute. He strains the liquid into a chilled glass and leaves it to rest for another minute. He slowly adds a little soda water which makes the foam rise, adds sprinkles, places the straw in the centre and sprays with orange water. “It’s like sipping on a cloud.”
The Fortunate Son’s list features house cocktails like the excellent Bukowski (Jack Daniels Rye, Amer Picon, Fernet Branca, Elderflower Liqueur) and Smoke and Pancake with Gentleman Jack, Tempus Fugit Banana, Maple, Ardbeg and Chocolate Bitters, the latter balancing sweet and smoke notes in a fine sipper.
Big Highballs, (45 ml of booze and fluffy fresh and tall 475ml) are well worth exploring such as the Waco Kidd with fresh juiced pineapple, mezcal and black pepper. For those not partaking in alcohol, the Non-Alcoholic list tempts with the likes of Hasselhoff with celery juice, lime juice, mint and soda served very tall.
Come for the cocktails, champagne by the glass, fresh tap beer, hot dogs including a plant-based option and music you can sing along to in a handy location opposite the Enmore Theatre. Best of all, come for the old fashioned hospitality and service from a team who knows how to deliver good times.
Click through the following pages to view a selection of the cocktails at Fortunate Son Bar in Enmore.
