Hopscotch Canberra Review: There’s something to be said for a bar with a whisky focus that was born out of the owners’ passion for the spirit, gradually adding bottles and building a sizeable collection.
Hopscotch – an amalgam of hop and Scotch – originally started as a pub before the growth in nightlife resulted in a shift from beer and food, Co-Owner Nick Parkinson explains. The whisky focus was a natural progression and what began as a modest malt collection grew organically from recommendations. Now whisky accounts for fifteen percent of the drinks menu with four pages dedicated to Irish, Japanese, Scottish, American (rye and bourbon), Canadian, French and Australian whisky.
But it’s not just whisky and beer. The cocktail list is based on classics which are popular with the regulars while signature drinks are whisky/whiskey based and come with a twist such as the Passionfruit Whiskey Sour ($18). The Glenlivet Let Die ($20), which tempts you by the name alone, brings a well-balanced mix of The Glenlivet, butterscotch schnapps, apple juice and lemon juice, lime and sugar. The Godmother ($19) ups the ante with bourbon, amaretto, lemon lime and cherry juice, served short with a flaming Chartreuse lime garnish. The drinks are well crafted and invite you to explore the menu further.
Summer introduces Poptails ($15) to the menu, alcoholic popsicles in glass of Moscato served in wine glass. Think Hendrick Gin with Fever-tree tonic, strawberry daiquiri and Bacardi rum fruit punch with mango liqueur.
You won’t go hungry at Hopscotch with food from their Argentinian grill. For bar snacks, the burnt brisket ends, house-smoked for 12 hours with jalapeño corn bread are simply an addiction.
Hopscotch Canberra
Address: 5 Lonsdale St, Braddon, Canberra ACT
Phone: 02 6107 3030
Website: http://www.hopscotchbar.com.au
