Tell us about your bar:

Downtown takes you back to the roots of good music and liquor. Our bar menu and music are inspired by the golden age of cocktails, jazz and blues, from the turn of the century until 1950. With the intent to bring back forgotten beverages, we now focus on a libation with a heroic heritage: vermouth, a drink that comes with a history and the romanticism of old secret family recipes, spanning generations. We offer incredible drinks in an intimate sandstone setting, accessible and friendly staff, and the opportunity to learn more about music, your friends, and good ol’ drink.

What’s on the menu?

We always recommend bar snacks that may be the perfect match for your drink of choice, from potato skins with red pepper sauce to crumbed three cheese stuffed olives, scallops ceviche, house-made duck liver pate, or why not indulge in a sharing experience – a design-your-own custom platter? You may choose from a selection of farm house charcuterie and cheeses or seasonal vegetarian local produce.

Care for a drink?

Try the Barrel Aged Old Fashioned: Maker’s Mark 46, Angostura bitters and sugar, aged for four weeks in a 20-litre Tasmanian oak cask, which was previously filled with port and then whisky. One of the best Old Fashioneds you will ever try!

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Sounds:

Delta blues, Chicago blues and East Coast jazz and funk jazz are played live in The Commons’ cosy Downtown Bar every Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday nights. When we don’t feature live music we tend to offer a playlist that reflects those genres, even though sometimes we go a little tropical and throw some bossanova tunes in there.

Highlights:

With a piano tucked away in the corner and the sandstone walls wrapping around the few small tables scattered throughout this intimate space, you feel as though you are far away from the city, from Sydney and from everything else that fills your regular life. In a 164-year-old heritage-listed farmhouse with its low ceilings and sandstone walls, you could close your eyes and let the blues and a sip of your Old Fashioned take you back in time.

The bill comes to:

Check out our weekly cocktail canapé combination for just $20.

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Address: 32 Burton St, Darlinghurst Phone number: (02) 9358 1487

Website: thecommons.com.au Opening hours: Wed – Thu 6pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 6pm-1am

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