The shag-carpeted rumpus room that was Easy Tiger has moved on to the great vinyl lounge suite in the sky, and now in its place is a basement bar from a slightly different era.
Whisky Jerx takes its style cues from Wayne’s World – they’ve brought 1992 back to life by slapping some black paint on the walls, chucking crochet blankets on the old vinyl chairs and tacking up band posters everywhere. Burt Reynolds had to come down off the wall, but it turned out the framed boob pics were glued on and nothing short of a crow bar would shift them, so those have stayed. They also kept the mini stage intact, and there are plans for live gigs.
The bar operation may be simple, but it’s executed with care. Given the bartenders won a Monkey Shoulder comp to get this place off the ground the blend features prominently on the menu, but they also sport bottles of the ‘New World Project’ series that Starward distillery aged in Ximinez casks. It’s a cask-strength dram, but the burn is tempered by the fruit and spice from the sherry casks.
For something a little longer, order a Biggie and Boozy. It mixes Monkey Shoulder with sweet vermouth and port, and fernet for a little menthol lift. It may look like a dark horse, but what’s in your glass is light and refreshing, not sweet and heavy.
They’re into fives here: five cocktails, five wines by the glass; five fun sodas like Capi’s pink grapefruit and Jarritos in mandarin; and five brews including Rio Brava cans, Coopers and Bulmers on tap, Six String golden ale and Mornington pale ale.
The playlist has shifted forward a couple of decades, so the Stones and Creedence have been bumped in favour of Axl Rose wailing 'Knockin' on Heaven’s Door', though they still sneak Hendrix’s 'Castles Made of Sand' in there on our visit. TUUUUNNNNEEEE!
It was a quick set-up and the room feels a little impermanent, but that’s because it is – Whisky Jerx is around for a limited time only, so raise a glass of something delicious to ’90s-themed basement boozing before it’s nothing more than a glorious memory, like Sega World and topsy tails.
Whisky Jerx takes its style cues from Wayne’s World – they’ve brought 1992 back to life by slapping some black paint on the walls, chucking crochet blankets on the old vinyl chairs and tacking up band posters everywhere. Burt Reynolds had to come down off the wall, but it turned out the framed boob pics were glued on and nothing short of a crow bar would shift them, so those have stayed. They also kept the mini stage intact, and there are plans for live gigs.
The bar operation may be simple, but it’s executed with care. Given the bartenders won a Monkey Shoulder comp to get this place off the ground the blend features prominently on the menu, but they also sport bottles of the ‘New World Project’ series that Starward distillery aged in Ximinez casks. It’s a cask-strength dram, but the burn is tempered by the fruit and spice from the sherry casks.
For something a little longer, order a Biggie and Boozy. It mixes Monkey Shoulder with sweet vermouth and port, and fernet for a little menthol lift. It may look like a dark horse, but what’s in your glass is light and refreshing, not sweet and heavy.
They’re into fives here: five cocktails, five wines by the glass; five fun sodas like Capi’s pink grapefruit and Jarritos in mandarin; and five brews including Rio Brava cans, Coopers and Bulmers on tap, Six String golden ale and Mornington pale ale.
The playlist has shifted forward a couple of decades, so the Stones and Creedence have been bumped in favour of Axl Rose wailing 'Knockin' on Heaven’s Door', though they still sneak Hendrix’s 'Castles Made of Sand' in there on our visit. TUUUUNNNNEEEE!
It was a quick set-up and the room feels a little impermanent, but that’s because it is – Whisky Jerx is around for a limited time only, so raise a glass of something delicious to ’90s-themed basement boozing before it’s nothing more than a glorious memory, like Sega World and topsy tails.