Dr. Gimlette
If you love the covetable cocktails expertly concocted at esteemed Burnett Lane drinkery Death and Taxes, then you’ll be titillated by team’s newest venture, Dr. Gimlette. The cocktail bar – the brainchild of Martin and Wiebke Lange and Belinda and Blake Ward – opened at the base of the Metro Arts building on Edward Street in September 2021. The concept, which is named in honour of surgeon Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette, who is said to have been the first to add lime cordial to the gin rations of the Royal Navy sailors to fight off scurvy on long voyages, takes an old-school approach to hospitality inspired by the Savoy in London, the Dead Rabbit in New York and Black Pearl in Melbourne. The Dr. Gimlette has restored the high-ceilinged abode back to its original state, installing a 9-m long marble bar and a bunch of cushy Italian leather booths. Much like its sister venue, Dr. Gimlette specialises in cocktails, with a list of 30 signature sips made sustainably and ethically using fresh ingredients from local suppliers, but non-cocktail drinkers can also swing through for a boutique wine, beer or a rotating tap spritz. Although there is a distinct lean towards gin, Dr. Gimlette’s back bar is stocked with roughly 800 bottles, featuring a jaw-dropping range of spirits, aperitifs and liqueurs. The venue, which will be able to comfortably seat 100 guests once restrictions lift, offers table service, with two roaming martini carts whipping up every type of variation imaginable – shaken, stirred, thrown or nitro frozen, and served with a variety of garnishes and gins – right there at your seat. Dr. Gimlette does not take reservations, with seating allocated on a walk-in-basis.