Bulletin Place

Turn your back to Darling Harbour, push through the bustle of Pitt Street, backtrack to find the small alleyway and ascend a thin staircase. But that’s almost standard for finding bars in Sydney these days.

The weird part about this tiny, warmly-lit watering hole is they only make a select number of drinks, and once they’re gone you’re not getting your Pisco Punch even if you beg for it. Nor can you get the red you want if two other bottles are already open. But stay with us.

The mastermind is Tim Philips, AKA World Class Bartender of the Year 2012, and he seems to have a legitimate phobia of store-bought mixers.

The hand-written, fruit-heavy menu changes daily depending on what’s fresh, or what him and co-owners Robb Sloan and Adi Rulz (ex-Black Pearl) find for sale roadside on trips out west. Whatever they make with mangoes is smooth enough to make you’re your fruit-phobic man friends salivate.

If you do, however, like your liquor straight up you can sample from the whisky crate before selecting your poison, and in the near future you’ll be able to offset all that fruit with a charcuterie platter from neighbouring Tapavino.

For now just pull up a stool and say hello to your new local. And don’t tell too many people.