Overview
Opened in early 2017, London cocktail bar Scout quickly made the World's 50 Best Bars list. It stands out for two main reasons: every ingredient in every cocktail comes from the British Isles and every leftover ingredient (every straggling bit of garnish) goes into the food. To put that in more trendy terms, Scout is hyperlocal and closed-loop.
Last year, Sydney hospitality heavyweight Maurice Terzini — founder of Icebergs, Bondi Beach Public Bar and the Dolphin Hotel — let slip that Scout founder Matt Whiley is coming Down Under. More specifically, he's setting up a Sydney outpost of Scout in a disused section of the Dolphin's top floor. And if you've been eagerly awaiting the results, Scout Sydney will open its doors on Wednesday, February 28.
That means you'll soon be drinking highly unusual cocktails made with native ingredients in a space that's being described as part science laboratory, part bar. In the purpose-built lab, which Whiley hopes will become a training ground for Australian bartenders, the Scout Sydney team will whip up Aussie-focused drinks list. Although the full list of local recipes hasn't been revealed as yet, expect a vodka and soda made with green ants and strawberry gum, and new takes on trusty classics like the ever-popular espresso martini and old fashioned. Also on offer: drinks using distilled versions of pepperberry, watermelon and wax leaf.
One of Scout's huge hits in London, its fruit wines, will also be featured on the Sydney menu. They include a banana 'wine' , which is made from bananas that've been roasted, juiced and fermented with wattle seed and macadamia, creating a rich fruit wine with banana, chocolate and nutty flavours. There's also an orange variety, using fermented orange, mandarin and cumquat, as aged in an oak barrel.
In London, tipples such as the Apple of God (a savoury concoction of butternut squash liqueur, disarmed chilli, coriander and sparkling wine) and the Black and Yellow (bee pollen, sunflower seed, Deawars 12, meadowsweet and liquorice) have graced the lineup — so whatever the final local rundown turns out to be, it won't be like anything you'll find elsewhere.
Scout Sydney will also sling an accompanying food selection, with Monty Koludrovic cooking up a range inspired by Whiley's beverages. Prepare to tuck into a modern take on small plates, bar snacks and finger food.
Although Scout shares space with the Dolphin, the two will operate as independent businesses, with separate entries and aesthetics — with Whiley leading the charge in the design stakes, too.
It's Sydney's latest venue-inside-a-venue with Mary's Pizzeria opening inside the Lansdowne Hotel last year, and Terzini opening Bonnie's Wine & Food inside Bondi Beach Public Bar.
Scout Sydney opens inside the Dolphin Hotel, 412 Crown Street, Surry Hills, on Thursday, February 28, with bookings now available Monday–Sunday from 5pm.