Who doesn’t love something rich, smooth and full-bodied? I’m talking about whiskey by the way.
Today marks International Whiskey Day, and we visited two of High Street’s trendy bars to discover Penrith’s ultimate whiskey cocktail.
Starting at the quirky Mr Watkins, bar manager Marcelo Macchione Arruda explained cocktails are the top sellers at the old-fashioned bar and restaurant – most nights at least.
“Some days it’s mainly whiskey cocktails and then other days we don’t sell any whiskey cocktails, but we sell a lot of whiskey neat, on the rocks, or with a mixer,” Arruda explained.
The cocktail depicts the type of whiskey the bartender uses.
“For a whiskey sour or an old fashioned, we use a bourbon whiskey, and for a whiskey highball, we use a scotch,” Arruda said, with taxidermy animals looking over his shoulder.
The most popular whiskey-related order at the bar with over 70 cocktail options is the whiskey sour, and while Arruda admits this is a good drink, he’s very particular about his own drink order.
“I like whiskey, but I prefer to drink whiskey neat, because I think you get more flavours – the better the whiskey, the more complex the flavours,” Arruda stated.
And if you want to try something different, the expert recommends swapping out your whiskey sour for a Tipperary, which is made up of Irish whiskey, chartreuse, sweet vermouth and bitters.
Across the road at Elton Chong, Erin Arndell was setting up shop, lining the bar with service mats in preparation for their opening hours.
The dive bar, with scribbled writing all over the walls and neon light features, has a different clientele to Mr Watkins with different drink preferences.
“Jack Daniels is a popular order because we’re very much a heavy metal dive bar,” Arndell stated.
Most customers will order a Jack and Coke instead of a cocktail, but when they do want something a bit different, the classics hold up.
“Forever and ever the most popular whiskey cocktail will be a whiskey sour,” Arndell said.
However, she prefers to mix up a cocktail called the personal Jesus.
“It’s Australian solera rye whiskey, salted plum gin that two Aussies in Shanghai are making, and a honey and lemon mix which makes a sour and sweet variation that goes down well.”
It seems whiskey drinkers will be well looked after on High Street.
Ally Hall
Ally Hall joined the Weekender in 2024, and focuses on entertainment and community stories. She's a graduate of the University of South Australia and has previously worked as a Video Journalist with Southern Cross Austereo and as a News Reader with Australian Radio Network.