Eau De Vie

I was blown away by the experience! Its a must-​visit if you like craft cocktails.
Its tough to find — you’ll need to walk through an empty hotel lobby, past the super-​dark restrooms. Once you’re there, you’re in for a treat!
Cocktails are a craft here — a lot of thought (and a million ingredients) go into each one. The menu is a small book organized by flavour profiles — each description sounds better than the next. There are no ordinary drinks here — martinis are cooled with nitrogen, other drinks arrive flaming, smoking, or garnished with candy.
The staff were all friendly and not at all pretentious. Drinks were $ 17-​$ 24, which really seemed about the same as most other bars, but these cocktails were far better than anything I had tasted elsewhere. And it didn’t take terribly long to get them, which is surprising given their complexity!

A little hard to find (even my colleague who was taking us there couldn’t remember where it was), Eau De Vie is a lovely craft cocktail bar in the Darlinghurst district of Sydney. It’s tucked away down the hall from a hotel lobby. Once inside, it has the dark moodiness one expects from a speakeasy-​style bar. Service is impeccable, with the kind of practiced restraint usually seen in fine dinning establishments.
After being greeted and seated, the rather impressive cocktail list is presented. It’s organized by flavor profile, which is an enormously helpful concept. If strong drinks are your preference, turn to the Stonemason page. If you prefer citrusy drinks, try what’s on the Stevedore page. There really is something for every taste here. Not really sure what you want? You can sample from the tried-​and-​true selection on the Favourites list or ask the barman to create something for you. During my visit, I enjoyed the HIghlander Sazarac (Apricot and raisin infused Highland whiskies stirred with quick dashes of quince liqueur and Peychaud’s bitters) and the Smokey Rob Roy (Owner Sven Almenning’s signature drink. A fierce mix of Talisker and Lagavulin single malt whiskies, cigar infused Zacapa rum, vermouth and orange bitters. Served under a cloud of wood smoke).
If whisk (e)y is more your thing, Eau De Vie doesn’t disappoint. While the list tends more toward single malt Scotch, there is also a healthy variety of local whiskies, as well as those from Japan, Ireland and the US.
The night we went it was not terribly busy and got seats straight away. However, you can see how this place could get quite busy. Reservations can be made, though. Bear in mind, this is a pricey place, with most drinks in the AUS$ 18 – 24 range. But if you are a fan of well made cocktails and are in Sydney, definitely give Eau De Vie a try.

4 stars:
Eau de vie cocktails are great
not 5… Why ?
The space is so busy and not comfortable

Fantastic! Alisa is a great and artistic bartender and Louis is a great chef. Incredible variety of unique cocktail concoctions and suave and quaint atmosphere. No pretentiousness at all.

We found this bar on a walking whim whilst waiting for a dinner reservation to come to time. This hidden bar was located inside the kirketon and according to receptionist «at the very end of the hallway». You step in here and you’ve entered into French American boudoir style intimacy. The setting inside is a mixture of tall bar stool & plush couches seating with dim lighting. We were directed to the shared couches immediately. They’re very comfy and not as crowded as one would think due to the proximity to others.
Lord knows I love cocktail bars so when we were handed an extensive cocktail menu, I was like, yearh. My philosophy is you can’t visit a cocktail bar and not try something new, never go for the known! With that in mind, I went for the blueberry pancake soda and my partner got the contender. Give the menu more than a flick, because it truly is inventive and lengthy, so you should give yourself time to make your selection (s). I choose mine because it had «mini icecream» in the description… like whaat, really? That I gotta see. When they brought my cocktail out my stranger neighbours were intrigued enough to inquire the name so they could order one also. I appreciate the effort put into the drinks, décor and atmosphere, it was a very pleasant experience albeit short for us as it was only intended for some aperitifs. However now that we’ve been, we’ll be happy to return !

Waiting waiting waiting at eau de vie. Waiters running around not assigned to tables. And they will add 10% service charge to our bill. Lol. Pretentious. Hype without real substance. Classic cocktails OK but too many frozen nitrogen and flame things.

Eau De-​VINE! I love this place. Fabulous cocktails and delicious food in a classy setting. The staff are friendly, funny and attentive. The last time I visited, there was a slight mix up with our order of drinks (which was not a big deal at all) however, the gentleman who was serving us was extremely apologetic and gave us that round of drinks on the house as well as 2 complimentary cocktails, you can’t beat that for service!

EDV is the awesome Sydney offshoot of the original Melbourne haunt.
The drinks are so well thought out, and skillfully prepared. My personal favorite (favourite?) is the Ron Zacapa Blazer (page 7 in the cocktail menu).
Reese was my bartender, and even though he was very focused on making drinks, he still made time to chat with me and the others seated at the bar.
Yes, this place is famous, and as such, draws tourists. Unfortunately in today’s age, no place can stay secret for too long. But I still think it’s worth a visit. I felt very much at home in NYC being in the dark, sexy bar, and it was cool to visit this one after having been in the original in Melbourne location a few days before.
I even met Hayden (Woody) Woods here — look him up! He’s a world famous «flair» bartender!

Not sure I can agree with the hype. Certainly not a bad place… Good people and good atmosphere. But don’t go out of your way.
So… Firstly it feels pretentious. That sucks. Is it their fault? Maybe. Maybe not.
Secondly… The drinks. Flare? Yeah! Flame? Yeah! Looks cool? Hell yeah!!! Look presentation in the preparation is simply awesome!
But… Good tasting and taste considered? No not from what I experienced. Boring flavor, insane cost, not much going on under the surface even though the making of the drink is quite amazing. For all that flare shouldn’t you actually TASTE the burnt wood or the fruit? Well… Here you don’t. I tried 4 cocktails… All the same issue. The menu sounds nice… But does not deliver. That said, if you are used to crappy run of the mill drinks and are still in college, you may like it. But man the cost!
Want to impress on flare? Go here. Want a decent ambience? Check! Want good cocktails with creativity and taste details? Pass. Go somewhere else.

A triumphant way to start, middle, or finish a night, and quite simply one of the best cocktail bars in Sydney.
This was our last stop on a secret bar cocktail birthday crawl for the ages, and by the beard of Zeus did it deliver. Straight up, a massive fanboy shout-​out to Joy and Camille, who went out of their way to look after us with smiles and good grace even after we were super late for our booking courtesy of some neglectful service at another bar. They looked after the every person in the place with fun, courtesy, care and laughter, here are two hosts who love their jobs and man, it makes for a shit hot experience as a punter, I didn’t want to leave.
And the cocktails. We’d been slugging booze for the last 4 hours and these still blew us put of our pants and into something more delicious — a White Negroni and a Smoky Bacon Old Fashioned are my new favourite tipples (see you in hell, whisky sour, your services are no longer required).
Classy, romantic, fun, fabulous, and everything in between. Best.

This place makes cool look weak. This place is HOT!
You first step inside this really dark room and for a second you feel like your in the red district of Amsterdam. Then you notice a big wood table in the middle of the room and behind the bar is chemist glassware and strange looking barware that they use to serve fun drinks in.
I ordered a Cosmo type of drink that was served inside a glass boot. This was a hoot. A few others had their drinks served in copper cups or other interesting glassware. All our drinks were super. The bartender really makes you feel like your in an unique place and time. Its a bit $$$ but its worth the experience even if you only have one drink and move along.
I would highly recommend this place for something different, unique and super cool. Something you will never forget.

A very cosy and different approach to a cocktail bar, toilets are hard to find especially after a cocktail or two. Seating was not an issue, as the staff kindly move patrons around and make sure everyone is attended to (our group went from 6 — 15 in a mater of 1 hour and we all had a seat /​drink resting spot)
Cocktails with flare and charm and the odd paper plane or even fairy floss are amongst the mix here. If you do ask for a beer be prepared to be frowned upon, which is why I can only give 3 stars.
Prices are the normal but I still think over $ 20 for a cocktail is a bit much

Enjoyed the speakeasy vibe, and the music was good, but the staff didn’t want to open up the second room once the first one filled out. The drinks were really just super expensive concoctions of your standard mixer drinks, missing out on flavour and complexity. Nothing at all like the speakeasy places I’ve visited before, lacking in service, quality and a properly technical drinks menu to justify the price.

Always a nice atmosphere here, the staff a friendly and provide great service. The drinks are absolutely amazing. If you’re a cocktail fan then this should be on your list of favourites in Sydney

Surprised as hell by being here late at night after having been wined-​and-​dined by my ex-​pat best-​friend. Whoa what a place! Speak-​easy is right. The bar staff are HOT as are the drinks they serve! Well. actually cold, the drinks are cold. But they are wonderful! As is the ambiance, the atmosphere, the décor, the crowd. Everything. The only thing stopping me giving this place five stars is that I haven’t yet been back to fully immerse myself in the experience, but I’m looking forward to doing so very very soon!
Oh and the Japanese labeled whisky bottles on the top shelf of the bar? thousands of thousands of dollars there people. And displayed so nochelantly. Now that is sheer class.

Coming from Melbourne’s Eau De Vie, I had hopes of on par drinks and service. Well as friendly the staff was (above and beyond in fact), the drinks just did not cut it
Out of three drinks, only 1 (the first) was barely upto quality were as the next 2 were complete disappointments. With each order, said service came back each time with a excuse of quality. Understandable if a single drink but in total of 4 drinks had to be explained was the decision made for us to leave. Granted we received 50% off the bill but by reputation alone, I was warned by word of mouth away.
Sorry but maybe this place had «it», now it’s the same as any place anyone can walk passed in.

Really loved the 20’s speakeasy vibe here and my cocktail was amazing! Absolutely amazing! The Eastside Peach. I am not even exagerrating one bit when I tell you it was a minty peachy melody in my mouth, with notes of honey wafting around and I was in heaven drinking it. I really was. Goddamn $ 20 cocktails! They will be my undoing. This one was definitely worth it. I’m dying to try everything else, too.
Its perfectly hidden all the way at the back of the hotel, and bit tricky to find from the street, but that’s the point, isn’t it?

The hottest cocktail bar in Sydney. If your an expert on cocktails then try your style here because if you think you know it all you might just have met your match in this stylish little hideaway and quirky bar.
For those that have a sense of humour the entry door into Eau De Vie looks like your heading to the toilets with a sign stating restrooms (I got it but some people just don’t see the funny side of that) and in some respects it’s true.
But that’s just beginning of the fun the menu is confusing because it’s designed for you to engage with the staff and basically get totalled and order whatever in the end.
The staff know there stuff so your in good hands here.
But warning: For those patrons that prefer traditional service go somewhere else… and for those like me that are adventurous, up for a good time and beautiful cocktails then you should be here!

I really liked this place. It’s a bit tucked away in the back Darlinghurst Rd. Our group was instantly greeted by a friendly server and shown our seats.
The menu is a bit weird. Not in the contents, but in the way it’s laid out. I had, earlier that night, gone online to see what their cocktail menu looked like. Their online menu is just as weirdly laid out as the physical one at the bar. Basically, there are only 2 — 4 cocktails per page. It also didn’t seem ordered in any specific way, and so it was hard to look for something, even if you knew what you felt like. For example, if you wanted a drink with Gin, it’s not like there was a Gin section. So, no matter what, you had to flip through the entire set of pages. I would have liked to see the menu a bit more functional.
The cocktails were very good though, although a bit expensive. Although the liquid nitrogen is cool, $ 20 for a standard dirty vodka martini is a tiny bit much. And that’s one of the cheapest drinks you’ll find there. Then again, I guess you’re paying for the ambiance.
For my second round, I let the server suggest something for me. After I told him that my standards were Manhattans and the like, he suggested a Brooklyn to me, which was a bit like a Manhattan. It was very good and I was happy. I guess that’s all you can ask for, right?
For a place to come with friends to just sit and relax and enjoy a good cocktail, I highly recommend this place.

Well aren’t your fancy with your cocktails? Standard drinks wont suit you — you’re a person of class and you like to have a fling with the finest! I like your style and that’s why I’m recommending Eau– de– Vie (Water of life/​also a name of a fruit brandy apparently)
This gorgeous bar is tres chic — this is not a place you come to get picked up this is a place to swan around in and be seen. They’re most popular for their cocktails and let me tell you if you stop by here you should try them! In fact they’ve won a gazillion awards for them — expect your cocktails to be on fire, served in tea pots or sided with Turkish delight — this is no ordinary bar.
Relying on reputation you need someone to tell you about this secret space as its hidden in the of the Kirketon — no signage needed…
If you like class in a glass this is the place for you!