Bar Liberty

Casey Wall and Manu Potoi (both of Rockwell and Sons) are behind Bar Liberty.

Their laid-back approach is obvious in the refashioned bar globe, the champagne sabre (a sword used to slice the top off champagne bottles); the fact the bar is named after an irrelevant Star Wars III: The Revenge of the Sith quote; and being able to drink bourbon from a 1956 Ford Thunderbird.

The menu is divided into snacks and bigger sharing plates and changes all the time. Expect some lesser-known ingredients, such as kiwani – a strange, horned fruit that tastes a bit like a sour cucumber or an unripe banana – and pork collar steak from Meatsmith around the corner, served with garlic shoots and labne.

The wine list is a healthy balance between new, exciting, biodynamic or low-intervention wines and classics. Pennyweight Wines in Beechworth, and Tom Shobbrook from South Australia have custom made a red and an orange wine for the bar, which is served on tap.

There are also beers; non-alcoholic house-made lemonade and kefir; sake; white spirits; and brown liquors. The cocktails are bottled for consistency and are not classic. The Happy Fucking Valentines uses Lillet Rose, strawberry, chocolate mint and sparkling wine. The Millions of Peaches is made with bourbon, burnt peach and thyme.