The team at Double Deuce Lounge have launched a number of new cocktails, adding to the menu of 70s-inspired classics ahead of the fast-approaching summer. Developed collaboratively by the team, the new line-up takes inspiration from the fruity flavours, vibrant colours, and porn chic of the 70s.
Best described as a retro-inspired soul and funk cocktail lounge, Double Deuce has earned its place in the heart of Syndey’s late-night revellers, recently receiving recognition as a finalist in the Bar of the Year, Best Cocktail List and Best Bar Team categories at the 2023 Australian Liquor Industry Awards.
Charlie Lehmann, Co-Owner of Sydney’s Double Deuce Lounge and Ramblin’ Rascal Tavern, told Bars and Clubs about the bars recent happenings.
“We have been rolling down at Double Deuce of late with more people returning to the CBD and the swell of new, multifaceted multimillion-dollar venues to the area. It’s been a good time. Shoutout to Bon Bon upstairs, they’re our new neighbours.
“You’ll catch Andy Chu’s One or Two next Tuesday for a little takeover we are calling ‘Pre’s and Threes’, and then on that same night we have our best mates from Caretakers Cottage sliding in for another takeover we are calling ‘Happily Ever Afters’.”
As well as fitting in not one but two takeovers in the same night, the team at Double Deuce have been busy with the creation of a new cocktail menu. While the cost of living has an impact on the development of new menus, it also leads to a more sustainable approach, Charlie explained.
“Due to the cost of living and inflation, many independent bars and operators are finding inventive ways to save money and the planet by employing more holistic techniques with produce. Rascal is about to throw down a menu with pineapple three different ways, things like this save money and utilise the fruit in its entirety.
“As Australians become more health conscious, we are also seeing more lower ABV type offerings on menus than we would have seen in the past.”
While external factors had some influence over the new creations, General Manager Claudia ‘Beryl’ Morgan explains exactly what went into the making of the new menu.
“The most important consideration when designing a new menu is what fruit is in season and readily available, what style the cocktails will be, whether it’s tall and refreshing or strong and stirred, how much prep will be involved and how easy it is to make the drink in service.
“All of our new cocktails fit a different style of drink so that guests have plenty of variety to choose from, and they feature different flavours and products. Some have very little prep behind the scenes but are more complicated to make in service, while others have lots of prep but are fast and efficient to serve to guests.
“For us, being such a cocktail heavy bar, we need a bit of both to balance it out. This menu was collaborative among the whole team, I gave everyone a spirit to focus on and style of beverage, and we went through what was in season and what the current trends are with cocktails.
“Our cocktail menu always takes inspiration from 1970s soul and funk music, porn and cinema. We like to base our cocktails off songs we play at Double Deuce as well as films of that era and time, with a little bit of cheekiness thrown in there such as with the Full Bush and Two in the Pink.
“We also keep in mind the drinks that were popular in the 1970s and currently, so you will see some reworked 70s classics on our menu, such as the Grasshopper, White Russian and the Stinger, as well as our take on a Godfather and the Double Play.”
Born from the creative collaboration of the team, Beryl shared some of the highlights from Double Deuce’s new menu with Bars and Clubs.
“The new cocktail I created, the Superfly, is inspired by the Curtis Mayfield song as well as the 1972 blaxploitation film Super Fly. I wanted the cocktail to have the same colours as the film posters, red and orange. It’s a fancy smoky frozen margarita, with Don Julio, two different mezcals, Yellow Chartreuse, blood orange and lime, topped with smoked native red gum salt.
“Cosmo’s creation, the Gallo Suave is based off his Latino heritage. He wanted to use the flavours of Agua de Jamaica, a spiced hibiscus tea that is popular in Mexican taquerias, so we made a syrup based off those elements and combined it with Pampero Dark Rum to create a refreshing sour.
“The Afternoon Delight is a fizz style drink that started originally with the inspiration of a tequila sunrise, but with the end product being vastly different. We took the flavours of Tanqueray 10 and made a mandarin cordial which is the combined with Aperol and dry curacao. On the bottom is Marionette Dry Cassis and soda, so the flavour evolves and changes through every sip.
“Alicia’s Two in the Pink is a banger. It’s a vegan milk punch with Haku Vodka as the base, coconut kefir, strawberries, rhubarb, and a little bit of Select Aperitif. It’s very crowd pleasing and easy to sip.”
Alongside the funky new additions to the cocktail menu at Double Deuce, you can always rely on the team to serve up familiar favourites.
“We keep our Deuce classics permanently on the menu,” added Charlie. “These include Full Bush, Discretionary, Grasshopper, White Russian, and the Stinger. The reason we keep these is because guests always call for them and the lack of permanence in modern cocktail menus and in this city needs to be addressed.
“How does something become classic if we keep churning through new menu items on a regular basis? It doesn’t, and I believe having a groovy, retro aesthetic with soul and funk tunes helps us hold down this philosophy.”
