Welcome to a series of stories showcasing one drink, one bartender, at one great bar. This series is made possible by Brown-Forman's Elevate program — to learn more, contact your Brown-Forman representative.
If you want to see Sydney’s indie bar scene at its best, you’d be well advised to spend a night on Enmore Road in Newtown. Here, the bars run on the small side, but make up for that with big splashes of personality and character.
You’ll find plenty of character at Ravenspur, a classic cocktail bar which has just celebrated its first birthday. You’ll also find plenty of personality behind the stick should you meet the bar’s owner, Taran Howard.
Below, the first time hospo owner and new bartender talks about building his first bar (it did help, he says, to have had a previous career as an electrician), about his love for classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned, and the eclectic dark country vibe of Ravenspur.
BOOTHBY: How’s the first year been?
TARAN HOWARD: A lot. I don’t have any hospitality background, it’s been an insane learning curve to say the least. But good fun.
BOOTHBY: For people who don’t know about Ravenspur, how do you describe it?
TARAN HOWARD: I always say like a dark country saloon. So that kind of Southern Gothic, Johnny Cash meets Danzig kind of area. But we’re a classic cocktail bar.
BOOTHBY: And you’ve made us an Old Fashioned here?
TARAN HOWARD: Yeah, using the Jack Daniel’s Bonded we just made a classic Old Fashioned, which is probably one of my favourite drinks to have.
BOOTHBY: Why is an Old Fashioned such a damn good drink?
TARAN HOWARD: It’s like any of the classics, but an Old Fashioned is one of those drinks where you say it’s what you gauge your bar on.
But there’s nothing to hide behind — a bit of sweet, a bit of bitters, and a bit of whiskey. You’ve really got nowhere to hide.
BOOTHBY: I mean it’s a drink that’s been around for nearly a couple hundred years, so there’s gotta be something to it.
TARAN HOWARD: It stands the test of time.
BOOTHBY: What made you, with no hospitality background, open a bar? What terrible business were you in before that these margins would appeal to you?
TARAN HOWARD: My background, I’m an electrician by trade. I’ve done a myriad of jobs. But during Covid, I got made redundant, and started an online business selling crystals and tarot cards and things like that. That escalated into a brick and mortar store between the lockdowns, ran that for years, sold that.
Then I thought, you know what I really want to do? Lose all of my nights and open a bar.
I had this thing where I wanted to open a bar that I would want to drink in, and be in, and something new and exciting. And that’s why I got to create what is essentially the insane brainchild of my mind.
BOOTHBY: Can you describe the pieces on the walls here, and the design behind the bar?
TARAN HOWARD: The back bar was probably the biggest thing that I really knew. I went in with a very loose concept, which was a cathedral back bar, and then vintage frames on the walls with cowboy hats, taxidermy. And mixing the two, that dark country, just mixing what I like.
It was like, if they build it will they come? I’ve built it, and they are coming.
BOOTHBY: How much of the build did you do yourself? Being a sparky, I’m guessing you are pretty handy?
TARAN HOWARD: I did about 95 percent of this build myself, basically due to budget constraints — I couldn’t afford to actually get all the trades in. I’d been on site for years, so I’d known bits and pieces, and paid for what I had to in terms of licences, trades — but again, myself being an electrician was a massive plus for me. The back bar was built by a set designer, and then the bar top was a mate of mine who actually works with timber. But everything else you see was built by me, and then a few of my friends actually popped in and helped out here and there.
But yeah, there is definitely blood, sweat and tears of mine in this place.
Old Fashioned
Ingredients:
- 60ml Jack Daniel’s Bonded
- 5ml sugar syrup
- 2-3 dashes of aromatic bitters
- 1-2 dashes of orange bitters
- orange twist to garnish
Stir down all ingredients with ice and serve over block ice. Garnish with an orange twist.
Our Bonded Series celebrates innovation and craftsmanship while giving a nod to the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, which set the benchmark for whiskey quality and authenticity. Our Bonded Whiskey Series is crafted for those who appreciate the rich history and meticulous craftsmanship of Jack Daniel’s. Dive into our Bonded Series and savor the pinnacle of Jack Daniel's craftsmanship with every sip.
