Welcome to the latest in a series of stories showcasing one drink, from 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.
The bar scene in Newtown has never been more exciting. Up and down King Street and Enmore Road you’ll find listening bars, cocktail bars, bars that just do great bar service — it really has become Sydney’s premier destination for indie bars with character.
But there was one bar that started the movement, and that bar is Earl’s Juke Joint.
The bar turns 14 years old this year, and is still the bar that draws in bartenders and locals alike, having become a Newtown institution since opening in 2012.
“You know, it’s become a real part of the community,” says owner Pasan Wijesena in the interview below. “People bring their dogs in, we get to meet them all here, so that’s amazing.”
Below, he talks about the idea that you can never really own a bar — not if you want it to outlast yourself, as Pasan wants for Earl’s — and shares his recipe for an Old Fashioned-meets-Stinger style of drink, ready for Old Fashioned Month.
BOOTHBY: How do you think of your role here, Pasan?
PASAN WIJESENA: I’m the custodian of this bar — I don’t think once you open a bar you ever actually own it. It belongs to the people who come in here.
BOOTHBY: How long has Earl’s been here now? It’s a bit of an institution in Newtown.
PASAN WIJESENA: This will be our year 14, I think. Getting on.
BOOTHBY: What’s the big idea behind the place here? What makes Earl’s what it is?
PASAN WIJESENA: So the original concept was inspired by my favourite bars in New Orleans and the music and the drinks from that part of town. That’s the aesthetic look of the place. As it evolved, it became its own thing.
The people who come in here really dictate what the bar becomes. So there’s a lot of local craft beer, wine, cocktails that have ebbed and flowed depending on the crowd that’s coming in over the last 14 years.
It’s interesting to see it evolve.
BOOTHBY: It being sort of New Orleans-ish, there’s a bit of whiskey around as well. Tell us about this drink that you’ve made?
PASAN WIJESENA: Yeah, plenty of whiskey. We pretty much have always had a couple of whiskey drinks on our menu from day one. Primarily with a focus on bourbon and rye — that always leads to having some version of an Old Fashioned on the menu.
BOOTHBY: And this is the drink you’ve got on for Old Fashioned month?
PASAN WIJESENA: Yep. We’ve got a twist on the Old Fashioned — like any self-respecting bartender, we find a classic we love and twist it. We’re playing pretty fast and loose with the definition of an Old Fashioned here, but we basically take the ingredients of spirit, bitter and sugar to create this drink, which is the Anti-Matter, named after a song by King Geedorah. We do a lot of drinks for pre and post-dinner. So I wanted to do something that was aperitif, digestive style of drink. And interestingly enough, a really good experience I had was at Woodford Reserve about 10 years ago, matching whiskey with chocolate. So that’s an experience that really stuck with me, and I thought it was a good pairing.
This is like an Old Fashioned meets Stinger, I guess. So we start off with a good slug of Double Oaked. We then combine that with a little bit of Glendronach Traditionally Peated. Some Branca Menta, Pedro Ximenez, and some Tempus Fugit Cacao. And that whole concoction is infused for a couple of days with wattleseed just to add a little local touch to it.
BOOTHBY: Does it give it a textural thing as well?
PASAN WIJESENA: Yeah, a little bit of texture, plus it’s sort of this coffee, chocolatey kind of characteristic that complement the the bourbon and the cacao.
BOOTHBY: Why use this particular Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, as opposed to another one?
PASAN WIJESENA: This is actually the whiskey they paired with chocolate when I did the tasting. And the Double Oaked adds an extra element of sweetness, which marries really well with chocolate.
BOOTHBY: How important is the local community for you in this bar?
PASAN WIJESENA: Super important. I can’t tell you the amount of friends I’ve made who’ve walked in the door.
People who I’ve seen have their first dates and then have their wedding drinks here. You know, it’s become a real part of the community and people bring their dogs in, we get to meet them all here, so that’s amazing.
BOOTHBY: What is it like being, as you say, the custodian of the bar?
PASAN WIJESENA: It’s humbling because you realise, okay, you might be the owner of the venue, but no one else cares really. This venue, hopefully, can be here long after I’m gone. That’s the look I take on it.
I look at some of my favourite bars in the world, they’ve been there for fifty, sixty years — no one person can really own that. And it really evolves with the people who are here, the people behind the bar, the people who come. It’s super cool. It’s like a living entity.
BOOTHBY: When you think about your most favourite bars, anywhere in the world, what do they have in common? What is it about them that makes it meaningful to you?
PASAN WIJESENA: At my most favourite bars, it’s never about the drinks. It’s always about the people in there, hospitality. That might be little touches, music, the lighting, just the the way they make you feel when you walk in the door — I’ve got so many experiences like that around the world. That always sticks with me more than the drinks themselves.
BOOTHBY: A good Old Fashioned is a bonus, right?
PASAN WIJESENA: Exactly — to make a nice drink, that’s a bonus.
Woodford Anti-Matter Old Fashioned
Ingredients:
- 45ml Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
- 10ml The Glendronach Traditionally Peated
- 10ml Pedro Ximenez sherry
- 10ml Branca Menta
- wattleseed
Method:
- Infuse cracked wattleseed with The Glendronach, PX, and Branca Menta for 24 hours, then strain through coffee filters.
- Then add the Woodford Reserve Double Oaked.
- Stir down all ingredients with ice and serve over large block ice. Garnish with a lemon peel coin.
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