“From the American Bar at London’s Savoy to the Long Bar in Singapore’s Raffles, hotel bars have become legendary as much for their patronage and ambience as for the tipples that they serve. Having seen celebrities and royalty rub shoulders with Sydney’s well-heeled, The Bar runs to an old-school playbook, with signed photos of former luminary guests taking pride of place, and the beverage menu offers classic cocktails with a modern – and high-end – interpretation.” Sydney Morning Herald
It has hosted royalty, and rock royalty, from Princess Diana to David Bowie and Elton John, and now The Bar at InterContinental Sydney Double Bay has taken its first steps to reclaiming a sense of the exclusive harbourside hotel’s regal grandeur from years gone past.
Leading the reinvention of the space is one of Sydney’s most renowned restaurateurs and entrepreneurs, Maurice Terzini (Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, CicciaBella, RE, Belongil Beach Italian Food), who has met his own brief to bring the glamour, elegance and sophistication of international hotel bars back to Sydney.
Inspired by the great hotel bars of London, Rome, Paris and New York, the vibe is part classic cocktail bar and part 1920s piano lounge. The hotel’s original piano man is back, alongside martini trolleys, tableside service by bow-tied white-jacketed waiters, and a decadent cocktail and food menu that sees N25 kaluga caviar served alongside blinis with cultured cream and chives, beef tartare and a spanner crab lasagnette.
Alfred was tasked with bringing the design and interiors to life. Soft, elegant furnishings, acclaimed artworks commissioned by Vicki Lee, and silverware and signed photographs from the hotel’s archive create a bold, luxurious identity that’s also a tribute to the venue’s past. A destination bar for guests of the hotel or visitors alike, it’s just as much a place for people wanting to relax with a drink from afternoon to eve, for locals ready for an all-night party or voyeurs wanting secluded corners for romancing and people-watching.
The bold pink colour scheme was designed to transform from day to night, as the natural light fades and a wild transition at dusk welcomes in the eve. Like all great hotel bars of the world, it’s a place you can truly get lost in.
The Bar won Best Hotel Bar in Australia at the prestigious HM Awards in the year of it’s redesign.
