Bar Fly: Stitch

STITCH
61 York Street, Sydney (02) 9279 0380 stitchbar.com
There’s a reason we were perched around the end of the bar – we were huddled up as close as we could get to the Ardbeg cabinet. Ardbeg 10-year-old ($12); Uigeadail ($15); Alligator ($23); the confronting Corryvreckan ($24); the tamer Blasda ($26); Ardbeg Day Bottling ($16) and Supernova ($26) are all on offer. Ardbeg (in case you didn’t know) is the whisky that changed my world. The breakthrough whisky. The one that delivered that ah-ha moment. There are other smoky Islays, more whiskies and all sorts of hard liquor down the stairs at Stitch too, but this session we started with cocktails. “I reckon this is the best sour we’ve had together,” the bar bloke dropped in. Me? I nodded in happy agreement. Plus I loved the touch of summer – the fresh cherry garnish. And we agreed that our test drink – a martini – was also tops.