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Loft bar: a cocktail for every season

May 28, 2013, updated Jan 01, 2020

Behind the bar at The Loft Oyster and Wine Bar, the affable manager explains that he’s picked the pomegranate seeds for a delicious-looking cocktail from his own garden.  “I’ve got a pomegranate tree at home and it’s just started to fruit so I stole some pomegranates; we’ve taken the juice and turned it into a grenadine,” Edward Alder tells Indaily.  Alder epitomises what the bar is all about.

He’s relaxed and sophisticated at the same time, passionate about the drinks he is creating and people he is serving. His personal touch extends beyond the pomegranates; he also brews the ginger beer for the seasonal special cocktail.

With entry upstairs through two heavy wooden doors, The Loft is a new wine bar on Gouger Street in the same building as the Mars Bar. With a capacity of 270, it’s no small player and has a modern fit-out with elegant furniture and a dark, intimate ambiance.

Alder was head-hunted from the exclusive Vue de Monde wine bar in Melbourne by The Loft’s head manager, Martin O’Connor.

“We are both from a fine-dining background and we like to be able to offer, not fine-dining, because we don’t want people to be uncomfortable, but that same high standard of service,” O’Connor says.

“It’s intimate. You should be able to relax and be able to be you – fine-dining without the arrogance.”

O’Connor is responsible for the look and feel of the bar, which is targeted at people who want to enjoy and appreciate their evening.

“Myself and a lot of people I know just felt very frustrated not having a place we feel comfortable and relaxed in to enjoy the finer things in life – nice wine, seafood and a nice elegant setting.”

Alder’s focus has been on the creation of a small, seasonal cocktail list and the boutique beers, and O’Connor has selected the wine list.

While the cocktail list is small, each one is designed to fit with the season and a menu set to evolve with the changing weather.

“The Sherry Cobbler is going to change as the seasons change; at the moment, blood oranges are just coming into season, so we’ve got a blood orange liquor and some dry sherry from Victoria and it’s really nice and refreshing,” Alder says.

“Likewise, we’ll have an espresso-style drink but it will change, so in winter we might take a hot siphon on the bar, and run a different style of coffee.”

He says even the classics are the style of drinks that suit this time of year.

“We are trying to show ordering mojitos in the middle of winter maybe isn’t the best thing to do. It’s a party drink invented in Cuba on a beach, so here we are in the middle of winter; we’ll still make an excellent mojito, but we might say, ‘This is what you might like to try instead’.”

The wine list has been curated with the same attention to detail.

“The local and imported wines are from family wineries, so the real love is there in the production of the wines,” O’Connor says.

“A lot of people are stuck in sauvignon blanc and shiraz country, which isn’t a bad thing, but there are so many other delicious wines.”

The wine list offers unusual varieties by the glass. The Loft also plans to also hold wine tastings and develop a community around wine.

“I spoke with a lot of the winemakers involved and got them on board,” O’Connor says. “They will be making guest appearances with their wines, doing wine tasting and [with us] helping them promote their wines.”

To complement the drinks, the food is simple and wine-focussed, with a selection of oysters, cheese and meats.

The Loft is now open Wednesday-Sunday nights at 1/128 Gouger Street, Adelaide.

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