First Service: Honeydripper, a Walnut- and Velvet-Clad Hi-Fi Bar Where the Cocktails Match the Music

When Broadsheet last dropped into Honeydripper on Frome Street, the site was a jungle. Construction loomed and wires swung like vines from the ceiling. Now, the cables are hidden away, powering one of the city’s most impressive club sound systems, in a space painstakingly designed to deliver an exceptional sonic – and overall – experience.

Honeydripper opened last Friday, with the first guests filtering in for evening cocktails in the venue’s cosy conversation pits.

Co-owner Sean Howard (Memphis Slim’s) describes Honeydripper as a dinner party at your cool friend’s house (if your friend lived in LA’s Laurel Canyon in the 1960s). Booths, walnut panelling and careful acoustic design make for a warm and intimate setting for drinks and conversation.

The aesthetic – as envisioned by Claire Markwick-Smith – melds ’60s period style with modern polish. It’s crushed velvet meets brushed steel. Howard is quick to shout out the local craftspeople and artists who brought the space to life: Sam Weckert’s joinery work, Jim Semple on the metalwork, and lighting designers Amy Vidler and David Musch. Works by local artists including Jock Walker will soon complete the picture.

Honeydripper’s main drawcard – a Japanese-inspired hi-fi lounge on the mezzanine level – is waiting on a few finishing touches but should open next month, Howard says. Every aspect of the space is tuned for sound quality, from construction techniques and soft furnishings to the Klipsch La Scala speakers driven by a McIntosh MC312 amplifier. This is where DJs will play nightly sets blending their own selections with tracks from Honeydripper’s 3000-strong vinyl library, which the team acquired from Chicago DJ Gene Farris.

Ex- Osteria Oggi venue manager Raph Thompson has been recruited to oversee daily operations, with Alex “Bubba” Johnston and Josh McElhinney handling things behind the bar. “We’ve tried to refine the decision experience,” Howard says, alluding to the drinks menu designed to let you “shop with your eyes”. Each leather-bound folio holds baseball card-style sleeves showing bright images, flavour descriptions and a scale for sweetness, sourness and strength. Notably, the menu doesn’t list the spirits in each drink. It’s a deliberate move which Howard hopes will skirt people’s preconceptions of particular spirits. “Of course, you can always ask the bartender,” he says.

In keeping with the audiophile theme, each drink also includes a song pairing from the Honeydripper team. Sip a fizzy mix of passionfruit, tonka and banana while humming Spooky by Dusty Springfield. Or try a Guinness-based Shibata with coffee, forest fruits and cream, a dark and moody match for Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain.

Honeydripper isn’t exclusively a nighttime venue. Down the line, it’s set to open for daytime trade. Drop by from 8am weekdays to grab a bagel and Dawn Patrol coffee and settle in for the day. “We’ve built power points into all the booths, and there’s free wi-fi all day,” says Howard. Unlike at cafes that go for turnover rather than tenure, Howard is more than happy for people to park themselves for a few hours while they work or study. In fact, he sees it as an asset. “Around 4pm, when you’re starting to transition from cafe to bar, it helps [with the vibe] to have a few heads already in,” he says.

Honeydripper
11 Frome Street, Adelaide
No phone

Hours:
Wed & Thu 5pm–midnight
Fri 4pm–1:30am
Sat 3pm–1:30am
Sun 3pm–midnight

www.honeydripper.com.au
@honeydripper.hifi