Shaman Is the Timeless Basement Rum Bar the City Has Been Missing

Despite our hot weather and love of rum, tropical bars are few and far between in Brisbane. With his fourth venue, Pete Hollands (co-owner of Frog’s Hollow Saloon, Alice and The Alliance Hotel) is aiming to change that.

Drawing inspiration from old-school drinking dens across Europe and the Caribbean, Shaman is a rum and tequila bar that looks like it’s been serving drinks for 30 years, even though it only opened on November 6.

“This is the first bar I’ve done that’s turned out exactly like I envisioned it,” Hollands says. He did much of the fit-out himself, including making the small hexagonal tables dotted around the space. After a six-month delay due to a complicated licensing process, Hollands is keen to show off his handiwork. “Now is that terrifying point where you’re like, ‘I hope people come and drink here’,” he says.

Shaman is hidden, even by basement bar standards – there’s no street signage. To get to the bar, go to 109 Edward Street, head down the alleyway beside the building and look for a staircase with a neon pink arrow above it. Down the stairs, behind a wooden door, you’ll find Shaman. 

Like Antico, a fellow CBD laneway bar, Shaman’s layout and lighting make the small space feel larger than it is. The room is designed to envelope you, drawing your focus to little details like the slowly spinning wooden ceiling fans or the leadlight lampshades. Seamless service from the moment you enter helps, too. “I hate seeing a ‘Please wait to be seated’ sign when I walk into a bar. People don’t need to be told what the process is when they walk through the door.”

Despite the large collection of rum and tequila on the backbar, there’s no laundry list of spirits to work through. Instead, there’s just a pamphlet offering a concise range of South American wines and exactly one beer: Estrella, served straight from bright red, imported ice crates. There are also changing recommended rums and agave spirits.

As expected from a bar team headed by general manager Tim Pope (ex-Par) and Ed Quatermass (ex-Maker and Frog’s Hollow), the 12-strong cocktail list strikes a balance between the familiar and the adventurous. The Always On section houses the bar’s three signature drinks: a Daiquiri, a Margarita and an Old Fashioned. The Sometimes On section features a handful of classics and original creations, mostly using rum or tequila. The final section, called Something Silly, is for party drinks and retro recipes. The standout here is the Fluffy Duck, an orange-cake-flavoured disco drink seldom seen since the ’80s and believed to have originated in Sydney. Shaman’s version uses rum instead of gin and cuts back on soda water, for a thicker, richer cocktail.

The bar is named after the 2002 album by Santana and, although another Santana album adorns the walls, Hollands is clear Shaman is “not a Santana-themed bar”. Rather, Santana’s music encapsulates the relaxed atmosphere Hollands aims to create. “It’s the throughline linking it all together: the candles on the tables, ceiling fans, the rum, the Margaritas. It just helps me express what I wanted to achieve.”

But at its core, Hollands says, Shaman is “just a bar. We’ve got no barriers to entry”. You don’t need to have a favourite rum – or a favourite Santana album – to enjoy yourself here. “We want this place to function almost like the bar in Cheers. So anyone can walk in, sit down and drink.”

Shaman

109 Edward Street, Brisbane City (entry via laneway)

No phone

Hours:

Daily 3pm–midnight

@shamanbne