Silver’s Motel, a Whisky Bar “For Everyone”, Makes Its Amber-Hued Debut on Enmore Road

This week, we’re adding Silver’s Motel to The Hot List, the definitive guide to Sydney’s most essential food and drink experiences.

The enormous back bar at Silver’s Motel looks like a church organ, with pipes made from towering rows of whisky bottles. It’s the main instrument at Enmore Road’s latest bar, and it commands your attention the moment you enter and walk past the motel’s front desk.

Over 350 bottles line the shelves of a concave bar set into the wall. Scotland, the US, Japan – every whisky big-hitter, plus plenty of lesser-known regions – are amply represented. But what’s more exciting than the geographic spread is the age ranges on offer.

“We’re trying to provide an offering where you can get a really amazing whisky, but not at a ridiculous price,” co-owner Tynan Sidhu tells Broadsheet the day before Silver’s Motel officially opens.

“So you’ve got our Japanese whiskies, which aren’t priced too high, but we’ve also got special ones.”

He would know.

Sidhu grew his personal stash while bartending throughout Sydney – including at fellow co-owner Michael Chiem’s Hot-Listed CBD bar PS40 – with the hopes of deploying it at a bar of his own.

“Johnnie Walker Red from the ’70s, Jim Beam from the ’80s and some really cool small-cask whiskies … Building this collection over the last 10-plus years, there’s a lot of bottles you just don’t see anymore.”

The best way to pick what to drink is to cast your eye towards the wall-mounted spirit optics, which suspend a handful of bottles upside down, ready for the perfect pour.

“You look at the bar and there’s 300-and-something whiskies here, which can be quite daunting,” says Chiem. “The idea is that we’re essentially highlighting a few rotating whiskies that we’re loving, and that we can create a conversation around.”

They’re also being put to prodigious use on the cocktail list.

“I think if you’re lucky enough to be able to partner with Michael Chiem, you leave the cocktails to him,” says Sidhu.

Smart play. Chiem’s cocktail reputation – honed over years spent creating some of Sydney’s most beloved and acclaimed cocktails – precedes him, and he’s relishing the chance to apply his skills to Silver’s whisky-heavy, old-school Australiana surrounds.

When Broadsheet visits, it’s the night before the Silver’s Motel grand opening. Menus will be printed tomorrow. Some signatures don’t have a name yet. But when you check in, there’s one drink you have to look for.

“It’s an Old Fashioned inspired by Ice Magic,” says Chiem. “I’ve made a caramel out of whey, cacao nib, vanilla bean and butter – and we get this beautiful whisky with a splash of port, with the Ice Magic as the garnish over the top. We’re still debating the name.”

Whatever it’s called, get it. And if, for whatever reason, whisky isn’t your thing (at least, not yet) there’s still plenty: like custom-brewed Grifter pilsners and a tight by-the-glass wine list.

It’s a little astounding that Silver’s was largely designed by Sidhu and Chiem, because it’s one of the most beautiful, distinctive bars to open in Sydney in a hot minute. Every detail in the 90-seater – from the walnut wall-panelling and textured carpets to the cocoa-coloured upholstery on the booths and bar seats – feels minutely, fastidiously considered.

This is a motel worth planning a trip around, and check-in is open now. And while no-one is accusing whisky of being unfashionable right now, Sidhu and Chiem are most excited about shifting the spirit away from stereotypes and gatekeeping rules.

“This spirit has so much romance behind it, so we want to engage new whisky drinkers, open it up and make it less intimidating,” says Sidhu. “Whisky has this rap as a male-dominated spirit, but we want to break down those cliches – this spirit is for everyone.”

Silver’s Motel
187 Enmore Road, Enmore

Hours:
Mon 5pm–2am
Wed to Sun 5pm–2am

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