Travel-inspo bar Jackalberry, named for a native African tree, oozes a lush jungle feel. There are potted plants scattered throughout, wallpaper adorned with exotic ferns, shelves with woven baskets, striking masks, a tucan and National Geographic magazines from the 1930s. To complement the travel-inspired decor, Jackalberry has launched the “Traveller’s High Tea”, a high tea with a coffee twist.
This is no Champagne and scone fare with dainty cucumber sandwiches. Jackalberry has reimagined the traditional “high tea” components with international elements at every step and paired each tantalising tier with a unique coffee cocktail created in collaboration with Mr Black Coffee Liqueur. It’s the perfect afternoon for Sydneysiders who are obsessed with coffee, travelling, and cocktails.
The first tier pays homage to arguably the birthplace of high tea, the U.K., with a classic: scones. However, these are vanilla-lemonade and white chocolate and strawberry scones paired with a “Kaldi Fizz” cocktail. Named for the legendary Ethiopian goatherd who, as the story goes, discovered coffee after noticing his goats were incredible energetic after eating the berries from a certain tree: a coffee plant. The Kaldi Fizz is the only cocktail that doesn’t include actual coffee. This light aperitif includes a type of tea made from the flesh of the coffee cherry: cascara. It also includes other traditional African Cape ingredients fynbos, kalmoes and naartjies.
The second tier is the dessert layer which sweet elements from all over the world. It features a lamington (Australia), an exquisite opera cake (France), decadent Crema Catalana (Spain), chocolate and macadamia nut lollipops (USA), and a kiwi and fruit tartlet (New Zealand). As this layer was quite sweet, it was calling out for a cocktail of matching lusciousness. Dubbed “Lost in Translation” the paired cocktail for this tier was by far my standout. It comes in a frozen flask presented in a hollowed-out book — top marks for presentation. The cocktail is made with Mr Black Colombian Single Origin with dry Spanish sherry. It has layers of creamy coconut flavours with a crisp touch of citrus.
The final tier is the sandwich layer. Not a single cucumber sandwich to be found. Instead, we had smoked salmon, red onion and honey-dill mustard pretzel bread (Germany), grilled chicken pitta pocket (Greece), and a delicious spinach and hummus wrap (Lebanon). It was paired with the most unusual cocktail I’ve come across in a while: “Hortis”. This is a botanica cooling digestif, again made with Mr Black but with strong minty flavour and herbal aftertaste. Served in a striking port pipe glasses with bunches of mint. An excellent cocktail to cleanse the palate after the moreish sandwiches.
It’s time for some escapism and to take your taste buds on vacation! If you want to venture on an epicurean adventure without leaving the city, Jackalberry’s Traveller’s High Tea is just the ticket for you.
– Orlaith
Food & Beverage Specialist. Usually seen with a flat white in hand or on her way to a whiskey tasting. Needs to stop acquiring books and start reading them.
Where: Jackalberry Cocktail Bar, 161 Sussex Street, Sydney
When: Every Saturday Afternoon from 2pm- 5pm (From 24th October 2020 onwards)
Cost: $79 per person (serves two people)
Book here: https://www.tablecheck.com/en/shops/hyattregency-sydney-jackalberry/reserve
