A lineup of just a few of the creative glasses you might be sipping your next cocktail from. Photo: Ash St George.
Devil You Don’t is a newly opened concept bar in New Acton by the same team behind Braddon whisky bar Volstead Repeal and neighbouring olde-timey Peacemaker Saloon. Cocktails are the name of the game here, all served with a devilish attention to detail.
Taking over the basement space where High Jinks once sat, Devil You Don’t has reimagined it with deep, plush red couches set beneath black-and-red feature walls. The cosy space feels like it has somehow sunk even deeper into the earth: it’s moody and intimate. The logo also gives off a real Dungeons and Dragons vibe, which perhaps feeds into the aesthetic.
A mix of classic cocktails and new inventions is on the menu. Photo: Ash St George.
Co-owner Stu Inger told Region that the team has had their eye on this location for a while, so their concept was ready to go.
“We wanted to do something super cocktail-focused. Modern cocktails can be a little bit challenging for consumers because there’s a lot of complex techniques involved, and you don’t always know what to expect,” he said.
“So the first page of the menu is all classic cocktails. Still with a bit of a spin, but nothing crazy! So those are the ‘devils you know’, and the second page we’ve got the ‘devils you don’t’ – all drinks that we’ve come up with.”
Stu says that these signature cocktails take their inspiration from familiar places, like a new iteration of a classic cocktail, or an improvement on a cocktail you didn’t like! Sometimes he’s inspired by a flavour combination at a restaurant, and tries to recreate that in a drink.
Devil You Don’t takes over the New Acton space formerly occupied by High Jinks bar. Photo: Ash St George.
The Dead Reckoning is an espresso martini-inspired base topped with pandan cream and has been very popular. The Paradise Lost is made with toasted coconut rum, strawberry-infused rum and pineapple. The mix is ‘milk punched’ with coconut milk (a process that clarifies the spirit and imparts flavour and texture for a silky finish).
Another cocktail uses cognac ‘washed’ with ghee (clarified butter).
“We use that cognac-flavoured ghee and mix it with butter to create a cognac butter, which is the base of what we call our Devilled Bread anchovy toast,” Stu said.
“It’s what you get when bartenders make food!”
The team behind Devil You Don’t have won multiple awards for their cocktails at Volstead Repeal and Peacemaker Saloon. Photo: Ash St George.
Simple snacks like charcuterie boards will also be available. Without a dedicated kitchen space, the team can’t offer a wide range of food, but hopes to create more substantial meals in the future.
They’re planning to stay open until midnight if they’re busy enough, to bring a bit more nightlife back into New Acton.
“That area was really happening pre-COVID, and it kind of dropped off a bit. But they’re doing a lot of work there, and we’d love to see it thriving. Hopefully, we can be a part of making it a fun and interesting place again.”
Devil You Don’t is located in the basement of 2/15 Edinburgh Avenue, New Acton. They are open from Tuesday to Saturday, 4 pm until around midnight, and hope to be open 7 days a week (eventually). Follow Devil You Don’t on Instagram.
