Ramblin’ Rascal Tavern

For a good time, consult the three ringmasters (and talented crew) of this perpetual party circus

IF, GOD FORBID, anyone ever flipped on the lights at the Ramblin’ Rascal, what might it look like under the cold, sober light of fluoro? A barely renovated former comedy club in the basement of a nondescript city office. The booths are vinyl and the carpet is – well, the less said about the carpet the better. Eyes front, people. But show us another bar team in the state that can so readily be recognised by their skull logos alone. The rascals who make up the core team at the Rascal are so clearly delineated in look, roles and manner they might as well have their own trading cards. Here’s Sebastian “Cosmo” Soto, he of the bold quiff and bolder moustache, a man whose run-in with an unsecured shaker of a popular cranberry-flavoured cocktail and some unsuspecting patrons when he was first starting out behind the bar was so spectacular that it has stuck with him as a nickname to this day. There’s Dardan Shervashidze, chiselled of attitude and shaved of head. And then there’s Charlie Lehmann. His signature look – denim overalls, long beard and a cheeky grin – has been co-opted all over town and the unfailing vigour and sparkle of his chat puts him in a class of his own. Whether it’s the six-buck ‘shit tin’ or something a little stiffer, the drinks are good: these boys are Baxter Inn graduates, after all. Long may they ramble. à60 Park St, Sydney 2000. www.ramblin rascaltavern.com. Mon-Wed 4pm-midnight; Thu & Sat 4pm-2am; Fri noon-2am.