Bar review: The Ginger Minx, Mt Eden

The Ginger Minx, Mt Eden. Photo / Getty Images

Address: 117 Valley Road, Mt Eden
Rating:

First drinks: Were ordered across a sticky bar, after we peeled the cocktail menu from it. Not a great start. The barman was incredibly friendly and did his best to distract us from an awkward stand-off happening next to us between a customer and another bartender. He even remembered our names when we left, which was rather sweet.

The vibe is: Junk shop chic, like something you'd find in Melbourne's laneways. It has the potential to be a hipster's paradise but the Friday night crowd is a strange mix of city fringe office workers and locals.

It smells of: Cigarette smoke, which hangs thick in the air as you first enter the premises and never quite leaves you.

On the stereo: An inoffensive mix of funky house. DJ Dick Johnson takes over from 9pm most Fridays.

Room for improvement: Aside from the bar needing a good wipedown, we'd like to see a bit less black paint and a bit more colour on the walls. It's a little morbid as it stands.

The perfect spot: If you live locally and fancy a drink that doesn't feature flat screens with sportscasts plastered all over the walls.

Most redeeming feature: The Silk Doll cocktail, which may actually be the most delicious drink ever to pass our lips. An exotic blend of Aperol, gin, honey clove syrup, lemon juice, egg white and rosemary, it comes highly recommended.