In the heart of Dublin, just minutes from St. Stephen’s Green and steps from Grafton Street, The Westbury carries the assured presence of a great metropolitan hotel. A five-star member of The Leading Hotels of the World, it welcomes guests with neutral-toned suites, gold accents and Wilde, its restaurant dedicated to Irish oysters and the day’s catch. Just off the lobby sits The Sidecar, one of the city’s defining cocktail destinations, built on the visual language of the classic cocktail bar. Polished marble floors, bevelled mirrors, a pewter counter, low lighting and interiors that nod to the 1930s set the tone for a room that draws hotel guests, Dublin regulars and travellers in search of a bar with a clear sense of self.
The Sidecar’s Cocktail List Tells the Story of Dublin Through Cocktails
Among the strongest reasons to settle into one of its generous armchairs — or claim a seat at the bar — is Dublin Unfiltered, the cocktail list created by Bar Manager Oisin Kelly. Part urban archive, part drinks programme, the menu features eighteen cocktails conceived as individual chapters devoted to the city, each paired with street photography dating from the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries by both professional and amateur photographers, from Arthur Fields to John J. Clarke, personally sourced by the bar team from archives across the Irish capital. There is no room here for empty nostalgia. Instead, the menu frames Dublin as a living archive of everyday moments: passersby, bridges, market scenes, street performers, children at play along the canal. The city’s unfiltered essence — and that of the people who define it — becomes liquid narrative, served alongside a compelling layer of storytelling.
The Sidecar’s Signature Cocktails
Among the most successful drinks on the list is Emerald Smile, inspired by a 1966 photograph of Dublin Airport’s Terminal Building. In the glass, gin, kiwi, aloe vera and elderflower come together in a serve that feels bright, fresh and unmistakably pop. More rooted in place, The Stand Off reimagines the Vesper Martini with vodka, gin and oyster-infused vermouth, finished with samphire oil. The saline profile calls to mind the atmosphere of Ireland’s western coastline. Herd it on the Tramline, meanwhile, explores the intersection of rural and urban memory through a blend of Irish whiskey, apple brandy, cider and a cordial inspired by Cidona, the beloved Irish sparkling apple soft drink. Its starting point is a photograph of cattle being driven along North Circular Road toward market, a tram trailing behind.
More playful in tone, Roll the Dice takes inspiration from Thom McGinty, the legendary Diceman of Grafton Street. Here, single malt whisky meets amaretto, Italian and French amaro, pineapple, coconut and chocolate bitters in an Old Fashioned variation that abandons classical restraint in favour of something more theatrical, entirely in keeping with its muse.
Highballs, Spirits and the Martini Trolley
Beyond the signature menu, The Sidecar maintains a broader drinks programme focused on highballs, Irish and international spirits, a Taste of Luxury selection and a Martini Trolley offering four bespoke interpretations. Dublin Unfiltered, however, is what forges the most meaningful connection with the city itself, giving both locals and those passing through for only a few days the chance to discover the Capital’s real story through images and through the glass.
The article first appeared on Coqtail – for fine drinkers. Order your copy here
Images courtesy The Sidecar
