Peacemaker Saloon on Mort St in Braddon. Photo: Kazuri Photography
Isn’t it fantastic when a restaurant/bar transports you to another dimension?
We are having an early dinner at Peacemaker Saloon on Mort St in Braddon, and from the moment we stepped over the tiled Howdy at the entrance, it feels like we are pulling up a drink in the Wild West.
Named for the iconic quick draw pistol that has become synonymous with cowboy westerns, the art and decor here recall the wide open spaces where buffalo roam (and the deer and the antelope play). Walk up to the bar just to check out all the details. If you are a tall drink of water, the height of the booth tables will bring you great joy.
We sit up at the bench with a view out across Mort St. Jay Moon belts out catchy folksy-blues ballads near the bar and the heady scents of down-home cooking waft from the kitchen.
Peacemaker Saloon is the latest passion project of Allen and Stu of Volstead Repeal, the whiskey/cocktail bar just up the road awarded best cocktail bar in the ACT for the second year running.
They opened this American West-styled saloon along with co-owners Gus and Paul.
“It was either going to be a tiki bar or a saloon, and when this opportunity opened up down the road from Volstead, a saloon just made sense,” Paul says.
Peacemaker’s vibe is easygoing, with hearty meals, great drinks, and a fun, laid-back atmosphere.
“It’s a big open social space. All these low tables, if you come in with a sizeable group you can push them together. I’ve seen people sharing tables with complete strangers.”
Paul tells us that a recent personal highlight was having 60 patrons belting out Wagon Wheel together one evening.
Paul takes us on a brief tour.
We push through a set of swinging saloon doors and Paul shows us a cupboard hung with clothes that, when you step into it, opens up, Narnia-like into a private room: Doc’s Den. Named for Doc Holliday, Doc’s Den is an exclusive room, a private area seating up to 20 people. Booking this room includes table service, and you place your orders using an old-style telephone.
Co-owner Paul’s hat and drawl are a perfect fit for the saloon. Photo: Kazuri Photography
We peruse the leather-bound menu that begins with drinks and ends with eats. I don’t know wines or beer, but I recognise some local brews and wines on the list. The cocktail menu reads like award-winning mixologists with refined palates created it. Which is the case.
All the classics are there, along with themed drinks like Dead Man’s Hand with Beam Rye and orange spritz; a Tombstone with Bacardi Ocho, apricot, lime and winter spices; the Bandit Queen with Grey Goose, citrus syrup and bubbles is one I must come back and try.
The ‘grub’ menu offers hearty, rustic deliciousness, like a sloppy joe or a Reuben sandwich. ‘Taters and links’ is a plate of sausages and mash doused with bourbon gravy. The cornbread sounds amazing, and how could you go past ‘prairie smoke wings’?
We ordered the monthly drink special, a maple bacon old-fashioned, and a mocktail. This is my first ever old-fashioned, which Paul tells us is the original cocktail, created with bourbon, sugar and bitters (Woodford Reserve bourbon and maple syrup in this case). The maple syrup blends with the earthy bourbon to give us caramelised back notes. I love a massive ice cube and this is one for the record books. A glossy rasher of maple candied bacon festoons the cocktail, and we go halvies. I have had lots of maple bacon in my time, and this one is the king.
The mocktail is tart and refreshing, based on lime and mint, like a virgin mojito.
We indulge in a trio of eats.
The High Noon Nachos. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
The High Noon Nachos brings vibrant colours to a dish that could just be dull shades of brown. Scrumptious Tex-Mex mince topped with melty cheese, bright, fresh salsa, guacamole, jalapenos and sour cream on a bed of corn chips.
I am so glad we ordered a sloppy joe with crinkle-cut chips. I grew up on sloppy joes, a uniquely American savoury mince sandwich, cooked in a tomato sauce with onions and capsicum, then ladled into a toasted bun. I never found sloppy joes special or appealing as a child, but we order one here for the nostalgia of it. Peacemaker’s sloppy joe combines rustic mince (chunky) in a velvety and complex tomato sauce that is slightly sweet with a whiff of smoke. The addition of pickles inside the toasted bun is inspired. My son isn’t a fan of cooked capsicum, yet he absolutely loves this dish. I commend the chef for just how good it is.
The mac & cheese is topped with aromatic toasted breadcrumbs. It tastes better than toasted breadcrumbs. I think it must be pangrattato. So good!
A maple bacon old-fashioned. More cocktails should come with breakfast food. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
Check out Peacemaker’s socials for its brand new BBQ plate, featuring in-house smoked ribs and brisket. I can only imagine how delicious it will all taste! Because their pedigree is in making cocktails, look out for the monthly special cocktail that will be “a little bit flashy, a little bit extra, only on the menu for a month”. The socials will herald the monthly food specials too.
Peacemaker Saloon is located at 26 Mort St in Braddon. It is open seven days a week. Monday to Thursday from 4 pm to 12 am, Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 2 am, and Sunday from 11 am to 11 pm. Happy hour is from 4 to 6 pm every day.
Follow Peacemaker Saloon on Facebook and Instagram.
Original Article published by Michelle Taylor on Riotact.
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