Rancho Seltzo

American photographer Slim Aarons was known for documenting glamourous people luxuriating beside pools in LA and frolicking in Europe and the Mediterranean. His images evoke balmy summer days – and so does Bondi bar Rancho Seltzo, which draws aesthetic inspiration from the photographer’s work. It also incorporates the desert glamour of Palm Springs, and the hard-seltzer scene that Scott Brown, director of House Made Hospitality, saw sweeping southern California on a research trip.

Billed as a six-month pop-up, the bar is a partnership between House Made Hospitality, which also operates the CBD’s Hinchcliff House and This Way Canteen, along with Bondi Brewing Co, whose hard seltzers are the bedrock of the drinks menu. As well as the brewery’s regular seltzers, including mango and rosewater, the bar also pours seasonal flavours such as lychee and lemon squash. Coconut ice-cream can be added for a grown-up take on the spider.

There’s also a tight menu of tropical cocktails: zingy Mojitos, mango and lime Daquiris, and frozen Margaritas.

If you’re here for a bite, the flatbread plates are a must-order. Each one is topped with a chargrilled protein (chicken, flathead, lamb shoulder or falafel) and salads, sauces and pickles. Other post-beach bites include a prawn and avocado roll; watermelon, tomato and ginger salad; and salt-and-pepper calamari.

It was a two-week operation to get the space (formerly the Pacific Club) ready for opening. Cacti was sourced from a nursery in Guildford, bright cushions line banquette-style seating and white-washed walls stand in contrast to fluro murals by local artist Jakey Pedro depicting cowboys, palm trees and surfboards. Pedro’s exuberant paintings brighten up the walls and wrap the concrete pillars.