I took my sister to the The Charles Bar last night for its deliciously upmarket happy hour, which includes $15 cocktails and $25 lobster butter linguine.
We had a fabulous time sipping and sampling and afterwards I found myself Googling why we call it Happy Hour … other than the obvious effects of discounted drinks.
It turns out the phrase was popularized during Prohibition (1920-1933) in the United States when the sale and consumption of alcohol was banned. Secret bars called “speakeasies” sprang up and the term “happy hour” was used to refer to the time when people would gather for an illicit drink before heading to dinner at places where alcohol wasn’t served.
By the end of Prohibition, the concept of a “happy hour” had caught on and restaurants and legal bars wanted a piece of the action, so the practice went public and “happy hours” spread around the globe during the 1960s.
Fast forward to 2024 and we settled into seats at The Charles to try their new cocktail menu and bar food and meet the new manager, Colin Tam.
Colin, who has worked at fabulous venues including Charlie Parker’s, Lotus, Little Felix, Hilton’s Zeta Bar, has introduced a cocktail list of 10 drinks accompanied by delicate garnishes made in-house by the pastry team.
Lovely bloke. Lovely bar.
My feet were like ice blocks all day and I shivered my way into town on the bus to meet my sister at the bar. But it was so warm and cosy inside The Charles. The decor is gorgeous – we felt like we’d been transported to Paris for the night.
It was also packed with happy patrons, which was great to see as I keep reading so many stories about how cafes, pubs and clubs are struggling during the cost of living crisis.
We kicked off our evening by trying one of the $15 cocktail specials on offer during the bar’s happy hour – great value and an awesome Gimlet, plus shared the $25 burger special.
The aged wagyu cheeseburger is only available until 6pm each night – fortunately we arrived at 5.30pm, so we hastily put in our order. It arrived layered with pickles, The Charles signature sauce and comes with a generous serving of seasoned fries, plus a glass of house wine, beer or soft drink for $25.
We were pretty full after that, but the blue swimmer crab croquettes with smoked roe sounded so delectable that we had to order two … with a couple of Rosella Spritzes – which featured Rhubi Mistelle aperitif, Regal Rose vermouth, Chandon Garden, hibiscus and tonic.
A little too sweet for me but still delicious.
We belatedly discovered there were pasta specials on offer, made in-house daily and $25 a plate, so we shared a lobster linguine.
It was at that point my sister started clutching her stomach because it hurt so much from our excesses, so we took that as our cue to wander back out into the cold night and catch our respective buses home.
The Charles gets two thumbs up from us – we thoroughly recommend its happy hour!
Song of the day: David Bowie “Ashes to ashes”
housegoeshome 
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