Avast, me hearties: it's The Angry Pirate

The Redfern small bar scene has a new first mate - The Angry Pirate on Redfern Street recently joined the burgeoning community along with nearby small bars Arcadia Liquors, The Dock and Hustle & Flow Bar.

Reaching Redfern's shores in December 2013, The Angry Pirate takes a kitsch-free approach to its theme with just a few parrots for colour, and bar and tabletops made impressively of aged wood beams sourced from what was once a Pyrmont wharf and a former Sydney ferry.

The bar at The Angry Pirate, Redfern Street, Redfern

The bar's name comes from a Captain Pugwash episode that owner Peter Groom and his co-owner mate happened to be watching as the bar was coming together. This merriness and light-heartedness transfers to the cocktail menu which lists classics and crowd-favourites with a pirate twist.

Grog Zombie

The Grog Zombie is served in a fabulously vibrant tiki cup and features The Angry Pirate's own 'grog' - spiced rum that's aged in oak. It's shaken with a tropical array of pineapple juice, passionfruit puree, lemon and lime juices and house bitters, served with a flaming passionfruit cup of a rum float.

Surprisingly, the Zombie's not overly rum strong but is heavy on the passionfruit, and completely and utterly appropriate as a drink to start the night - just remember to blow out the flame before sipping from the straws.

Pirate's Tea Party

The tall, icy Pirate's Tea Party cocktail is a refreshing concoction of vodka, gin and rum with elderflower and iced tea classics of lemon and mint and just a hint of earl grey tea. Its lightness is ideal to wash down the complimentary bowl of buttery, spiced popcorn.

Angry and Sour

Sounding a bit like a dumped partner, the Angry and Sour is the bar's take on an amaretto sour with the sweet addition of pomegranate liqueur. Shaken with amaretto, rum and lime, the vanilla and egg white foam join for a smooth, creamy finish to the tangy, slightly nutty cocktail.

The Angry Pirate front

If you don't feel like walking the cocktail plank, The Angry Pirate has uber-local beers on tap - Newtown's Young Henry's or Chippendale's Grifter Brewing - as well as plenty by the bottle, and a brief but interesting selection of wines all available by the glass.

The menu talks pirate, as does a 'sail' that acts as the bar's front curtain, while there's an adorable lounge set up at the back of the bar with barrels for tables and other cute but not over-the-top pirate-ness.

Hispaniola pizza

There must be an true Italian pirate in the galley as The Angry Pirate's food menu exclusively comprises house-made pizzas, and they're pretty legitimate. They're thin, a bit pale but with a fantastically chewy base, and all have San Marzano tomato bases and use fior di latte cow's milk mozzarella.

Our Hispaniola selection comes with a scattering of properly spicy, hot Spanish chorizo, cut moderately thick and crisp from its short time in the oven. It makes for a good drinking partner between two and there are plenty of options, including vegetarian toppings and even a vegan cheese option.

"Polly want a cracker?"

If The Angry Pirate is anything to go by, it looks like it's going to be another big, fun, exciting (and ultimately, more sensible and responsible) year for small bars, especially as today marks the commencement of the state government's "tough" new legislation regarding licensing and the sale and service of alcohol.

Excluding small bars, the sudden changes are going to make for an interesting couple of months, particularly in our city's busiest night spots. We'll all be watching closely with interest but for now, me hearties, get thee to The Angry Pirate for a cocktail, pizza and fun, responsible night out.

Food, booze and shoes dined as a guest of The Angry Pirate.