Down an unmarked laneway and a flight of stairs, The Baxter Inn is the hidden whisky den that Sydney drinkers send their friends to find. The back wall is a ladder-served library of hundreds of bottles, the lighting is low and the bartenders know their peat from their sherry casks. There is no sign, so look for the open door off Clarence Street. Go earlier in the week to snag a stool at the bar, and ask for a recommendation rather than staring at the daunting list.