Stranded is a Fortitude Valley-based cocktail bar that is all about good tunes, good booze, good food and good times. The sipping spot is owned and operated by the team behind neighbouring live-music venue The Zoo, with Stranded a separate concept that feeds into Brisbane’s storied rock ‘n’ roll and punk past (particularly The Saints’ seminal album (I’m) Stranded). The space itself is eclectically and thriftily decorated, with upcycled antique furnishings creating a lived-in fell. Vintage posters of rock icons, musical curios and religious iconography adds to the venture’s free-spirited personality, which is geared towards attracting like-minded locals that love music and cocktails in equal measure. The back bar is flush with all sorts of spirits, but anchoring the selection is a curated list of tequila and mezcal. Roughly 50 varieties take pride of place in the middle of Stranded’s bar shelf, with smooth sips sourced from independent makers and distillers – think small batches of hand-numbered elixirs, all funnelled into a tight range of ambrosial concoctions. Beers and wines are also on offer, which is plenty of quaffing material to help chase your feed, created in the kitchen by head chef Luigi De Santo. Stranded’s share-style menu includes the likes of mezcal-cured salmon with Davidson plum citronette and cucumber, 32-hour slow-cooked mezcal-infused and coffee-rubbed beef cheek, slow-cooked sovereign lamb ribs with mint yoghurt, pita and rocket salad, and burrata served with lashings of five-year aged balsamic vinegar on a bed of baked cherry tomatoes and rocket.