What deliciousness will we get into this month? Read on for our top 10 upcoming events…
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1. The Melbourne Manhattan
While New York’s Museum of Modern Art exhibition is on at the National Gallery of Victoria, the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival has been hosting a mini-fest/feast of Mel&NYC events to whet your whistle and spark your appetite for art. They have now tasked eight brilliant local bars to recreate the classic Manhattan cocktail with a Melbourne twist. Try a version (and win tix to the art exhibit) at Above Board, Bad Frankie, The Everleigh, Eau de Vie, The Woods of Windsor, Whisky & Alement (pictured above, by James Morgan), Mr West or Bar Americano.
Now until Sunday 12 August / Various / Details
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2. The Bourbon & Bar-B-Q Club Launch
Over tall tales of Kentucky life and distilling – with boilermakers, Manhattans and moonshine in hand and Southern-style barbeque in the belly – The Gem will introduce its new Bourbon & Bar-B-Q Club.
Thursday 9 August / Collingwood / Details
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3. Animus Distillery Pop-Up
Revealing their new Davidson Plum gin, Animus are bringing their regional distillery to town via Bad Frankie. There’ll be flights, special cocktails and ginteresting chats.
Thursday 9 August / Fitzroy / Details
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4. Whiskey High Tea
The Stamford Plaza and Alchemist Events are hosting the first of three boozy high teas we’ve included on our to-do list this month. This one – in ode to the concurrent The Whisky Show – features the likes of scones with whisky cream, cucumber finger sandwiches slathered in whisky butter and espresso ice-cream spiked with (you guessed it) whiskey.
Wednesday 11 August / Melbourne CBD / Details
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5. The Great Tonic Taste Off
Gin without tonic is like bread without butter. Like Bey without Jay. Good…but better together. The Gin Queen brings the Melbourne leg of her Great Tonic Taste Off to Union Electric with Citadelle Gin in a blind tasting to determine which tonic reigns supreme.
Saturday 11 August / Melbourne CBD / Details
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6. Pinata Making & Tequila Tasting
We don’t mind a little craft with our cocktails. First, Los Hermanos will teach you how to make a unique, El Salvadoran-inspired pinatas. Then, with a guide you’ll taste a flight of tequilas alongside a little history lesson.
Tuesday 14 August / Brunswick / Details
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7. An Evening with Archie Rose and Kaiju
Fans of Archie Rose‘s whiskey and related spirits should not miss out on this rare session at Biff Tannin’s. You’ll have the chance to taste sold out, limited edition and even samples of unfinished tipples in a guided fashion. You may never get this chance again.
Tuesday August 14 / Brunswick / Details
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8. Gin High Tea
This one starts with a G&Tea on arrival and only gets better. A proper High Tea spread (hello, unlimited scones) by Mary Eats Cake will be accompanied with gins from Four Pillars and cups of specialty tea. You’ll have the chance to learn about gin and tea from the experts too.
Friday 17 August / Brunswick / Details
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9. Mr West Fest
A weekend long festival is how the fine folk at Mr West have chosen to mark their 1st birthday party. They’ll be launching their very own wine label, their spring cocktail list for the season and offering a bunch of beer, wine and top shelf spirit specials all to a different soundtrack for each day.
Friday 24 – Sunday 26 August / Footscray / Details
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10. Gin Infused High Tea
Of course we have room for another grown up high tea on our calendar! The Cliveden is celebrating their first birthday with dainty gin-infused treats; from Negroni jam on their scones to gin-cured salmon. And they’ll have birthday presents for high tea goers to win too. Wash it all down with gin cocktails made to order and bottomless sparkling for a very happy birthday indeed.
Saturday 1 September / East Melbourne / Details
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Also try: Indulging in Left Bank Melbourne’s truly Bottomless Brunch on the last Sunday of August – it’s the most bountiful we’ve found in town / visiting The Palm Royale’s Tiki Garage Sale for charity / dining with Four Pillars gin at The Botanical / tasting yet more Four Pillars gin or Starward whisky and talking about it too at Pilgrim / drinking bottmoless mulled wine and drawing with illustrator Anna Moore at House of Correction / tackling a serious(ly good) four-night long whisky appreciation masterclass with Bakery Hill at The Elysian / pretending you’ve taken a trip away to Tassie at the delectable Vin Diemen wine festival at Pure South / actually heading (far) South: Tasmanian Whiskey Week is coming / learning to love tequila again (or falling in love for the first time) with a little help from Top Shelf Tequila at Amigos /
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Follow our live event calendar for more cocktail, bar culture and craft spirits events happening in Melbourne.
Hosting an event in September or October 2018? Tell us all about it: sarah@drinkmelbourne.com.au