Where can a girl get a decent drink around here? Here are our top 5 new Melbourne – and beyond – bars to taste this Spring.
Lately / Malvern
We don’t mess around with beer much around these parts. So upon arrival at new multi-faceted pub, The Angel of Malvern, we immediately ascend the stairs to Lately; the intimate “cocktail and audio bar” floats above the more obvious 170-year-old public bar. With each step the night gets a little darker and rotating vinyl beckons. The space knows its purpose, with dark nooks all scarlet-lit from below, and a permanent DJ deck taking pride of place in the center of the room. It almost feels retro in a comforting way that you want to sink into. The 6-strong cocktail list often leans into herbs and flowers, featuring ingredients like elderflower, jasmine and aperitifs. Despite the seasonal switch, the hero is ‘Autumn in Aomori’ which combines malt whisky with quince, black walnut and amaro. Photography by Griffin Simm.
Afloat – Yamas Greece / Melbourne CBD
My little sister is currently sailing around the Greek Islands. I’m not envious. At. All. But the next best thing is that – figuratively – Arbory Afloat is too. Dubbed Yamas Greece, this season’s transformation of the floating bar brings Aegean blue, lime-washed whites and sun-baked terracotta to the Yarra River. Are we in a Mykonian beach club and or taverna in Ios? Don’t think too hard about it as long as the ouzo and colas are flowing – Afloat’s version are frozen – and the seafood grill is fired up. Eleven seasons in; boarding this bar at least once has become an essential part of Melbourne’s summer ritual. Get your “Opa!” on. Photography by Jake Roden.
Bar Privé / Melbourne CBD
You’ll never feel safer than sipping cocktails inside a building that once stored other people’s valuables. Reine and La Rue has added Bar Privé to its former Melbourne Safe Deposit Building space. Seating just 24 in a pinch, it feels like an old-school private members’ club. We’re talking walnut paneling, smoky mirrors, the feeling that a secret vault could open up at any moment. The “gold” kept here now is in liquid form. Sip perfectly pink “Rosie Lee’ martinis and wattle-accented honey rum sours from a list that favours subtlety and refinement. Do wear your biggest jewels.
Bar Sala – Music Room / Abbotsford
A venue with two faces. That’s the idea behind this new restaurant and music room from the Mulberry Group. I’m particularly interested in the Music Room side of things when it comes to stopping in for a quick (famous last words) drink. The cocktail program is overseen by – clever cookie and reigning World Class Australian Bartender of the Year – Kaila Saito. With Bar Manager Jame Cohen leading the specific drinks list here. The cocktail star so far is a savoury, herbal Bay Martini which mixes EVOO, St Felix Greenhouse Gin, Gin Mare, olive leaf gin, bay brine and fino. It’s available as a mini serve or a full pour because we all like options. Order a couple to sip over a few plates of chef Cam Williams’ potato rosti with raw yellowfin tuna and call it dinner (though we’ll probably creep over to the other side for a late supper anyway). Don’t forget to pack your dancing shoes; resident DJ and music curator Billie Jean tends to inspire random acts of spontaneous boogying.
Bar Flores / Malvern
Bar Flores is the distinct bar hidden out back of Flores dining room at The Angel of Malvern. The menu traverses the Mediterranean. So begin with a bottle of organic Spanish cava to elevate the mood as the sun goes down. A trio of classic miniatures – Negroni, white Negroni, Martini – should be next to keep things tidy. Switch your standard dessert espresso martini out for a “Tiramisu”; a more indulgent composition of 12 year old whiskey, Amaro Montenegro, Licor 43, cacao and espresso. It basically illegal to leave Bar Flores without sampling at least one. Also amid this high-stooled hideaway, you’ll happily munch on fancified king prawn toasts accented with saffron and hash browns dotted with glossy roe. Before heading up to Lately for an(other) digestif. Photography by Griffin Simm.
Discover more new Melbourne cocktail bars here.
Know of a new cocktail bar or craft spirits-centric venue to add to this list? Email the Editor: sarah@drinkmelbourne.com.au
