Where can a girl get a decent drink around here? Here are 10 new Melbourne cocktail bars to taste this Autumn.
Bar Hannah & Carriage Lounge at Hannah St Hotel / Southbank
Enter via the pink polka-dotted underpass and you’ll find Flack Studio have designed a kicky, Modernist lobby bar and lounge amid an art-accented hotel. Conversation starters are assured. If the lobby bar begins to feel too transient, cosy up just around the corner in the Carriage Lounge which shares the same menu. They make a cracking Never Never dirty martini here. Photography – Anson Smart
Piper’s Playhouse / Southbank
There’s a rollicking good time guaranteed to be had at this pop-up Parisian cabaret club. Expect glitz, glam, and giggles. And a swathe of enticing bare skin. We don’t want to give too much of the – literal – magic and mystique away. But don’t miss the rose-petal anointed Red Velvet Espresso Martinis (once all of the French Piper-Heidsieck Champagne is drained, of course). Only until March 28 – this one’s unmissable.
Courtyard at 98 Lygon Street Bar & Bistro / Brunswick East
Beneath an ancient olive tree rests 98 Lygon’s revamped courtyard. A dab of crisp white paint, daily Aperitivo Hour snacks, and a string of festoon lights have worked wonders to create a breezy Mediterranean backyard oasis. Soak up the sun before the Melbourne chill moves in. Order at pastel ‘Pink Velvet’ alongside crunchy crudites with bagnet verde sauce and you’ll be happy as a clam (or an oyster, which you should also order freshly shucked).
On Top at Standard X / Fitzroy
Previously exclusive to hotel guests, this rooftop is now open to all across extended weekends. Find Yuzu Margaritas and Pink Spritz on tap for no-fuss sundowners. There’s even a bougie vending machine dispensing drinks at whim. It’s possibly the most magical vantage point in of Fitzroy, especially as the sun sinks. Head on up sometime soon and snag spot by the patina fireplace.
Cleo / Melbourne CBD
It’s not Playschool but it is very much playtime when looking through the round window to the city surrounds at Cleo. This 12th level Mediterranean bar at Hyde Melbourne Place Hotel opens up to the sky; offering mezze snacks and Australian-accented cocktails. We could sip Pistachio Spritzes sweetened with lemon myrtle honey all day or night long. As a bonus, there are sky-high DJs up here every weekend evening. Photo – Michael Pham
Mikey’s / Abbotsford
Beyond the martini-with-three-olives-please stained glass window by local artist Duck Ragu (of course, I covet it), lies brand new neighbourhood haunt Mikey’s. Amid Modernist surrounds, order the ‘From Melbourne with Love’ featuring Starward Honeycomb and Saison Black Walnut Vermouth – with a slice of Rita’s pizza delivered from across the road. A bedecked beer garden out back is all-weather to see you through the cooler climes in comfort. Also, the surcharge- free all-day Sunday happy hour is a very happy surprise.
Nightbird / South Yarra
Are we perhaps sick of shouting over one another in bars? Considering recent additions to the scene -Bar Selecta, Disuko, Otoya – Japanese listening bars, a.k.a. kissa, are certainly trending in Melbourne. The latest spot in which to contemplate high quality vinyl sound is Nightbird. Find this disco-ball-speckled nook tucked away inside the once-was-South-Yarra-Railway-Station Godby Hotel.
Moondrop / Fitzroy
Filling the hole left by The Everleigh, comes something completely different in Moondrop. The décor is inspired by 1930s Shanghai (including genius Mah Jong tiled tabletops) set against a contemporary soundtrack of Chinese hip hop and RnB. As such, the menu is scattered with Eastern flavours; Lapsang Souchong tea, baijiu, umeshu, chrysanthemum etc. Crispy prawn crackers, dainty dumplings and icecream-stuffed mooncakes are the bar snacks du jour. Photography – Mike Lam
New Gold Mountain / Melbourne CBD
New was actually old but now it’s new again! Stalwart bar, New Gold Mountain has changed hands and now has a refreshed look while purposely retaining same speakeasy vibe. There’s a renewed focus on Australian spirits, snacks have been added to the menu for the first time, and there are more surprises yet to be revealed in coming months.
The Terrace Lounge at Hannah St Hotel / Southbank
And we’re pretty much back where it all began! Hannah St Hotel simply has too many welcoming spaces to explore. When you done with Bar Hannah and Carriage Lounge, take a short elevator ride up to the Terrace Lounge for a literal breath of fresh air. Here, wicker chairs, live greenery and an indoors/outdoors design speak to a boutique conservatory atmosphere. Photography – Anson Smart
OUT OF TOWN
Elias Cocktail Lounge / Mildura
Here’s a little spot of luxury to encounter after a long country drive northward. A glowing marble bar at Elias acts a siren, luring your party in for refined times. The menu features indulgent classics; generous lobster rolls, caviar bumps served with chilled vodka, and premium Negronis in which where all of the ingredients are imported from Sardinia.
Know of a new cocktail bar or craft spirits centric venue to add to this list? Email the Editor: sarah@drinkmelbourne.com.au
