Seven great cocktails from seven great bars
The Quill
The Everleigh
Upstairs, 150-156 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy. theeverleigh.com
Aided by a dash of absinthe, The Quill is a deliciously simple riff on the classic Negroni (gin, sweet vermouth and Campari). "We call it the grown-up version," says The Everleigh's marketing manager Zara Young. "[The absinthe] dries the drink out slightly and gives it a little extra edge."
The Zombie
Jungle Boy, 96 Chapel Street, Windsor. jboy.com.au
Comprising four types of rum, apricot brandy, grapefruit and pineapple juice, fresh lime, Angostura bitters and Orgeat (almond syrup), the Zombie is Jungle Boy's signature drink. "Like most Tiki tipples it packs an unassuming boozy punch and comes set alight for a touch of theatre and flavour," owner Ryan Simpson explains.
The Penicillin
The Kilburn, 348 Burwood Road, Hawthorn. fb.com/TheKilburn
With such a spectacular whisky menu – they house around 600 varietals – it's fitting that The Kilburn's cocktail list favours the mighty stuff of peat and malt. The Penicillin – Laphroaig 10-year-old single malt scotch, Johnnie Walker black, ginger, honey and lemon – is a sure-fire winter warmer.
Bloody Maritime Martini
Brunswick Mess Hall 400 Sydney Rd, Brunswick. thebrunswickmesshall.com.au
The Mess Hall's boundary-bushing drink list features barrel-aged cocktails, fruit sakes and ultra-boozy punch bowls, and their latest batch of cocktail newbies includes this "twist on a Bloody Mary": house-infused seaweed mescal, sundried tomato-infused vodka, and a seaweed and black sesame salt rim.
The Right Way
Joe Taylor, 7 Errol Street, North Melbourne. fb.com/joetaylorbar
A bold twist on the Vieux Carre – a New Orleans tipple of French and American origin – The Right Way (Rittenhouse rye whisky, H by Hine cognac, Cherry Heering cherry brandy, Angostura bitters and Peychaud's Bitters) embodies this cracking, old-meets-new Errol Street bar.
Charlie Chaplin
1806, 169 Exhibition Street, Melbourne. 1806.com.au
This swanky city bar's cocktail list is both an aesthetic delight and history lesson. Paying homage to the iconic actor, this refreshingly zingy drink – combining Sloe gin, apricot liqueur, lime and caster sugar – originates from pre-Prohibition-era New York.
The New Money
Eau De Vie,1 Malthouse Lane, Melbourne. eaudevie.com.au/melbourne
Eau De Vie's classic cocktail menu is thorough, yet accommodating; sectioned by flavour and palate, from light and crisp, to fresh and fruity, and sweet and strong. The New Money – salted coconut spiced rum, apricot brandy, Hayman's sloe gin, egg white and grated nutmeg – has it all, and is mightily refreshing to boot.