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Los Barbudos

Michael Harden
Michael Harden

Bearded one: Flying the flag for top-shelf Cuban rum.
Bearded one: Flying the flag for top-shelf Cuban rum.Ken Irwin

Ah, rum. So long the neglected spirit, the butt of cruel jokes involving Bundy and bogans, the last one to be picked for the volleyball team, now suddenly, miraculously blooming. Yes, rum had it going on all along but we were too blinded by surface superficialities to see its inner beauty.

Luckily for those who blanche at the idea of superficial drinking, Melbourne now has plenty of scope for those who want to give rum - the good stuff from the Caribbean and Central and South America - a red hot go. Bar Economico's doing it in Richmond, the Rum Diary's doing it in Brunswick Street, while over in Smith Street, a strip that's never met a trend it couldn't accommodate, Los Barbudos is flying the rum flag with a particular Cuban style.

There's something immediately heartening about a bar with its name spelt out in cursive neon in the front window. And something either hilariously meta or deeply cynical about a bar smack bang in hipster central calling itself ''the bearded ones'', ostensibly after some Castro-affiliated baseball-loving guerrillas in Cuba, but just as plausibly about 95.6 per cent of the local male population.

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Bartender's choice: Classic mojito.
Bartender's choice: Classic mojito.Ken Irwin

But Los Barbudos is too good-natured and has too fine a soundtrack (a delicious mix of reggae, salsa and bolero, plus the occasional live gig) to make a cynicism charge stick. The decor - faux crumbling brick and plaster walls painted an earthy yellow, flickering candles in Havana Club tumblers, a scuffed concrete floor, a mass of framed black and white photos that include an obligatory Fidel, religious icon pictures and brass light fittings - may say Cuban drag rather than Cuba but after a couple of smartly constructed daiquiris, drag can suddenly start to look like the real thing.

One of the great things about Los Barbudos is that despite it having a lengthy selection of rums (about 90, including a few obscure Cubans) it doesn't try to bamboozle you. It keeps the drinks menu sharp and tight and the in-depth rum chat to a conversation with the good-natured and knowledgeable barkeeps.

The cocktails (about $16) are excellent, both the page of traditional Cuban numbers - a Mojito, a Cuba Libre, a real daiquiri just like Hemingway used to drink - and the page of house originals. Martini admirers should give the Buenas Hierbas a go. It's a powerful number, dry and savoury with a lick of sweetness that combines white rum, Lillet Blanc, coriander, mint, lime and ''a smoky rinse''. Also good is the Dark & Stormy Old Fashioned, a clever combo of two classics with black rum, mixing it up with a lime and ginger syrup and citrus bitters over ice.

There's wine to be had but nothing you'd wire Havana about, and a short list of beers including Cuban numbers Cristal and Bucanero Fuerte (both $8).

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Snack-wise, you need to grab a menu and hike out the back to order the likes of Cuban black beans and rice ($10), a plate of curiously more-ish chewy/crunchy yucca chips ($8) or something a little more substantial like beef short ribs ($24). It's solid food that plays nicely with both beer and rum.

Part of the theme-loving bar stable responsible for Lily Blacks, Double Happiness and New Gold Mountain, Los Barbudos does what all its stablemates do - quality drinks in comfortable, fun-enabling surrounds. There may be a formula at work but it's a good one and any place that shows good rum some love is all right with me.

Cheers Lots and lots of Cuban rum
Jeers You're in Melbourne, not Havana

Bartender's choice

The philosophy behind the cocktails at Los Barbudos is two-fold, according to bar manager Tom Ambroz.

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"It's all about making classic Cuban cocktails the way they would be found in Cuba," he says. "[We're] also constantly changing our list and creating new and interesting cocktails to showcase the versatility of our rum collection."

Tom believes that their classic Mojito is one of the best ways to "create as authentic a Cuban experience as possible".

MOJITO

30 ml Havana Club White rum
30 ml lime juice
1 large sprig of mint
1 tsp fine grain sugar

Combine all ingredients in a tall glass. Gently muddle ingredients together and then top with ice and soda. Garnish with a mint sprig.

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