The Ten Best Cocktail Bars in Melbourne

Melbourne loves a cocktail, perhaps even more than we love a hungover brunch the next day. Of course you can't have one without the other, and whether it's a whisky sour, a negroni or an espresso martini, our city is spoilt with little bars making drinks with big personalities. With so many decisions to make and so many concoctions to be had, here are our favourite watering holes for sipping a cocktail. Or two. We're not counting.

The Everleigh

The Everleigh is the kind of venue that makes you feel special. Looked after. The staff are flawless and can make a recommendation better than anyone else. That's why the 'Bartender's Choice' is always a welcome way to go. A table of six guests can all name just a flavour or liquor of choice and be presented with six completely different and perfectly chosen cocktails. Take a step back in time with this one. You would hardly think you were on Gertrude Street, but rather a New York speakeasy. It's seated table service, so ditch the big group and plan an intimate evening.

Upstairs 150-156 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, (03) 9416 2229, theeverleigh.com

Eau de Vie

With a killer cocktail list and a crazy whisky offering (and now a book), this place manages to please everyone. They also love a theatrical trick. Here you might find cocktails served in boots or zabaglione freeze-dried with dry ice on top of an espresso martini. Pick a booth and hide away from the world, or take a seat at the bar and enjoy some banter. Cocktail degustations are also available with matched food if you want to try a little of everything.

1 Malthouse Lane, Melbourne, 0412 825 441, eaudevie.com.au

Bar Americano

This may be the smallest cocktail bar around, but it is also one of the finest. Tucked down two alleyways in the CBD, this bar has space for just 10 people. Standing room only. Hayden Lambert is the man behind the shaker and you'll be in more than capable hands. Managing to chat to one group of customers, he will suggest a cocktail to another, all while taking your coat. He is the epitome of outstanding service. Luckily, he also makes a mean cocktail.

20 Presgrave Place, Melbourne, (03) 9428 0055, baramericano.com

Black Pearl + The Attic

The Black Pearl and, more recently, The Attic upstairs serve up some top notch cocktails with a laid back atmosphere. On the ever-busy Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, the clientele are varied and can order anything from 15 beers to a cocktail — but they are always in for good times and late nights.

304 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, (03) 9417 0455, blackpearlbar.com.au

1806 + The Understudy

1806 upstairs on Exhibition Street serves up classic and current day cocktails in a plush and elegant setting. Table service and killer skills back these guys up. Downstairs, in The Understudy they take their finely honed skills and turn things upside down in an Alice in Wonderland-inspired land. Cocktails and science come together and degustations show you all they have to offer.

169 Exhibition Street, Melbourne, (03) 96637722, www.1806.com.au

Hihou

Upstairs overlooking the parliament gardens, Japanese-styled cocktail bar Hihou serve  up Japanese flavours, sakes and bites to eat — like the Hihou hotdog served with pickled cabbage. Choose to look over the gardens, or sit in the back room on cushions on the floor in true Japanese style.

1 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, (03) 9654 5465, hihou.com.au

Lily Blacks

This is a favourite with the hospo crowd and they sure know how to put on a good time. They have a bitters shelf of around 200 and make combinations left, right and centre. They also turn up the cocktail heat once a month in their Iron Bartender competition when two of Melbourne's finest bartenders go head to head with secret — and often weird — ingredients.

12 Meyers Place, Melbourne, (03) 9654 4887, lilyblacks.com.au

The Woods Bar and Kitchen

Heading southside for this one, The Woods Bar and Kitchen (previously The Woods of Winsdor) exudes old world charm on Chapel Street. Cocktails are served up with top shelf liquors, bites to eat and cigars. It's a nice retreat from the other haunts you'll find around town. Owned by Dean Bowden and Clint Hyndman, a scotch and a nice bite to eat are the order of the day.

108 Chapel Street, Windsor, (03) 9521 1900, thewoodsofwindsor.com

Whisky & Alement

What used to be Chez Dre is now home to Whisky & Alement — needless to say, we love the shift. With a whisky list sitting at around 300, these guys know their stuff. The space is small and intimate, but the drinks speak for themselves. If you're looking for a cocktail, there are some without whisky as well as with. Just a few. Private tastings and classes are held here for true whisky aficionados.

270 Russell Street, Melbourne, (03) 9654 1284, whiskyandale.com.au

Bomba Rooftop Bar

Rooftops are addictive in this town and none are better than Bomba, the intimate rooftop found at the top end of the city. It feels more like a penthouse balcony than a bar, but they serve up seriously good cocktails with a recently updated menu, as well as Spanish wines and tapas. With the building of the retractable roof, it is one of those year-round rooftops, meaning you never have to go without.

103 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, (03) 9077 0451, bombabar.com.au

Top image courtesy of Eau de Vie.

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