Sydney's Best New Bars of 2018

The city's very best boozy additions of the year.

Best of 2018 Sydney

These 36 outstanding Sydney ventures have been handpicked by Concrete Playground for their combination of originality, innovation, creativity, approachability and sustainability.

Best of 2018 Melbourne

These 36 outstanding Melbourne ventures have been handpicked by Concrete Playground for their combination of originality, innovation, creativity, approachability and sustainability.

Bancho Bar Is Haymarket's New Japanese-Style Bar Serving Cocktails and Katsu Skewers

The small laneway bar mixes up a matcha negroni, dragonfruit-infused gin and lots of whisky.

Bopp & Tone Is Sydney CBD's Elegant New Bar and Eatery Inspired by the Post-WWII Era

The opulent new venue is the latest from hospitality group Applejack.

NYC's World-Class Employees Only Cocktail Bar Is Opening in Sydney's CBD This Weekend

Located in a CBD basement, the speakeasy is serving up world-class cocktails and caviar till 3am.

Lower North Shore Institution the Woolwich Pier Hotel Has Reopened with a Fancy New Look

The pub has new pastel interiors and a sleek dining room — but has kept its wraparound balcony and chicken pot pie.

Beirne Lane Is Fortitude Valley's New 24-Hour Bar, Eatery and Dancing Spot

It's a gastropub-meets-nightclub with a solid food lineup, including a dedicated katsu sandwich menu.

A 'Simpsons'-Themed Flaming Moe's Bar Is Popping Up in Australia

Here's your chance to try the fiery, cough syrup-heavy drink — and some Duff beer.

Proud Mary Is Brisbane's New All-Day Riverside Eatery and Bloody Mary Bar

It's pairing comforting New Orleans-style fare with five different bloody marys.

Seven Sydney Bars Where You Can Drink Alone with a Book

Get cosy with a paperback and good plonk at these comfy (and relatively quiet) bars.

Melbourne's Much-Loved State of Grace Has Reopened in the CBD with a New Hidden Drinking Den

The inner-city hot spot has a new home on King Street, but the same glam looks and inventive drinks.

You Can Now Get Your Hands on a World-First Cannabis-Infused Gin Made Right Here in Australia

The Myrcene Hemp Gin is crafted in Melbourne by the The Cannabis Co.

Stomping Ground Has Opened a Pop-Up Beer Garden at Melbourne Airport

Featuring deck chairs, sports screens and a hefty range of locally brewed craft beers on tap to help ease that pre-flight stress

GABS Is Finally Bringing Its Huge Craft Beer, Cider and Food Festival to Brisbane

The Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular will make its Brisbane debut in 2019.

We're Giving Away an Immersive Food and Drink Experience at Taste of Sydney Collective

Free drinks, bites and a cocktail masterclass for you and a friend on us.

The Gin List

For a clear spirit, gin is full of complexities. So we've teamed up with Tanqueray to delve into its storied past, unveil its intricacies and help you become a seasonal gin connoisseur.

This South Australian Distillery Has Unveiled Its Festive 2018 Christmas Gin

The new Prohibition Liquor Co. gin taps festive flavours of fig, orange and cinnamon, for a syrupy, spicy Yuletide drink.

A Harry Potter-Themed 'Potions' Bar Is Popping Up in Australia

The latest themed event will see you attend a boozy Hogwarts potions class.

The Beach Hotel Is the Latest Bayside Boozer to Receive a Drastic Makeover

The Albert Park pub has scored a new look and revamped offering, which includes refined pub classics and a sprawling list of wines.

Four Smoke-Filled Events to Hit If You Love Your Whisky Peaty

From a fiery three-course feast at Porteño to whisky and jerky at The Oxford Tav.

Four Pillars Is About to Release Its 2018 Christmas Gin So You Can Get Drunk on Pudding with Nan

The annual release sees Christmas puddings distilled with spicy botanicals to create a truly festive tipple.

A New 24-Hour Bar, Eatery and Dancing Spot Dubbed Beirne Lane Is Opening in Brisbane Next Month

It's a gastropub-meets-nightclub with a solid food lineup, including a dedicated katsu sandwich menu.

The Best Bars in Brunswick

From karaoke joints and Afro jazz haunts to cosy aperitivo bars and quiet cocktail dens, here's where to drink on Lygon Street and Sydney Road.

Seven Hop-Filled Events to Head to at Sydney Beer Week 2018

Ten days of beer-laden degustations, boozy yoga and a roaming sour ale festival.

The Best Things to Eat, See and Do at Tramsheds This Spring

Make tracks to this inner west epicurean mecca to celebrate the arrival (finally) of spring.

Melbourne Airport Could Score a New Rooftop Bar and Restaurant as Part of Its $500 Million Makeover

Along with 30 new shops, lounges and a 464-room hotel.

Bondi's Blanca Bar Is Opening a Pop-Up Izakaya for the Summer

Serving up a rotating cocktail list, plenty of sake and everything from black pudding hot dogs to salt and pepper soft shell crab with truffle wasabi dashi.

Parramatta's Opulent New 26th Floor Rooftop Bar Nick and Nora's Is Finally Open

First announced 18 months ago, the latest space from the Eau de Vie team features sky-high drinks, a luxe 30s-inspired fit-out and five liquid nitrogen stations.

This New Australian Drinks Service Delivers a Heap of Cocktails to Your Door Each Month

The catch? You just need to stir, shake and build them yourself.

Six Game-Changing Victorian Distilleries You May Not Have Heard Of (Yet)

Bopp & Tone Is Sydney CBD's Elegant New Bar and Eatery Inspired by the Post-WWII Era

Slated to open in November, the opulent new venue is the latest from hospitality group Applejack.

The Team Behind New York's World-Renowned Employees Only Is Opening a Cocktail Bar in Sydney Next Month

Fourteen years after the launch of the New York original, Employees Only is heading Down Under.

The Peking Duk Guys Are Opening a Bar in Melbourne This Month

Opening in South Yarra, Talk To Me will pair Asian-inspired bar snacks with quality booze and, certainly, great electro tunes.

A Disney-Themed Bottomless Brunch Party Is Coming to Australia

A boozy sing-along brunch fit for a (Disney) prince or princess.

Melbourne's Orlando Marzo Has Just Been Crowned the Best Bartender in the World

The bartender from Melbourne's Lûmé restaurant took out the gong last night.

Act of Wine Is Southbank's Sleek New Wine Store with a Penchant for Minimal Intervention Drops

Its carefully selected range celebrates the small, the natural and the sustainably produced

Ten South Island Breweries and Distilleries Worthy of a Road Trip

Sip the finest craft drops in the south at these renowned New Zealand venues.

An Opulent Old-World Cocktail Bar Has Arrived in Port Melbourne

Named after Rosemary Clooney, George's famous jazz musician aunt, it's serving up craft cocktails in a luxe art deco setting.

The Gin List: Summer

It's the perfect summer aperitif whether you’re in Italy or not — but do you know its true origins?

The Gin List: Spring

Gin — a word most commonly followed by ‘tonic’, but also one that has a distinguished history in the lives of the rich and famous.

The Gin List: Autumn

You may not find it on your local cocktail list, but with just four common ingredients — gin, lime, sugar and mint — this green tipple can be shaken up just about anywhere.