Brunswick Aces

Overview

Local distillery and booze-free gin producer Brunswick Aces have opened the city's first-ever, dedicated non-alcoholic bar.

Taking over a 150-person space on Weston Street in Brunswick East, the Brunswick Aces Bar is both a temptation-free drinking destination for the teetotaller or sober-curious, and a generally neat spot to hang and imbibe when alcohol's simply not on your night's agenda. It's rocking a look best described as industrial baroque, with lots of plush furniture covered with velvety textiles, walls filled with gilded frames and moody floral arrangements trailing from the ceiling.

While Brunswick Aces does make regular gin, it's perhaps best known for its range of sapiir — a non-alcoholic distilled drink crafted on botanicals. The brand uses aromatic ingredients like lemon myrtle, Tasmanian pepperberry, native wattleseed and that all-important juniper to create a concoction that's akin to a gin, sans booze.

The Brunswick Aces Bar menu might be short on alcohol, but it's sure not wanting for choice. Expect to find a whole range of crafty cocktails, led by boozeless takes on the classics, including a negroni and an espresso martini. Alongside those, sits an impressive lineup of guilt-free beers and wines sourced from all over the world.

An onsite booze-free bottle shop is stocked with a wide array of non-alcoholic beer, wine and spirits, backing an expansive online store. The venue also hosts a program of regular drinks-focused happenings, from meet-the-maker sessions to booze-free cocktail classes.