Take It Breezy This Summer at These Luxe Melbourne Bars

If drinks with epic views are your port of call when you’re keen on a luscious dark rum cocktail with friends, Strato should be on your list this summer. The show-stopping crown jewel of the Oakwood Premier Melbourne soars 139 metres above Southbank.

Strato’s signature sips feel more than luxe enough to suit the lofty locale, mingling the old world with the new and bringing rare spirits and uncommon ingredients to the forefront. Order a stylish rum cocktail to match your surroundings, like a Diplomatico manhattan, at the impressive 16-metre-long stone bar before you sink into the velvet booths and savour your sip paired with elevated bites like foie gras macarons, caviar, braised venison croquettes and oozy baked camembert.

If you love a secret bar to celebrate the sunny season, if you can find it, Eau de Vie is one of the best cocktail bars in Melbourne. If you’re after a cool hidden bar to sip the slow summer evening away, head down Malthouse Lane, next to a hotel car park, slip through the large wooden door and enter a new world.

Choose a spot at the bar or retire to one of the more private booths towards the back. Cocktails made by seriously talented bartenders are each worthy of a story. Like the Giant Killer, made with luscious dark rum, Italian red bitter liqueur, a house-spiced rosé reduction, mandarin liqueur, pineapple, lime, absinthe, macadamia and toasty pineapple foam, it’s an indulgent spin on a classic that you should enjoy while taking an evening to chill with friends.

After a long week at your desk job — or working from home solo — catching up with your mates for sunset drinks is a very welcome opportunity. Iconic St Kilda venue Stokehouse is synonymous with beachside luxury and glamour and a perfect spot for slow summer sips with your friends. The dining room boasts uninterrupted views of the waves and features mirrors strategically placed throughout the venue so all guests can enjoy the view.

This summer, head out onto the terrace at Stokebar and enjoy some refreshing sea breeze as you sip on a citrusy sidecar cocktail or liquid dessert — like the Mac and Wattle Espresso with Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva rum, Pedro Ximénez sherry, Brookies macadamia, Allpress espresso, macadamia and wattleseed foam — as the sun sets.

Image: Emily Weaving

If you’re keen for a late pub lunch in South Yarra that slinks into golden hour, there’s no better spot than The Botanical Hotel. It is your one-stop shop for eating and drinking all year round. The venue serves as a brasserie, bar and wine store with private event spaces. The main marble bar is in the heart of the venue, serving up a wide selection of drinks — there’s also a happy hour from 4pm–7pm, Sunday to Thursday.

During the warmer months, the leafy courtyard is heaving with punters sharing stories as they salute the sun with rum old fashioned. You could even opt for a treacle, a twist on an old fashioned with Diplomático rum, sugar syrup, aromatic bitters and apple juice.

If you want to level up your fine dining this summer, we can suggest a luxe evening out like no other at Eureka 89. And that’s 89, as in 89 floors up. Simply bypass the tourist-clad Skydeck for a seat on level 89, where you’ll get a degustation menu paired with an uninterrupted panoramic view of the city.

With all that skyline swagger, you might expect the food to pale in comparison. Thankfully, it’s just as worthy of your attention. Choose a five-, six- or seven-course seasonal tasting menu curated by award-winning Executive Chef Renee Martillano with dishes that could include Flinders Island lamb with a fine potato gratin, butter-cooked squash, mint gel and parsnip foam. Pair your meal with the exclusive wine pairing, or test the bartenders’ knowledge of cocktails and ask for a revolver. This cocktail is a take on an espresso martini, but switch the vodka for a dark rum like Diplomático rum, add coffee liqueur, sugar syrup and orange bitters. Perfect to enjoy from the heights of 89.

Image: Eugene Hyland

If 89 floors are too much for you, head over to the glam cocktail bar Cameo in the Ritz-Carlton. The luxe spot promises top-shelf sipping and eye-popping views across the city. This stylish cocktail lounge is dedicated to discerning drinking with a lens of celebration to the prohibition era.

Guests can partake in some of the oldest cocktails, featuring spirits from bygone eras, such as the 1917 sidecar, the 1930 old fashioned, 1931 Manhattan or a gin martini from 1943. Each cocktail is present with an air of theatricality. But if you want something simpler, Cameo does serve rare and premium spirits as well as house spins on classics. Get yourself a nip of Diplomático rum served neat, and watch the sunset as you take a few moments to sip, savour and slow down.

For a more moody luxe feeling, Society sports a timeless (and dramatic) aesthetic fusing elements of art deco, mid-century, art nouveau and brutalist sensibilities across its two restaurants — Society Dining Room and Lillian Terrace — plus the upmarket Society Lounge bar.

The Lounge, the venue’s cocktail bar, features a cocktail list by World Class Bartender of the Year, Orlando Marzo, and stars a vast selection of signature creations that regularly change. Stop by the moody marble bar and select your tipple — why not opt for a Savoy Daisy made with ruby port, Diplomático rum, lemon juice, muscovado sugar, and grenadine and garnished with an orange peel? A classy and moody drink for a classy and moody venue.

This rooftop bar will be your go-to spot to chill out for after-work drinks thanks to its all-weather retractable roof, Spanish-inspired menu and extensive cocktail list. The space is complete with a central copper bar, lots of high tables and a projector screening 70s Spanish flicks onto the building opposite.

The reimagined drinks list shows a range of tap cocktails, including a classic sangria. Meanwhile, the food situation leans to the snacky, featuring a tapas menu of old favourites and new creations, a covetable selection of Spanish cheeses and tapas — perfect to pair with a Diplomático Spiced Mule cocktail with Diplomático rum, a couple of dashes of aromatic bitters, ginger beer and a squeeze of lime.

Image: Fiona Hamilton