Overview
For proof that Australia's cocktail game is world-class, look no further than the calibre of the international mixology stars lining up to play on our turf. In 2015, it was New York's famous speakeasy Please Don't Tell, taking over the bar at Fitzroy's acclaimed cocktail haunt The Black Pearl. Then Sydney Bar Week 2016 saw The Everleigh in Melbourne and Sydney's Henrietta Supper Club each play host to pop-ups by Asia's best bar, 28 Hongkong Street.
Now it's time for one of the world's most famous hotel bars to make its way Down Under. The American Bar, which is located at London's Savoy Hotel, will take over The Black Pearl on October 15–16 and Darlinghurst's own cocktail gem Eau de Vie from October 18–19.
As England's longest surviving cocktail bar, The American Bar has quite the pedigree — in the last year alone, it's scooped the title of Best Bar in Europe at the World's 50 Best Bars awards and seen its team voted Best International Bar Team by Tales of the Cocktail.
Backed by the creators of local coffee liqueur Mr Black (who are behind the Espresso Martini Festival in Sydney and Melbourne), this Aussie adventure gives The American Bar the opportunity to showcase some of its own caffeinated mixology magic. At the helm will be senior bartender and World Coffee In Good Spirits champion Martin Hudak, as he treats local audiences to American Bar signatures like the Green Park, the Black Diamond and the Hanky Panky.
It's not a ticketed event, so you'll have to be there when the doors open at 6pm each night for the best chance of scoring a seat.
The American Bar takes over The Black Pearl, at 304 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, from 6pm on Sunday, October 15 and Monday, October 16. Then, it'll land at Eau de Vie, 229 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst, on Wednesday, October 18 and Thursday, October 19.