If you thought Melbourne’s drinking scene was lacking in the tailor-cum-bar department, you’ll be thrilled to hear about The Cloakroom Bar.
This 40-person establishment, hidden on the 46th floor of Southbank’s Shadow Play by Peppers, is managed by just three bartenders who make almost all of the specialty elements – infused liqueurs, house-smoked preserves – ahead of time.
The 10-strong beverage list is heavily influenced by Japanese flavours (most evident in the Day 1, a sake, Haku vodka and miso-infused pickled tomato cocktail), which makes perfect sense when you discover the made-to-measure suits are laser cut and handcrafted in Tokyo. The bar and tailor shop are separated only by a glass cabinet, although both spaces enjoy panoramic views across Melbourne’s cityscape.
A rooftop bar in New York City? Groundbreaking, we hear you say in your best Miranda Priestly voice. But there’s something pretty special about the latest addition to the skyline.
Located in the heart of Midtown, The Skylark is a classy multilevel space that boasts unparalleled views of Times Square, the Empire State Building and Hudson River. Suede couches and plush furnishings in moody splashes of grey, black and caramel create a sophisticated vibe, while outside on the terrace the decor is sleek and minimal.
Cocktails that demand an immediate taste test include the honey and bourbon blend Fort Knox, and the signature Skylark, which mixes gin, vodka, dry vermouth, St Germain liqueur and blue curacao into one helluva knockout drink!
There are a lot of themed bars out there in the world – Ninja Akasaka in Tokyo and Trailer Park Lounge in Manhattan are just a couple of our favourites – but Fort Worth’s McFly’s Pub is the perfect blend of movie memories and good times.
Of course, there are a tonne of references to the 1980s sci-fi flick Back to the Future, including some great murals of Marty McFly and Doc Brown, loads of clocks, old suitcases that have been transformed into lights and the propellers from planes converted into ceiling fans. But there are plenty of other treasures, too, including a jukebox and decades-old arcade games.
The drinks list is also heavy on the nostalgia front, with most cocktails playing on the bar’s time-travelling movie ties. The Martini McFly is similar to an old-fashioned, but served in the appropriate glassware, and The Great Scotch is Johnny Walker Black, orange juice and syrup finished with limes and lemons.
Oh, and for those sunny Texas days, there’s also an expansive patio where you can kick back and remember the glory days.
Actor Christopher Lloyd, who played Doc Brown, sent owners Casey and Kelsey Smith a video message when they opened.
If Tasmania’s southern reaches could be bottled then this local baker has achieved it. Turning his hand from flour to spirits, Martin Wohlgemuth of the aptly named Bakehouse Distillery in Dover has made the world’s first sassafras spirit. Evoke, as it is called, is created using a base spirit made of Australian sugar cane infused with local botanicals, including southern sassafras, and blended with pure rainwater.
Martin selectively prunes the leaves from the trees which are then vapour distilled to extract the flavours. The idea was initially a labour of love to encapsulate the essence of the region for which the former baker has so much respect, but it has become a sought-after tipple on the Apple Isle.
If you’re visiting the tiny town of Dover, be sure to call ahead to make sure someone is at the distillery. As well as a bottle of this unique spirit, you can also grab a loaf of its famed wood-fired sourdough from the century-old bakery.
It may be the birthplace of Guinness, but that doesn’t mean the people of Dublin don’t mind a detox every now and then. Enter The Virgin Mary, Ireland’s very first booze-free bar. Now that may sound like blasphemy to some, but one look at the bespoke cocktail list could be enough to sway even the most seasoned drinker.
Carefully crafted to emulate the taste of alcohol, the selection of bevvies includes the Cedar’s Spritz, a gin and tonic-style tipple complete with cucumber ribbon, and the Virgin Mary, a spicy take on the classic Bloody Mary. There are also four non-alcoholic beers and nitro coffee that emulates the texture and appearance of Guinness flows from a stout tap. Located on quirky Capel Street, this bar serves up the craic without a hangover the next morning.
With a string of wildly successful bars in the UK under his belt, award-winning mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana, aka Mr Lyan, has made his highly anticipated international debut in Amsterdam, opening all-day cocktail bar Super Lyan.
Housed in a historic seventeenth-century building connected to the glam Kimpton De Witt hotel, the space is comprised of a light-filled garden serving brekkie cocktails and spiked milkshakes (alongside an impressive brunch
menu) and a neon-lit bar area complete with cosy booths.
It’s here you’ll find some of the more innovative drink options – like the Rhubarb Daisy with buttermilk whey and hibiscus paint – and tasty snacks, including the now famous chocolate and chips. Make sure you say hi to Robin, too – he’s Super Lyan’s resident party cat.
For a New York-style night out with the guys, the girls, a date or solo-dolo, visit the Blind Barber. Located across the street from Tompkins Square Park, it’s unlike anywhere else in the Lower East Side. The barbershop, featuring two chairs, is a front for a secret bar behind door number six. Entering this door transports you back to the Prohibition era and will have guests disappearing for a few hours into a true Manhattan nightlife experience.
Is it a place to get your beard groomed and your hair trimmed or is it a place to enjoy a cheeky beverage? It’s both! Kill two birds with one stone and look your best while indulging in one of Blind Barber’s cocktails. Try the Heathers, a blend of tequila, pineapple cordial, grapefruit cordial, saline, lime and soda. There are also delicious pizzas on the menu to complete the hip East Village experience.
Be overwhelmed in the best possible way when you venture into quaint and cosy Ølhallen. The oldest pub in this surprisingly lively Arctic city, Ølhallen offers 67 rotating Norwegian beers on tap – said to be the widest draught selection in all of Europe. What’s more, around 15 of these are prepared right next door in the Mack microbrewery, which, until not long ago, held the mantle of the northernmost beermaker in the world.
Brewed to a rock soundtrack (it’s said to get the yeast ‘moving’), some of the beverages feature rock star names, from the American light lager Lemmy (in honour of the Motorhead frontman) to the Sweet Porter of Mine (dedicated to the Guns N’ Roses classic). Play it safe by ordering the five-beer flight, or be bold and head straight to the bar for a mug of Dead Cat IPA.
You must first weave through a shop selling bartending equipment before you can enter this multi-storey venue, concealed behind a sliding bookcase. The first floor – accessible via a tunnel and a flight of stairs – plays host to a lively, standing-room-only bar that pumps out cocktails. New York staples pepper the drinks list, interspersed with Asian-influenced libations such as the Eastern Paris, which combines brandy and aged Pu-erh tea.
To access level two, find the antique map on the stairs and put your orienteering skills to the test. Once you’ve located Shanghai and given it a poke, you’ll gain access to an intimate and slower-paced bar that serves up more elaborate, less classic cocktails. Patrons who drink here often enough will find themselves ushered past the ‘employees only’ sign on the stairs where yet another bar awaits.
At 65 years young this grand dame of a watering hole still courts plenty of attention. The only revolving bar in the city, Carousel purveys carefully crafted cocktails from its short but sweet (and sometimes sour) cocktail list. Local classic the Sazerac – featuring rye whiskey blended with bitters and lemon peel – has been Nola’s official cocktail since 2008 and is the obvious first port of call. But it’s not just the drinks that people flock here for: Carousel is a whimsical cross between fairground attraction and chic bar that has attracted literary legends such as Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and even features in their works.
Just 25 seats perch under the ornate, mirrored roof, so eager punters will need to hotfoot it to this popular French Quarter haunt early. And once you’ve staked your place at the bar and settled in for a long night of drams and chats there are (thankfully) bar bites on offer. Local favourites po’ boys, gumbo and beignets all line the menu, and later your stomach.
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