A new report says two Melbourne bars are the tops in the region, beating out competition from Mumbai, New Delhi and Tokyo, among other cities.
Der Raum, whose specialties include German brews, was named the region’s best bar and the 12th best in the world by Drinks International, a magazine covering the global market in beer, wine and spirits. Melbourne rival Black Pearl — currently under renovation — was just behind at No. 13.
Other Asia-Pacific bars making the magazine’s latest global top 50, out last week, include Q’Ba in New Delhi; Matterhorn in Wellington, New Zealand; and Tokyo’s Star Bar. (The best bar in the world, by its reckoning, is London’s Milk & Honey, with PDT in New York the runner-up.)
But what makes Australian bars so cool? Scene sent reporter Lyndal McFarland to Melbourne’s finest (Der Raum and fellow top-50 member 1806) to find out. For good measure, reporter Cynthia Koons checked out two of Sydney’s top spots, Ivy Bar and Zeta.
Der Raum
438 Church St., Richmond
438 Church St., Richmond
Cocktails are serious business at Der Raum (German for “the room”), located in the hip inner city suburb of Richmond. The bar itself, with more than 100 bottles of premium and exotic spirits suspended bungee-style from the ceiling, rightly commands attention in an otherwise sparsely decorated but comfortable space. Pull up a chair and watch the skilled bartenders bring Der Raum’s imaginative and comprehensive cocktail list to life with fresh ingredients (and in some cases, liquid nitrogen). Drinks here aren’t cheap but are certainly memorable. No detail is overlooked, from the complimentary amuse-bouche of chamomile vapors to awaken the palate to the oftentimes surprising ways drinks are presented. Der Raum’s Jamaican Black Strap, for example, is served in a brown bottle that could have come straight from the 1920s, complete with brown paper bag. Also try Pharmacy, a delicious mix-it-yourself concoction sure to draw attention. Administer Pharmacy’s syringe of Aperol to a medical jar of pear and roasted capsicum gin, pop in the house-made pill of sherbet, screw the lid on, give it a quick shake and then enjoy. True it its name, Der Raum is strong in German beers; it also has a particularly comprehensive absinthe list, running to 24. Der Raum attracts a mix of well-dressed locals and out-of-towners lucky enough to have heard about this out-of-the-way venue.
1806
169 Exhibition St.
169 Exhibition St.
Named for the year “cocktail” was first defined in print (according to the Oxford English Dictionary), 1806 in Melbourne’s city center is all about history. Its impressive cocktail list maps out a timeline stretching back more than 250 years, from the 1756 Fish House Punch — a rum-based concoction said to be the official refreshment of the oldest club in America — to more-recent tipples like the 20th Century (gin, lemon, Lillet blanc and chocolate), popular in the 1930s. Each comes with a back story and there’s a section for each decade from 1806 to today. The space is cozy and comfortable, with leather lounges and muted lighting, drawing a grown-up crowd. With velvet curtains surrounding the bar, 1806 retains the feel of the theater it once was, with the cocktails and helpful bar staff taking center stage. For those wanting more, on the first Saturday of every month 1806 offers four-hour lessons on how make your own perfect cocktail.
The Ivy
320/330 George St.
320/330 George St.
At Sydney’s Ivy Bar, just off a main thoroughfare in the city’s business district, the first floor surrounds an open-air courtyard where paper lanterns hang from a tree, white wicker chairs surround matching white tables and menus and coasters sport the venue’s distinctive yellow-and-white-striped theme. Drinks include Fig-Tree Martinis, Wild Thyme and Elderflower Fizz and Mint Juleps.The bar attracts a see-and-be-seen crowd of young aspiring financiers and girls vying for their attention. On Thursdays, DJs spin a fun mix of hip ’80s music and current electro-pop — at times too loud for conversation. You can get sandwiches, burgers, steak and salads, but don’t wait for a waitress: The Ivy is self-serve. The food is reliable, the French fries are abnormally large and the drinks, served in plastic wine and beer glasses, are reasonably priced. All in all, the Ivy’s worth stopping by for a taste of Sydney’s very own gilded era.
Zeta Bar
488 George St. (Hilton Hotel)
488 George St. (Hilton Hotel)
Jazz is playing as you enter the elevator to the fourth floor, where the dark, sultry Zeta Bar occupies a long room with remarkably high ceilings. Clusters of black leather sofas give patrons an element of privacy; those looking for more intimacy can reserve a semi-private alcove across from the bar. At the far end of the room, a large patio opens up to a view of Sydney’s historic Queen Victoria Building — the one sign this isn’t in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. (Zeta was designed by New Yorker Tony Chi.) Zeta’s menu, while difficult to read in the dim lighting, contains an impressive range of cocktails, from a Spiced Agave Margarita to a Grilled Pineapple and Pepper Martini. The featured drink, a Smoked Bacon and Maple Syrup Manhattan (breakfast of champions!) is topped with a strip of American-style bacon, a rarity in Sydney. Despite Zeta’s best efforts to shake the hotel-bar stigma, there’s still the feel of a place designed for clandestine meetings between guests. That’s not to say Zeta doesn’t have style; it attracts a smartly dressed, subdued crowd. For a break from the Sydney pub scene, Zeta’s worth a visit for a classy cocktail and a slice of Manhattan down under.
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