Melbourne just added another name to its list of globally recognised drinking destinations. Three Horses, a sherry‑led bar on Little Lonsdale Street, has been crowned one of the best bars in the world, debuting at No. 84 in the World’s 50 Best Bars list for 2026.
It’s the only Melbourne venue to feature in this year’s extended 51–100 ranking, placing the city alongside new entries from Accra, Athens, Bangkok, Dublin, Goa, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Mexico City, San José, Shenzhen and Singapore.
A bigger, brighter follow‑up to Caretaker’s Cottage
Three Horses comes from the team behind Caretaker’s Cottage, the tiny, award‑chasing cocktail den that helped put Melbourne on the international bar map.
Where Caretaker’s built its reputation on scarcity and intimacy, Three Horses is designed for the crowds that venue can’t hold. The space is larger and more open, with an L‑shaped bar, walnut timber detailing and low amber lighting that feels like a date spot until the evening rush hits.
Above the bar hangs a three-metre painting of galloping horses in saturated, electric hues by artist Liz Stirling, part of a fit-out led by architect Thandi Stirling. Also, custom joinery, one-of-a-kind Pitt & Giblin speakers from Hobart (nicknamed the Ponies and the Dingoes), and a vinyl-only music policy complete the look.
Early evening, the room is calm. By 5.30pm, office workers spill in, records shift from croony ballads to upbeat ska, and bartenders move in choreographed rhythm as the bar fills four deep.
Sherry takes centre stage
Where Caretaker’s found precision in a tiny room, Three Horses finds it in a singular focus on sherry.
The fortified wine, long stuck with a dusty reputation, sits at the heart of the program. The bar offers a rotating selection of local and Spanish sherries by the glass or bottle, plus cocktails that treat sherry as a core ingredient rather than a novelty.
The Jabberwock—essentially a Martini seasoned with dry sherry—arrives poured tableside with a gold horse swizzle stick. A mango G&T comes with house‑made sorbet, whipped to order and served in a stainless steel coupe, smooth enough that you won’t find a single shard of ice.
Other standouts include an Ir(ish) Coffee built on Pedro Ximénez, blueberry coffee and macadamia Irish cream that looks like a miniature Guinness but drinks far lighter, and a Sherry Bakewell with oloroso, cherry wine and smoked amaretto that splits the room but will thrill anyone who loves maraschino.
Moreover, the cocktail menu rotates every three months and sits at a flat $27 on the winter list, grouped under simple style cues like “Whipped”, “Rich” and “Cobbler”.
Also, the apera and sherry list, available by the 60ml glass or 180ml carafe, ranges from Pennyweight’s dry Beechworth apera to Gonzalez Byass fino and old Amontillado, giving curious drinkers an accessible entry point into the category.
Minimal food with maximum focus
The food offering is currently limited to corn nuts, but they’re executed with care: generous portions, under $10, flavoured in‑house with mountain pepper and wattleseed for a salty, native‑spiced crunch.
It’s enough to soak up a drink and hints at what could come next. If a single olive can transform a glass of fino, a proper gilda or a small sherry‑friendly plate program would feel like a natural evolution.
Caretaker’s Cottage put this team on the map: a tiny room with a huge reputation and consistent World’s 50 Best Bars placements. Three Horses is the next chapter—the same finesse, a bigger footprint, a more approachable entry point through sherry and a more social layout.
Key details
- What: Three Horses
- Where: Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne CBD (across from Pepe’s Italian and Liquor)
- When: Afternoon to late; expect it to fill from around 5.30pm on weekdays
