Cocktails for days!
The who’s who of Melbourne bars and bartenders are back for the Melbourne Cocktail Festival—the six-day celebration of the highest calibre of mixed drink that’s all about reigniting our phenomenal bar scene. (Featured image: Paige Ledford )
Taking place over an entire week, from 12 April to 18 April, the festival is taking over more than 25 bars, restaurants and even distilleries across the city.
The main event of the festival, or our favourite, is the Bar Safari where cocktail fans and expert mixologists alike will be galivanting from one bar to the next in search of their next bespoke cocktail concoction.
From Arbory Afloat to The Everleigh, from Nick and Nora’s to Molly Rose, to find out and taste what unique cocktail is on their menu and soon to be on your lips, you’ll need to join the safari. (Or head across to the MCF website where the secrets have been revealed.)
Bar Safari registration is free and also includes a month-long 10 per cent discount on all purchases from the Good Spirits online store in case you’ve pìcked up a thing or two you want to try at home.
Aside from Bar Safari, there will also be a party of tropical proportions at the Black Pearl on Thursday 15 April where bartenders Nick Tesar (Bar Liberty) and Felix Woods (Black Pearl) will be serving up wine-based cocktails while Bar Liberty’s head chef Zackary Furst ensures guests don’t go hungry.
Saturday 17 April will see Melburnians get a sneak peek at Byrdi of the delicious yet sustainable drinks that award-winning Matt Whiley will be conjuring up at his yet to be opened Sydney bar Re.
More events have been announced in the past few days at bars like Little Lon Distilling Co., Molly Rose Brewery, Beneath Driver Lane and Bar 1806.
To check out all the events, see the website here. And don’t forget to register for Bar Safari.