Cocktails and spirits
- Review
- Melbourne
It’s not hot or new, but this classic laneway bar has still got it, especially after midnight
Under this archway, in this quintessentially Melbourne laneway, absinthe still makes the heart grow fonder.
- Tomas Telegramma
Shake up your margaritas with these Aussie agave spirits (just don’t call them tequila)
Australia isn’t just dabbling in Mexican-inspired spirits: it’s building a compelling category of its own.
- Mike Bennie
After a shock closure, this beloved local bar is pouring drinks again
The owners of The Age Good Food Guide’s Bar of the Year for 2026 share their five-month rollercoaster to reopen the business.
- Dani Valent
- Exclusive
- Just open
Lamb biryani sausage, ‘Lankan-leaning’ pasta: Young Chef of the Year opens first restaurant
Find it inside a gin distillery in Melbourne’s east that celebrates Sri Lankan food and drink in surprising ways. This is your first look.
- Tomas Telegramma
We found the ultimate proseccos for a spritz (including one from Aldi for $12)
And if you like pet nat, try the bottle-fermented cousin of regular prosecco, which has bolder aromas and a deeper flavour, as if the volume has been turned up.
- Mike Bennie
Where to drink, dine and spend to help hospitality reeling from bushfires
As farmers, winemakers and brewers take stock of what’s been lost, others are rallying to make it easy for people to spend in ways that help devastated businesses across Victoria.
- Dani Valent
We asked Good Food’s Bar of the Year for a summer-friendly alternative to eggnog
Forget the heavy eggnog. For an Australian Christmas, trade the fireside milk punch for this refreshing “eggnot” from Silver’s Motel. Festive, but far lighter.
- 30 mins - 1 hr
- Michael Chiem
Good Food’s Bar of the Year shares how to make Christmas punch that’s actually good
Michael Chiem, from Sydney’s Silver’s Motel and PS40, suggests making this sweet, sour and spicy punch ahead so you can get drinks in hands quickly. Plus, he has a clever tip for keeping it icy cold.
- 30 mins - 1 hr
- Michael Chiem
Who is drinking all the pornstar martinis?
More Aussies look up the recipe for this noughties-era drink than a Daiquiri. Here’s why it’s back and why you may be drinking it without even knowing.
- Erina Starkey
The 90-year-old Rozelle distillery changing perceptions about Aussie rum
A forgotten rum from 1933 has been brought back to life – and bartenders and restaurants like Eleven Barrack, Firedoor and Sixpenny can’t get it on their shelves fast enough.
- Erina Starkey