This killer bar has won so many cocktail awards you'd think a deal with the devil had been made. Drink one and you'll go straight through the gates of heaven.
Step inside Der Raum into a dark moody setting complete with low burning candles and glass bottles suspended from the ceiling. It's a cheeky little spot that begs you to look at alcohol from a whole new perspective.
Tucked in the heart of Richmond behind an unassuming shopfront, the folks here make their living by taking a 'molecular' approach to cocktail mixology. Using recipes from a bygone age, they reinvent them with modern ingredients, freshly-squeezed flavours and plain old know-how, setting the bar so high you'd think you were in some kind of boozy heaven for bon vivants.
Aside from its killer cocktail list, Der Raum also serves up a large selection of absinthes and German beers. Look even closer and you'll discover a rare collection of unusual imported vodkas, rums and bourbons.
So serious are they about serving only the finest alcohol money can buy, they actually have an ever-growing 'Blacklist' of alcohols they refuse to stock - Bundy Rum, Midori, Southern Comfort, and RTDs are all no-nos. This militant approach has garnered Der Raum dozens of awards since its opening in 2001, and earned it more cocktail awards than any other Melbourne bar.
