This bar's booze-inspired moniker delivers on its promise, with more cocktails and house-infused vodkas than you can shake a swizzle stick at, making it ideal for a pre-theatre swig.
Tucked into the side of Melbourne's Westin Hotel is a quiet, inner-city secret named the Martini Bar. However, "quiet" means "frequently busy" and "secret" means "known to those with a nose for style".
As the name suggests, the Martini Bar sports a martini and cocktail list to keep over-excited liquor fans on the razor's edge of sanity. With this and their house-infused vodka on offer, that pre-show drink may turn into more of a slip-in-after-interval affair.
The Redskin-infused vodka (yes, you read it correctly) dares to take you back to childhood, while the devilishly sweet lychee-infused vodka makes for an exquisite, sophisticated treat.
Getting into the spirit of Melbourne's various festivals, which seem to be held every other week, Martini Bar runs themed cocktail lists. A list of headline comics from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival lends the names for a selection of new cocktails, while during the recent
Lion King tour, the Simba's Pride cocktail was a paws-down favourite.
What sets the Martini Bar apart from the throng of Melbourne cocktail bars is not the dozens of comfy seats and couches, but the highly skilled, urbane bar staff, ready to please your every desire. Well, almost every desire.
Mark Gambino
