Winners of the 6th Annual Bar Awards

1

 

Cocktail Bar of the Year

This petite venue has already won plenty of awards. It is the home of mixologist and industry expert, Alexx Swainston. If you pay a visit to Lotus, ask Alexx to shake you up a Knickerbocker (rum, lemon and lime juices, Cointreau and in-house raspberry syrup).

2

 

Cocktail List of The Year

Exotic chargrilled fruits teamed with cocktails are a specialty here. Maybe that's the unique edge that helped Zeta Bar take out this award.
Zeta's own head of staff Mike Enright also won the title of Bar Manager of the Year.
And did you know that the official after-party for the Bar Awards was also held at Zeta Bar? It seemed fitting that the bar team got to celebrate their victories 'at home'.

3

 

Best Bar Food

Sure, most people go to bars for drinks, but Lychee Lounge has been rewarded for also focusing on nosh. This place serves Asian-inspired dishes such as tempura beetroot and pad thai.

4

 

Best Drink Selection

No suprises here. This Parisian-style venue has every kind of well-made liquid treat you could possibly imagine sipping on. Even regular visitors with adventurous tastes can't possibly hope to conquer the huge cocktail list and sample all of its diverse offerings. Try a classic martini for starters, or perhaps a delicate Shrinking Violet (rose petal vodka, violet liqueur, lychee juice, rosewater, lemon and Domaine Chandon).

5

 

New Bar of the Year

Asian inspiration reigns at this venue. Try the Dragon Egg cocktail, if you dare. It mixes Bombay Sapphire gin together with Limoncello, honey liqueur, Aperol and a Japanese sour plum.

6

 

Bar of the Year

Cookie has previously secured this award once before in 2004. Its drink selection seems like it would fit straight into a depraved Belgian beer hall. Cookie also harbours a cheeky cocktail bar out the back where you can sip on espresso martinis and all sorts of tipple-fuelled concoctions.

7

 

New Hotel of the Year

Okay, this place first opened its doors way back in the 1850s, but that hasn't stopped it taking out the gong for New Hotel of the Year. Sure, maybe it's not technically 'new', but it has been recently revamped by a $2 million makeover.
The relaunched Dolphin is a swished-up boozer with all bases covered. There's big screen sports coverage inside and space for chi-chi cocktail-lazing outside on the terrace.

8

 

Registered Club of the Year

This is the second year in a row that Cabana has taken out this title. The venue is known for its cracker of a beer garden and its sozzle-worthy cocktail list. Try the Polar Bear (muddled lychees, mint, Bacardi, lychee liqueur and crushed ice).

9

 

Best New Venue Design

Set on the top floor of Ruby Rabbit, this place is so exclusive that it's rumoured to have a $10,000 membership fee.
Designwise, De Nom is filled antique French influences. Venture into the ladies bathroom and you'll find Louis XIV throne-style loos. As they flush, a Rembrandt replica retracts to reveal a basin. Boys aren't left out of the bathroom experience either. The men's room features a huge perspex urinal coated in artwork. Now who said bars were about drinks?

10

 

Best Music Offering

An institution in Fortitude Valley, this venue has been honoured for its commitment to dance tunes and for hosting Australian and internationally acclaimed DJs.

11

 

New Nightclub of the Year

Alhambra is all brick walls, day beds, top-shelf spirits and chi-chi cocktails.

12

 

Wine Bar of the Year

The vino list at Gazebo is ultra long (sourced from Australia, Chile, Spain and plenty of other places) and some of its drops are especially pricey. However unlike so many other wine bars, this place doesn't try to have a snoot factor. The cheeky and playful wine list is divided simply into 'slurpables', 'pink bits', 'unpronounceables'and drops which are 'big and bold'.
Check out the bizarre fox wearing a boxing helmet and the chalk for scribbling down all your important graffiti in the loos.