Ballarat has had a boom in cocktail availability which has been a delight for me. In honour of my previous blog post of places to eat and drink in Ballarat, I’ve decided to also do one related to cocktails.
This post has been updated to include a different: 18th Amendment. Watch the video below. 18th Amendment has replaced Lost Ones Basement Bar.
When friends want to have a cocktail night, there are several places that I will usually suggest we attend. Keep in mind, some of my friends don’t drink so are keen to have mocktails. Venues that offer non-alcoholic options on the side will be getting honourable mentions in the list below. This list is by no means comprehensive and will be geared towards places with an atmosphere that allows chatting and ample seating because that’s the type of cocktail evenings I’m usually having with friends. Also, this will be in no particular order so please don’t take the numbers as a rank; the numbers are for list purposes only. I’m by no means a cocktail connoisseur, so I encourage you to explore the places on the list and find your own vocabulary to describe what you experience there.
Previously my absolute favourite venue in Ballarat, MH now has a cocktail list in their drinks menu. There are usually at least 2 that our group will drink on heavy rotation. They change it seasonally and they also have the group favourite of mocktails on the menu. We usually end up drinking citrus dominant cocktails but once they had a mulled cider that was pretty fun. If I’m drinking here though, I’m either going to be drinking gin or, more likely, wine. Wine is where MH shows off. Check their Instagram for latest cocktail offerings.
You will find this bar down a lantern decorated and painted alleyway. It is in the basement of an art gallery and they have a delightful range of gin. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, gin is my favourite alcoholic beverage, so I will probably mention it at every venue. They often have very atmospheric live music and have at least two pianos sitting in the venue at any given time. There is also a resident cat. I once went to a perfume and cocktail matching event here which was amazing. These guys do special events really well. My favourite cocktail on the menu is the one named after their resident cat, Pye. The cocktail is called a Pyewacked and they smoke the glass and the drink both in a bell jar. It tastes amazing and is my favourite cocktail in the city. Mocktails were not on the menu but they will make one on request.
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| Moon and Mountain |
A very, very delicious food venue but absolutely winning my heart with the cocktail selection. They have previously done a range of non-alocholic bubble teas which you could have converted to alcoholic. Their presentation is excellent. The accompanying snacks are half of why I go there for drinks. They have just recently updated their cocktail list, which they do seasonally. These cocktails are particularly good if you are someone with a sweet tooth so if sweet cocktails are your thing look here before any other venues.
A little tip for Moon: they have so many cocktails they sneakily have extras on the dessert menu too.
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| Pancho |
4. Pancho
Hello, tequila. This South American restaurant is great for tequila shots, but if it’s cocktails you want they have a small list, including mocktails, that they can do by the jug. The jug option is great for groups but you may need to wait for a seat. They don’t take bookings but like the best things in life, they are worth the wait. The food! The food! I don’t like coriander and am usually bored by fish but lordy, this venue never ceases to make food and drinks that make your heart sing. Anyway, back to drinks, I’m usually ordering the Pisco Sour. They can do additional fun fruit smoothy things (like pictured here) that are non-alcoholic if you ask nicely.
5. Lola
A quieter venue than the others I have mentioned and with slightly easier parking. I love everything about Lola so the cocktail list is no surprise. They do mocktails on request. Their cocktails are elegant, classic and will be welcomed by serious cocktail lovers.
Honourable mention: Mr Jones dining. I haven’t visited them for cocktails in a while but they were doing them well a few years ago. Worth a try!
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You can't go past a good cocktail, especially when they look as gorgeous as these ones. I clearly need to arrange a trip to Ballarat so I can have a go at some of these. Thanks for the insider's guide.