Drinking Melbourne is the weekly newsletter from drinks writer Fred Siggins, unpacking what’s happening in Melbourne’s bars (and what you can learn from them), sent every Tuesday to your inbox. Get on the list here.
In this newsletter:
- five Spritz riffs from which to borrow inspiration
- wait — just how many Spritzes do they sell at the Australian Open?
- Ben Luzz, Kate Hoskin, Trish Brew and Teandra Allison-Brock
- a fundraiser in Carlton North
The Australian Open is on in Melbourne, and that means prosecco being popped by the pallet to top up Spritzes. But while the bars at the AO are pumping out Aperol Spritzes by the tens of thousands each day (according to Campari's Zach Mynott, a single bar at the open served 8,400 last Friday), Melbourne’s independent bars are taking their Spritz game to new heights. So for this week’s newsletter, and with the mercury set to hit a brutal 45 degrees today, I thought it would be fun to highlight some of the best and most interesting takes on the classic Spritz formula currently available around town.
Euro Spritz, Pendant Public Bar
Fitzroy’s oasis of chilled hospitality and top-notch cocktails brings their love of esoteric European drinks to the Spritz formula with their Euro Spritz. It’s a winning combination of Amaro Alpino, Pineau des Charentes, sherry, lemon and cava. While it might sound heavy and herbal, there’s a deft touch here as the pineau and lemon offer balancing acid to the richer flavours. But the real winner is the excellent cava from Spanish producer Valformossa, which offers a toasty, brioche warmth that cuts through the acid and delivers impressive richness and texture while keeping the drink light and refreshing. “Most people make Spritzes with cheap prosecco,” says co-owner Belinda Linton. “So using really good quality cava makes a big difference.”
Normandie Spritz, Good Measure
Also leaning into traditional French mistelles as a base for spritzes, the Normandie Spritz at Carlton’s Good Measure makes use of Le Pere Jules Pommeau along with rose vermouth and house made marigold mead (co-fermented raw honey and marigold flowers). It’s lighter, fruitier and lower in alcohol than the Pendant number, but, as with the Euro Spritz, sports wonderful complexity thanks to multiple styles of fermentation in the same drink. “I’ve been trying to reduce the amount of prep-heavy house made ingredients on the list,” says co-owner Max Allison, “but making mead is pretty easy, and I love the combination of apples and honey.”
Sundrifter Highball, Mr West
And when it comes to ferments, Nathan Beasley of Bar Spontana and Mr West is one of the best in the game. His Sundrifter Highball at Mr West is essentially a riff on an Aperol Spritz, made with Brookie’s Sundrift aperitivo, grapefruit bitters, and a wild-fermented rhubarb wine made in house that co-owner Caleb Barker describes as "ridiculously delicious.” I’m inclined to believe him.
Orange You Glad, Bar Clara
Also rethinking the sparkling wine element of a traditional Spritz is Bar Clara in the CBD. As part of the Vic Distilled Serves of the State initiative to promote Victorian-made spirits, they’ve taken Lake Meran Sunset Aperitivo, inspired by classic Italian orange amari, and combined it with a prosecco syrup then topped with soda. The result is a wonderfully effervescent drink that keeps bubbling right to the end.
The King’s Fated Rival, Black Kite Commune
Taking the cake for most creative Spritz inspiration is this number from the CBD’s foremost Aussie spirits bar. Jess Clayfield’s The King’s Fated Rival is inspired by, as with all the signature drinks on her current menu, a Japanese baseball star plus a good dose of ‘90s Iron Chef. Featuring Hartshorn Fingerlime Vodka from Tassie, Marionette elderflower, yuzu bitters, house made sparkling wattleseed tepache and Soumah Blanc de Blanc sparking from Yarra Valley (another big step up from your average house prosecco), Jess describes it as a modern, elevated take on the ever popular Hugo Spritz. Stop it Jess, you’re making the rest of us look bad.
This is but a few of the wonderfully modern, creative and fundamentally delicious Spritzes on offer around Melbourne right now. Of course the classic Aperol Spritz is still flowing freely from joints like Arbory Afloat and the special Spritz pop-up outside Brunetti’s in Carlton. But you can also find quality non-alc versions at Heartbreaker for the sober Spritz-sippers out there, and culturally creative takes from places like Moon Drop with Jackson Holbrook’s Saturn Devouring His Spritz mentioned in my write up from a few weeks ago, and the Calamansi Spritz — calamansin being a citrus fruit which is like a kumquat-mandarin hybrid from the Philippines — currently available at Inuman.
Finally, if you want to delve deeper into the world of the Spritz and get some inspiration while supporting bartender/authors (which is of course a wonderful thing to do — no bias here), make sure you have a copy of All Day Cocktails by our own Shaun Byrne and Nick Tesar. And if you just can’t be bothered, order yourself some of Madenii’s delicious limited edition Pet Nat Spritz and help them recover from the fires that destroyed their vermouthery a couple of weeks ago.
Around the Bars
Hyphenated Help. Carlton North's Hyphen Spaces (third space to Sleepy's Cafe & Wine Bar) will be hosting a bushfire relief market and raffle on Saturday 31, January. From 12pm to 6pm, Hyphen Spaces will be selling artisan products and baked goods donated by local artists, designers and makers, and from now until January, 31st, Sleepy's Cafe and Wine Bar will be selling raffle tickets with some incredible prizes up for grabs to be drawn on the day, including a $150 dinner voucher at Sleepy's Cafe & Wine Bar dinner + 2 cocktails, a $150 tattoo voucher from @killakilla.ink and a canvas artwork by artist Ying Wang valued at $690. They’re also still accepting donations to either raffle or sell at the market, so if you want to get involved please reach out to hyphenspaces.bookings@gmail.com. The raffle prizes will be drawn at 6pm on Saturday, 31 January. All proceeds from the events and raffle will go to Sikh Volunteers Australia, who provide free, nutritious meals and essential items to those in need.
Palace of Pensioners. On Monday 2 February from 4pm until stumps at 3am, Gin Palace is hosting a fundraiser supporting Maidenii and Maison Lapalus featuring alumni bartenders including Ben Luzz, Kate Hoskin, Trish Brew and Teandra Allison-Brock dusting off their waistcoats and jumping back behind this vaunted stick for the night. Backed by brands like MGC, Bellicose, Never Never, Sullivans Cove, Marionette and Archie Rose, it’ll be a good old-fashioned industry knees-up to support mates and producers when they need it most.
