Boothby; The 50 best bars in Victoria, according to bartenders
BOOTHBY, 2024
What makes a great bar?
“What makes a great bar? There’s the hospitality, first and foremost — it helps, too, if the drinks are delicious. You want a well designed place, somewhere nice to spend some time in — you want atmosphere, experience, and a good time. You also want a sense of place.
That’s what the Boothby Best Bars awards are about. We asked bartenders and bar owners to nominate the bars they think are best in their state. And then we polled more than 100 of them — elite bartenders, influential bar operators, and the smartest bar industry figures — to find out how the rankings should look. The result? The Boothby 50 Best Bars in Victoria. Get a look at the list below.”
Boothby, Best Bars Victoria
BROADSHEET: LOLA BELLE
BROADSHEET, 1 MAY 2024
Now Open: Lola Belle From the Union Electric Team Is an Old-School Bar Focused on Rum
“Lola Belle has a timeless quality. With its hand-built banquettes, bentwood chairs, venetian blinds, lead lighting and mossy green tiles along the arches of its mirrored backbar, the venue feels like it’s always been there…”
Photography: Thomas McCammon
THE AUSTRALIAN BARS CROWNED AMONG THE BEST 500 IN THE WORLD
NINE NEWS, 14 NOV 2023
“The Top 500 Bars awards ceremony was held on Sunday November 12 (Monday November 13 Australian time) in Paris. The awards celebrate the top bars in 122 cities from 53 countries around the world and this year 22 Aussie bars made the cut. Take a look to find out where to get some of the best drinks in the country.”
THE 40 BEST ROOFTOP BARS IN MELBOURNE
BEAT MAGAZINE, 1 AUG 2023
“Melbourne’s no stranger to getting niche with their spots, with Union Electric’s rooftop gin garden specialising in bringing customers some of the best in the field of liquor. ”
A DIVE INTO MELBOURNE’S BEST LANEWAY BARS
BBC, 24 JULY 2023
“Not only does Union Electric offer a smorgasbord of the finest vintage hip-hop known to humankind played at an agreeably hefty volume, it also provides two separate options for the discerning drinker…
…The two separate options make Union Electric like a bar crawl for lazy people – you don’t even have to leave the building – and the fact that the place makes excellent drinks without pretending to be a super serious temple of cocktail wizardry means that it’s all about the effortless good time.”
THE BEST COCKTAIL BARS IN MELBOURNE
TIME OUT, 15 JUNE 2023
“We’ve sipped our way around this great city to find the bars with the best atmosphere, the most creative bartenders and of course, the best drinks…
…Fresh produce is serious stuff at Union Electric. While many bars may avoid using too many raw ingredients, Union Electric use daily pressings of fruits, micro herbs and housemade vinegars and syrups to bring their menu to life. A section dedicated to spiked apple juice is a cheap and cheerful way to take in the sun from their courtyard.”
