Bouvardia

In a city full of speakeasy-style bars, Bouvardia feels like a breath of fresh air. And it has far more going for it than its effortless cool, with owner Abjar Kasho (The Woods of Windsor) giving venue manager Dom Garreffa (who worked as a waiter at Attica for two years) the space to create his boundary-pushing cocktails behind the emerald-green bar.

You’ll find around 10 on the menu, each listed along with its spirit producers and allergen info as well as nitty-gritty details such as ABV and pH. Gareffa takes a meticulous, scientific approach to these libations, with some of them taking days to prepare.

The results are striking in both flavour and appearance. For example, the Major Tom uses bright yellow lacto-fermented passionfruit in combination with Marionette blue curaçao for a superbly green drink. A zero-alcohol highlight – Honey, I Burnt the Yogurt – features Greek yogurt that’s been cooked for four days at 85 degrees, resulting in a tangy caramel not dissimilar to dulce de leche.

Beyond cocktails, there’s a smart but snappy list of wine from producers such as Bannockburn, out of the Geelong region, and Gippsland Wine Co, and a couple of beers on tap.