Pomelo

When Bouvardia opened in 2021, the CBD got a seriously inventive cocktail spot. Think fermented plays on black-apple brandy, and non-alcoholic cocktails starring Greek yogurt cooked over four days.

Pomelo is the rooftop bar directly above it. And while it has the same dedication to killer booze, it tries to be a little less serious than its sibling. There’s a candy-shop vibe to the sun-drenched space, and not just because of the zippy paint job.

The drinks all have some sort of novelty to them, in both flavour and presentation. The bar also snagged a Moon Dog Fizzer post-mix machine, which churns out a rotating selection of the brand’s hard seltzers with drive-through efficiency. Other hard seltzers are made and canned in-house, and there are there are boozy slushies, too.

What isn’t being made in-house has been carefully considered, with a pét-nat list designed to showcase the more complex side of the park-friendly wine. You might find picks from WA’s Brave New Wine, NSW’s Frankly This Wine Was Made by Bob, and a vintage version by Victoria’s Friends of Punch, which is said to taste kind of like salted popcorn.