Here's Jules Lund again, doing his best to convince everyone that his home town,
Melbourne, is the most fun, most interesting, most entertaining city not just in Australia but the world.
We let him take us on another tour of Melbourne, this time calling into some of his favourite bars.
Section 8 Container Bar
This is not your average bar. The owners have used shipping containers in the décor, wooden pallets serve as chairs and the walls are adorned with street art. There's nothing ordinary about their drinks either — beer from all around the world, lots of iced teas served in Chinese teapots and some fascinating cocktails.
By the way, Section 8 has a no tie policy. Blokes wearing suits are permitted entry, but not with their ties on. It's a way of ensuring they loosen up and relax.
De Raum Bar
This bar has a German name meaning "The Room". It's rather quirky, with beer and liquor bottles hanging from the ceiling, frying pans heated by Bunsen burners, syringes and sherbet pills. It's more like being in a fun laboratory than a neighbourhood bar.
Their cocktails are culinary creations and the menu is extensive. They use single-estate rum hand-pressed juices and custom-made ice. They also serve a mean pizza.
Bar 1806
Bar 1806 on Exhibition Street got its name because that was the year the word "cocktail" was defined in print. Their cocktail list follows a time-line, capturing the essence of each decade and what people were drinking then. It's all done with as much historic accuracy as possible.
They have a collection of vintage cocktail shakers and equipment.
People find it fun to drink something their parents or grandparents used to enjoy, not to mention cocktails enjoyed by sophisticated businessmen in 1806, or maybe a 1916 martini. Bar 1806 is also a training site for future cocktail makers. You may like to talk to them about their week-long classes.
