Friday night drinks – edition 2

BarNone – cocktail specialists

If you’ve never been to BarNone, you are missing one of the greatest experiences of your life. Just near Camberwell station down a side street there is an unassuming door that you enter, go downstairs and through another door to walk into what looks like a cosy, possibly intellectual, definitely stylish person’s lounge room. Full of comfortable chairs and sofas, a projector screen and warm lighting you basically feel at home as soon as you sit down. The waiters present you with a book, otherwise known as the very extensive drinks menu and will provide impeccable table service all night. Not only does the cocktail list complete gobsmack, but BarNone has taken care to have quality wine, beer, ciders and snacks menus.  They even do great toasted sandwiches and my favourite novelty that I have yet to try is to purchase a whole bottle of spirits which they will look after for you for subsequent visits, providing all mixers except Red Bull for the duration of the consumption of the bottle. What a way to impress someone!
Their mission was ‘to create and serve only the finest drinks to a discerning crowd, who appreciate the quality of their drinks’. With such expertise behind the bar, they’ve hit the nail on the head with this one. You’d be hard pressed to find a higher quality cocktail, with BarNone and 1806 neck and neck, there’s no close competition for the boutique cocktail experience from any other bar, that I know of at least.
BarNone opened their function space in late October, on the third floor overlooking the Melboune city skyline. They run cocktail and food matching workshops, cocktail classes, private tastings, generous drink packages and are running Belgian Bier & Bratwurst on Sunday afternoons from mid-November in their courtyard.

My favourite BarNone cocktails: blurbs from the BarNone cocktail menu

Zombie
Created in the late 1930s by Donn Beach at The Beachcomber Restaurant.
RECCOMENDED: Beware: This drink contains 4 rums, 1 overproof rum, absinthe, marachino liqueur and velvet felernum. This is one of the most famous tiki drinks with the equivalent of 3.5 standard drinks!
Classic Sazerac
Created in 1853 by Antoine Amadie Peychaud at the Sazerac Coffeehouse, French Quarter, New Orleans
Served with Jim Beam Rye Whiskey
Hurricanes are for tourists. Sazeracs are for natives. This is without a doubt one of the greatest cocktails ever created. The layer upon layer of character and flavour are outstanding. But it is a strong and smooth drink, not some alcoholic fruit juice!
Cocktail With No Name
Created in 2005 by Michael Cotter at BarNone, Melbourne
This cocktail is already famous at BarNone! A combination of Finlandia Mango, Gabriel Boudier Peach Liqueur, Ruby red grapefruit juice, passionfruit pulp and fresh lime juice. Garnished with a lychee. This cocktail is a great combination of fruit flavours with tanginess from the passionfruit and sweetness from the peach.
Devout Rastafarian
Created in 2007 by Michael Carne at BarNone, Melbourne.
In 1962 Jamaica finally gained its independence from Britain. The following year tens of thousands of devout Rastafarians turned up for the reburial of one of the greatest men of the 20th Century, Marcus Garvey. Garvey, a Jamaican, was a huge leader of the ‘Back-to-Africa’ movement. Rastafarians consider Garvey a religious prophet. This beautiful cocktail, remembers the Jamaican legend. Freshly muddled peach with Appleton rum, lime juice, Gabriel Boudier Peach Liqueur and garnished with a slice of peach and a little Jamaican passion.

http://www.barnone.com.au – http://www.myspace.com/barnonecamberwell
Tue & Wed: 6pm – 12am, Thu, Sat: 6pm – 2am, Fri: 5pm – 2am, Sunday: 12pm – 11pm

If you can’t make it out to Camberwell in the short term, head down to 1806 on Exhibition Street in the CBD for a similarly impressive experience while you clear your schedule for a trip out East.