Waterslide Bar (by invitation), Southbank by Bureaucrat

Southgate is going through a Renaissance with the establishment of several new restaurants and bars in the past year to entice diners and revelers back to this iconic Melbourne precinct.  The Waterslide Bar is the latest addition, and last week, Ms G and I went along to its launch.

The Waterslide Bar pays homage to the historical use of the location.  Back in the late 1800s, this area was a circus location and outdoor playground where well-dressed adventure seekers used to hop into a water chute and then be propelled down a wooden waterslide. 

The Waterslide Bar serves a veritable range of cocktails and spirits (they literally have pages and pages of different types of whiskey, rum, vodka, liqueurs, wine... you name it!).  I loved the gorgeously cute (and oh-so-Alice-in-Wonderland) pre-made cocktails.  The Tanqueray gin and lavender gimlet punch was delicious sweet and packed a punch. We also nibbled on seafood paella.

A few more cocktails laters, Ms G and I were definitely getting happy and chatty! I think this cocktail was called the Paloma - it was deceptively mild looking but was laced with (I think) Szechuan pepper on the outside.

We had a couple of sliders just to mop up the alcomahol...hehe.

By this point, I was getting tipsy enjoying myself a bit too much that my hand-eye coordination was deteriorating.  This here is my blurry photo of the blood orange Americano highball.

Verdict: we liked it a lot.

Overall

The Waterslide Bar is a great place to have a tipple or two.  Grab some friends and get cosy in the plush velvety couches and armchairs.  You're in for a classy experience as Tim Wastell, who's the venue manager, previously was awarded Australian Bar Manager of the Year.  There's something for everyone - ranging from a beers to wines to cocktails to spirits - and also for those who only want to spend less than $10 for their drinks to those who are wanting to splurge.