Eau de Vie, Melbourne CBD by Bureaucrat

While I eschew wines and beers, to the point that many may think I'm a teetotaler, my poison of choice is a damn fine cocktail.  The elegance, the sophistication and the absolute creativity (in terms of taste and presentation) you can get from cocktails are why I love them.  Plus, it doesn't hurt that if you want to get nicely stewed, then combining spirits is the way to go.

Ms G introduced me to a damn fine cocktail bar called Eau de Vie.  As a typical Melbourne hipster watering hole, Eau de Vie is located in an assuming laneway and is, of course, not signed.  Eau de Vie specialises in cocktails and whisky - of which they have lots!  So many in fact that the drinks menu is about 20 odd pages and, god help me, I can't remember what we ordered.  Suffice to say, they all tasted great and when you've got great company and the cocktails that are sharp and zingy, who cares what they're called!  Just do what we did and point to what other people ordering and add it to your tab.

This was one of my drinks, which was served in this gorgeous copper cup.  It was tart, sour and had freeze-dried citrus and crystallised ginger pieces with a foamy egg white top.

This was a rather Victorian styled cocktail...

...Mr O's whisky came in a beautiful crystal glass and a flagon of ice...

...and another cocktail...

...and although it maybe too hard to see, this one had a picture of an apple.

There is a food menu that's geared towards sharing.  We didn't try any but a few couples near us were tucking into gorgeous oysters and little tasty treats.  There is also a proper dining area where punters sit around a shared table in view of the kitchen.

Question: wall-to-wall alcohol + open flames = fun times or fire hazard?

If you sit in the main area, you get to watch the nattily attired bartenders prepare the cocktails. In addition to the shaking, throwing and catching, there's dry ice bubbling away, and the occasional fiery glow from the blow torches (for Simpsons aficionados, it's very reminiscent of Flaming Moe's).

Verdict

We loved it.

Overall

A great atmospheric bar.  Despite the darkness, I'm amazed at how organised and prompt the service is.  The staff are alert, friendly and more than happy to help you decide which drink (or two) you'd like to try.  The cocktails are delicious but be willing to fork over at least $20 for each (well worth it, in my opinion).  Get here as early as you can as a queue forms rather quickly.

Find it at

Eau de Vie
1 Malthouse Lane
Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: 0412 825 441