Fitzroy bar crawl

Local spirits and Lamington jaffles. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? Well, maybe it isn’t. Mexico has tequila and tacos. America has beer and hamburgers; so why can’t Melbourne have Australian spirits and sealed toasties? Try whisky made in inner-city Melbourne, vodka from Tasmania and rum from the Swan Valley in Western Australia.

Unlike any other bar in Melbourne, Black Pearl combines party-smashing-knees-up good times with some of the best cocktails in town. The Attic upstairs is serving classic drinks out of crystal-cut Royal Doulton glassware, while downstairs is the place for beer or a whisky.

The Everleigh has the look of a 1920s speakeasy and is a proper American-style cocktail bar, run with an Aussie sensibility, which means you’re getting some of the best drinks in the country, without the side of attitude that you get on Eldridge Street.

Since its dramatic overhaul in mid 2009, the maritime-themed Grace Darling has has gone from a sad little place with the ambience of an outer-suburbs RSL to a hipster paradise with a band room, vintage fairs, rock trivia and a youthful, creative vibe.

At the top of a dark staircase you’ll find a pool table, popcorn – popped to order and served with any kind of salt you like from Mexican to chicken – and an indoor bocce pitch. Here they've got both the booze and know-how to make whatever you fancy, and karaoke and drag shows are also on offer.

They sling white, young and lightly-aged rums as well as an assortment of grassy agricole rums: spirit distilled from sugarcane juice rather than molasses. If you’re sitting on a fat wallet, throw it at the top-shelf gear like Zacapa XO.