You like your cocktails delicious, your wine list considered, and your atmosphere low fuss. You’ll find all these things at the new drinks-forward hangout from the team behind Melbourne’s treasured carpark bar Section 8 and late-night boozer Ferdydurke – where after 12 years of service as a go-to for a nightcap on that balcony – has a new lease on life as something more refined. Switching out the house drafts for the likes of an exceptional freezer-door Martini, Aster offers up several classics done damn well alongside plenty more adventurous options. Just ask for the mezcal distilled with Iberico ham.
Here’s the download on what’s good upstairs with Aster venue manager and drinks whiz Manny Platsis.
How about a drink?
Have a go at one of the latest on our menu, the Mariacha, an agave-based Old Fashioned with a blend of blanco tequila and mezcal, yuzu bitters and house-made grapefruit and apricot marmalade. We swiped the apricots from the tree growing above our mates next door at Section 8, and asked our bar manager’s grandma for her marmalade recipe. Zesty, slightly smoky, and already a crowd favourite.
The ‘Un-Named Whisky Cocktail’ is our recommendation here, a whisky highball with a twist. We’ve added some honeycomb and a black plum and galangal shrub, topped with tonic water and lemon. Whisky isn’t just for winter: this is light and refreshing, and far too easy to drink.
What if we’re here for a good time, not a long time?
Have a glass of wine! We’re into great wines as well as cocktails, and keep a tight but fun list of mainly local drops, and tend to lean toward natural styles. Our resident wino’s current favourite is the Street Walking Cheetah Viognier, a skin-contact orange wine from the Pyrenees, or maybe the Mt Midoriyama pét-nat rosé by the folks from Konpira Maru. Yum.
What if I like tasty food but don’t eat animals?
We offer a small but delicious selection of bar snacks that are mostly vegetarian. Think house-made pickles, a rotating selection of dips served with gluten-free crackers, and of course, cheese.
Is there a drink or dish that captures the Aster vibe? We love local and try our best to reduce waste where possible (remember those apricots?) Enter our Freezer Door Martini, which uses Little Lon Proudfoot Gin from our mates at their distillery 600 metres up Lonsdale Street, a “vermouth” made from oxidised wines we just can’t throw away, and some umami bitters for good measure. It’s a bit weird, just like us, and certainly a go-to for an adventurous Martini lover.
Let’s go big and let’s go crazy. What have you got for us?
Splash out on our spirit flight, showcasing an ever changing range of our favourite brands and categories. Currently featuring some delicious agave, including the Codigo Rosa Tequila Blanco, finished in French cabernet wine barrels, and a spectacular single-village Mezcal Iberico by Del Maguey, which uses Iberico ham in its third distillation. From light and fruity to smoky and savoury, once again, a bit weird but very delicious.
And to finish?
For something sweet, why not have a small glass of Starward Distillery’s Honeycomb Whisky, a house favourite and a sweet way to finish the night.
Book tickets to Late Night Supper Club: Siam Soirée at Aster as part of MFWF’s Special Events program, presented by Square.
Aster, Levels 1 and 2/31 Tattersalls Lane, Melbourne, open 5pm–midnight Tuesday to Thursday and 5pm–2am Friday and Saturday, @aster.melbourne