If you’re like me and love a good cocktail but hate the price-tag, these are the bars to venture to, to find the perfect blend of fruity heaven and cheap prices! Cocktail happy hours are most definitely a thing, and here is where to find the best variety, the best specials, and the best times.
The Black Rabbit
85 Queen Street, Melbourne VIC, 3000.
The Black Rabbit is a New York Style bar, tucked away in the heart of Melbourne right in the CBD. The Black Rabbit has great food and drink specials, a wonderful, classy atmosphere, and great live music. It is the perfect place to relax, grab a drink, and let the low-lit, classy vibes, take you away to New York.
Every Friday night, the Black Rabbit has happy hour from 4pm-8pm, a perfect way to start your weekend. Every Friday they have live DJ’s, delicious nibbles, and $10 cocktails specials! And if your taste-buds eventually get tired from all the fruity, cocktail goodness, you can grab a $6 wine, spirit, or beer (Cricketers Arms Schooners), as well!
The cocktails to try:
- Passionfruit & Lychee Martini,
- Blueberry Caprioska
- Rum Rabbit.
[More Info + Gallery] | [Contact Venue] | [To Book For Private Functions]
Hoo Haa
105 Chapel St, Windsor VIC, 3181.
Hoo Haa is one of the most thriving bars on Chapel Street, and there is no questioning why. The staff are super friendly, the food super tasty and the tunes are super banging.
Hoo Haa loves to bring you good times, every Tuesday through to Saturday between 4pm-7pm they offer $6 pints, spirits, and house wines. The perfect way to start your night out, before hooking into the fancy cocktails they have to offer. They also offer the classics including the Old Fashioned, Long Island Iced Tea & Tommy’s Margarita.
On Wednesday’s buy 1 get 1 free on margaritas and spirits.
On Thursday, join Hoo Haa for their Thirsty Thursdays starting at 7pm, where all pints are $8 and cocktails are 2 for 1!
On Friday Hoo Haa have Cocktails and Bubbles from 7pm-11pm. The specials change weekly, but there is always a $10 espresso martini to greet you, and $8 Chandon Brut and Rosѐ.
Cocktails to give your night the kick-start it needs include:
- Lychee Rose Daquiri – Bacardi Carta Blanca rum, Lychee, Rose Syrup, and Fresh Lime.
- Watermelon Paloma – Tromba Blanco Tequila, Fresh Lime, Watermelon, Soda, Agave and Rose Syrups.
- Negroni on Tap – Bombay Dry Gin, Maidenii Sweet Vermouth, and Campari.
[More Info + Gallery] | [Contact Venue]
Howler
7-11 Dawson Street, Brunswick, VIC, 3056.
Howler in Brunswick is most notorious for its beautiful architecture, exciting gigs, and fun events throughout the year. The food is good value for money, tasty, and what you would expect with deliciously decadent burgers. The atmosphere at the Howler is covered with greenery and artful interior design that can leave you daydreaming, lost in thought. The music venue is also incredible, with a stage at a good height, an exciting atmosphere that looks like a modern industrial art space.
Friday specials between 4pm-6pm include $8 Feral Pints and $8 Espresso Martinis. Sunday specials between 12pm-3pm include $10 ANY craft Pints and $10 Bloody Mary’s. And on a Sunday between 3pm-6pm you can grab as many $5 mimosas as you like.
[More Info + Gallery] | [Contact Venue] | [To Book For Private Functions]
Katuk
517 Chapel Street, South Yarra, VIC, 3141
Katuk is another one of Chapel Street’s hidden gems, tucked away upstairs, only a door and a small neon sign can be seen from the steps. The bar staff are experts that can tell you exactly what cocktail you would like if you list a few ingredients. Katuk also love to mix things up (pun intended) and change their cocktail menu a couple of times a year.
Katuk offer an excellent Happy Hour every Friday from 5pm-9pm and a Wednesday night special. The Wednesday night special includes $5 basic spirits, and ½ price classic cocktails. Friday Night Happy Hour includes ½ price pots, pints and jugs, $5 house wines, and $12 cocktails.
Cocktails to try before the menu changes:
- Caramello Colada – Havana Especial Rum, coconut, caramel, and lime.
- Peach better have my Honey – Encanto Pisco, peach, honey, lime, Greek Yoghurt.
- ‘Jimmy Sherry’ – Tromba Resposado tequila, Solemo Liqueur, PX Sherry, choc bitters.
[More Info + Gallery] | [Contact Venue] | [To Book For Private Functions]
Asian Beer Cafe
211 La Trobe St, Melbourne VIC, 3000
ABC is a great place for students, or anyone that can tolerate students for a period of time. They have excellent student specials that require you to flash the ol’ ID at the bar, but also a great dance floor, with exciting DJs five nights a week, and an outside deck that is good in both summer and winter.
Aside from the amazing drink specials, ABC’s drinks are quite cheap anyway with cocktails between $11-$16, and cocktail jugs at the $20 mark. Happy Hour Every Day between 4pm-8pm includes, $14 premium beer Jugs, $9 house beer jugs, $6 spirits, and $9 cocktails including Sex on the Beach and Melon Patch. Their Happy Hour also includes $10 frozen cocktails.
Our drinks of choice are:
- ABC Zombie – Plantation OP Rum, Falernum, Kraken Rum, Lime, Demerara, Grenadine, Pernod Absinthe, Pineapple & Grapefruit Juices and bitters.
- Velvet Mexican – Olmeca Tequila, Blue Curacao, Pineapple Juice, Lemon, Sugar, and Grenadine.
- Purple Lips – Absolut Vodka, Alize, Cranberry, Lime, Sugar, and Raspberry Cordial.
[More Info + Gallery] | [Contact Venue]
The 29th Apartment
29 Fitzroy Street, St. Kilda, VIC 3182
Ever wanted to visit Holly Golightly? Make yourself at home at the 29th Apartment, it looks like a typical New York City apartment where someone has placed a bar in the lounge room. Crawl into bed with a glass of red, into the bath with gin and tonic, or have a beer on the porch out front.
The drink specials on Wednesday has drink prices at a shocking $5 from 8pm to 12am! This includes all your basics like spirits, beer, wine and sparkling and after 10pm fireballs are only $5. On Friday’s there is $6 house wine, beer or cider, and $10 espresso martinis. And for that cheeky Sunday sesh, $20 Corona/Peroni buckets and $20 cocktail jugs.
Cocktails to experience like no other experience ever:
- A Little Pink Fix – tequila, fairy floss, lime juice.
- Bumper Car-tini – tequila, cognac, sliced chilli, and grapefruit.
- Toffee Apple – Vanilla vodka, Apple liqueur.
[More Info + Gallery] | [Contact Venue] | [To Book For Private Functions]
The Workers Club
51 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC, 3065.
The Workers Club in Fitzroy, is a classic ‘Aussie pub’, perfect if you love a cold beer, and a good ol’ parma. The meals have been described as ‘tasty’, the staff ‘friendly’ and the beer ‘cold’.
The cocktails at the Workers Club are cheap enough to account for cocktail specials every night. Every Monday to Friday night they have Happy hour from 4pm-7pm where selected beer and cider is $7, and house wines are $6. It’s the pub your Dad would like, but in a cool way. On Monday the Workers Club have $6 spirits, $2 pots, $4 schooners, $6 pints, $8 jugs, $10 meals, and free bands and DJs.
The “Fancy Drinks” we recommend:
- $12 Apple Pie – Fireball whisky, apple juice, apple and lemon.
- $13 Dark N Stormy – Sailor Jerry rum, ginger beer, bitters, lime.
- $12 Fairy Floss Sour – Vodka, fairy floss liqueur, moscato, soda, lemon, mint.
[More Info + Gallery] | [Contact Venue]
By Georgie Hindle
