Ah Double Happiness. A sexy, intimate CBD laneway bar that has witnessed a few romantic rendezvous during my dating years and then became the backdrop to one of my favourite wedding photos.
With winter setting in Double Happiness’ dimly lit nooks are the perfect location for a warming nightcap.
I was invited to try their new winter cocktail menu devised around fragrant spices and warming liqueurs. All with tongue-in-cheek Maoist names like ‘The Great Leap Forward’ and ‘Little Red Book’, all matching the kitschy Communist propaganda lining the walls.
As RM loves his Scotch we ordered ‘Anti-Rightist Movement’ with Scotch whiskey, lemon juice, house five spice liqueur, fig and cinnamon bitters and egg white ($17). The balance of heat and aromatics was perfect for the chilly night.
I claimed the novelty factor with an alcoholic bubble tea (all $15). These cocktails are generally sweet and very easy to drink, like a teeny-bopper alcopop but cooler.
As I love Japanese plum wine I tried No. 6 with plum wine, mint, lime and cloudy apple juice. It even came in a plastic cup with a peel-off lid and a fat straw for slurping up the coconut jelly and popping boba pearls! Definitely a drink where you can’t help smiling along and dangerously addictive.
If you’re after some fire-power in your cocktail then try the Northern Expedition – dark rum, black walnut bitters, PX and a glass smoked out with a smouldering cinnamon stick ($18). Best of all it comes with a large ice sphere which means your drink will stay colder for longer and not dilute into a watery puddle. The cocktail was sexy and smoky, a drink worthy of Don Draper.
Double Happiness is an old favourite and it remains high on my go-to bars in Melbourne. Their new menu ensures that I’ll keep returning to sample more of their limited edition wintery concoctions. Celebrate your long weekend with a visit!
Double Happiness, 21 Liverpool St, Melbourne
MONDAY TO FRIDAY 4PM – LATE
SATURDAY & SUNDAY 6PM – LATE
Joyce- can you specify in your posts whether you were paying your own way or not? It makes a lot of difference to the reader to know if they are reading someone’s unbiased opinion or something produced as a result of a freebie.
Hi Peter, I do (and have always) specified when I have been invited to an event or location. I also endeavour to provide an honest opinion in all my reviews, whether I’ve been invited or not. I believe that it does not benefit readers (and frankly is not in my interest) if I provide biased opinions or make recommendations that I don’t believe in. Cheers Joyce
No problem. I just wasn’t sure whether “invited” meant you were accepting a freebie or had just been invited as a paying customer. Thanks for the clarification.