Melbourne Bar Wins Best Cocktail List at US Festival

By Rebecca Harris

A Melbourne bar has gained international recognition after taking out the award for the Best Cocktail List in the World at the 2008 Spirit Awards.

1806 bar took home the coveted award at the New Orleans Tales of the Cocktail festival on Saturday.

Up against some of the top bars in the world including Death & Company of New York and Bayswater Brasserie of Sydney, 1806 owner and cocktail historian Sebastian Reaburn said he was “still in shock” over the win.

“I am blown away that a bar in Melbourne can compete with some of the best bars in the world. This win shows that we are partying in the same league,” he said.

The award-winning cocktail list follows an historical timeline from 1806, the year the word cocktail was first defined in print, until today.

“To the best of my knowledge we are the only bar to follow an historical timeline. Perhaps it was the way we were putting drinks into context that helped us win the award,” Reaburn said.

Australia was well represented in the awards, with nominees for Best Drinks Selection (Der Raum, Melbourne) and Best Brand Ambassador (Jason Crawly, Maxxium).