165 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Apolloinn.bar
Images by Earl Carter
For these fortunate sufficient to have secured a bar seat at Gimlet, you’ll know that their consideration to element and bar service are second to none. And on a visit to Melbourne in late 2022, we heard whispers that the group have been increasing out of eating places and had hatched to plan to open a cocktail bar, proper close to Gimlet. For sure, the plan sounded thrilling.
And it’s lastly come to fruition. Andrew McConnell and Jo McGann opened Apollo Inn, their first standalone cocktail bar on Tuesday, thirteenth June. Situated on the bottom flooring of 165 Flinders Lane, the Nineteen Twenties neo-renaissance-style constructing on the nook of Flinders and Hosier Lanes, Apollo Inn is an inviting house that takes its cues from the timeless cocktail bars of Europe and its title from the unique public home that after stood on the positioning of its neighbour, Gimlet at Cavendish Home.
Signature cocktails embody the Lucien Gaudin that includes gin, Campari, dry vermouth, Grand Marnier, and the Picon Bierre, a mix of house-made amaro and crisp French lager. Like each nice cocktail bar, the mark of high quality will reside within the martini glass, with 4 types to select from; Dry, Soiled, Gibson, and Café.
Apollo Inn provides a thought-about cocktail record of old-world classics with new-world sensibility, created by Bar Supervisor Cameron Parish who has taken the lead at Apollo Inn.
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Signature cocktails embody the Lucien Gaudin that includes gin, Campari, dry vermouth, Grand Marnier, and the Picon Bierre, a mix of house-made amaro and crisp French lager. Like each nice cocktail bar, the mark of high quality will reside within the martini glass, with 4 types to select from; Dry, Soiled, Gibson, and Café.
“We’re excited to dedicate such a ravishing, intimate house to the refinement of nice spirits,” says Andrew McConnell. “It’s a singular focus at Apollo Inn; to make sure that what’s within the glass and on the plate are scrumptious and benchmark.”
Apollo Inn provides a collection of wines by the glass and bottle curated by Dealer Home beverage director, Leanne Altmann, and entry to Gimlet’s intensive cellar. There’s a concise meals menu of snacks and small dishes like prawn and spanner crab membership sandwich and a basic beef carpaccio. And there’s a collection of native and imported cheese and wedges of crème caramel to complete.
Designed by ACME, the architectural crew behind Gimlet, the transformation of the house has been extraordinary. “Nestled discreetly behind the façade of McDonald Home at 165 Flinders Lane, Apollo Inn whisks patrons away from the bustling laneway into a fascinating realm of intimate revelry,” says ACME’s architect Vince Alafaci. “As you step via its unassuming entrance, a subdued atmosphere units the stage for the principle house, the place an elongated banquette gracefully contours one wall, whereas the central bar anchors the opposite. With cosy seating, the cocktail lounge is impressed by the magnificence of the Nineteen Fifties. It exudes an air of exclusivity akin to a members-only institution, paying homage to the mid-century period and embracing the artwork of nice drinks.”
Open each night from 5pm to 1am, Apollo Inn encourages walk-in company with reservations out there through apolloinn.bar.
Champagne Royale
20ml Apollo Inn Chambord*
100ml Champagne
*Chambord
200ml Purple Currant Wine
100ml Rose Wine
100ml Raspberry Distillate
100ml Blackberry Tincture
30% caster sugar (by weight)
5% Blackcurrant Leaf Oil (by weight)
Mix all besides blackcurrant leaf oil and sugar.
Weigh the liquid, add the caster sugar, combine till dissolved.
Add the liquid to a vacuum bag with the blackcurrant leaf oil and seal.
Shake the bag to combine via the oil and place within the freezer in a single day.
Take away from the freezer – the oil needs to be frozen and separated from the liquid. Pressure off via a espresso filter. Pour into right into a CO2 soda bottle and carbonate.
To serve the drink, place the carbonated Chambord within the base of a classic glass or flute and prime with Champagne.
Apollo Inn Soiled Martini
180 ml Tried & True Vodka
60ml 4 Pillars Olive Leaf Gin
60ml Fermented Olive Brine – see recipe beneath
100ml Water
Fermented Brine
250ml Olive Brine (from Gordal olives) plus further to dilute
100g Contemporary Oryzae Rice Koji
2% Salt (by weight)
Mix all elements in a vacuum bag and seal.
Ferment for 3-5 days in a heat place.
Pressure via a espresso filter.
Combine 2 elements fermented brine to 1part contemporary olive brine and bottle.
To serve the drinks, mix all of the elements in a glass bottle. Place the lid on after which place within the freezer (ideally at -18 levels) for two hours.
Serve straight from the freezer into frozen martini glasses, garnish every drink with an olive.
