Melbourne’s Slick Take On NYC Icon Death & Co Is Set To Rule Our Summer Nights

An institution of New York’s cocktail scene is hitting Flinders Lane and bringing with it some serious creds and internationally renowned cocktails.

Established in Manhattan’s East Village in 2006, Death & Co changed the game for contemporary cocktails, becoming a global icon and drawing hordes of discerning drinkers to its venues across the US.

From Friday, November 14, the first international Death & Co outpost continues that legacy here. At the helm is Venue Manager Cara Devine, local legend of Bomba Bar and Goodwater.

For her, this opening is a dream come true, filling a gap in the Melbourne scene.

“I grew up in an era of bartending where Death & Co, alongside places like Milk & Honey and The Dead Rabbit, had this mythical aspect,” she says. “House cocktails with grounding in classics and technique.”

It’s somewhere people are welcome to walk in for a post-work schooner, a cocktail flight or a late-night supper and wine. “It’s not stuffy and pretentious,” Devine says. “It’s a bar. Leave your worries behind and have fun.”

The refurb and training with the US Death & Co team brings the legend to life in an unmistakably Melbourne fashion, from the first sip of a cocktail to the “guest-obsessed” service.

You’ll enter through the mysterious Death & Co-style entrance and pass through a curtained corridor.

Split over two floors, the ground level and cellar bar perfectly channel the vibes of the OG: dimly lit ambience, marble and plush velvet finishes, and playlists of chill hip-hop, indie funk and the like.

Drinks start with Death & Co heavy hitters like the Naked & Famous, Kingston Negroni and Oaxaca Old Fashioned, moving into sections like Light & Playful, Boozy & Honest and Zero Proof for creative non-alcs.

Standouts include the Buko Gimlet (a pandan-coconut play on the classic), Sound & Fury (a spicy raspberry-capsicum and tequila number) and the Telegraph Martini with eucalyptus. Or ask about the Dealer’s Choice to dive into niche deep cuts.

The food doesn’t miss a beat, erring on the snacky side with fun twists like cheese scrolls with Vegemite butter and chips and dip with tempura seasonal veg and whipped taramasalata.

The famous dry-aged cheeseburger has also made its way over—and you haven’t seen a cheese course like this, with bites of gorgonzola dolce on spiced carrot cake with candied walnuts, or Brillat Savarin on apple tarte tartin.

Feed your inner child with Uncle Wes’ Drunken Cookies: choc chip with banana liqueur and sea salt, served with a cold glass of milk.

Brisbane’s Death & Co will follow soon.

Main Image Credit: Death and Co | Supplied