DRINK > Death & Co, Melbourne (18/20)

Slip behind the velvet curtain on Flinders Lane and Melbourne falls away, replaced by a low-lit room that feels like an edit of the world’s great cocktail bars: a little East Village swagger, a lot of CBD polish, and a level of detail that rewards staying late. This is Death & Co’s first international outpost and it arrives fully formed—serious about drinks, but structured around the kind of hospitality that makes even a big-deal opening feel like a neighbourhood routine. 

AMBIENCE >

The entrance is deliberately discreet: a plaque on the street, then heavy velvet drapes that pull you into a two-level space of low light, burgundy tones and dark timber, the city reframed as a nocturnal salon. Upstairs, a sweeping marquee bar commands the room, flanked by plush banquettes, small tables and pockets of seating that can swing from date-night quiet to late-service buzz without tipping into chaos. Downstairs in the cellar, things get more intimate again—an underground extension of the same mood, tuned for longer conversations, Dealer’s Choice rounds and the steady glow of people who are in no rush to leave.

The design leans into Death & Co’s New York DNA without feeling like a set piece: Studio Y and AAmp Studio have helped translate the brand for Melbourne, with the soft glamour of low-slung lamps, curved booths and that now-signature “Party Pod” making it feel both transportive and plugged into the local after-dark circuit. It’s a room built for serious drinking, but also for being seen—bartenders working fast and clean behind the bar, glassware catching the light, and the sort of soundtrack that keeps the tempo up without crowding the conversation.

SNACK >

Death & Co is not a restaurant, but you could easily spend a whole evening here without ever leaving the building. The food offering reads like a greatest hits list of elevated bar fare: a classic gilda skewering anchovy, olive and pepper into a perfect salty bite; gin-cured kingfish sliced fine and bright; and a “chip & dip” plate that swaps basic crisps for tempura vegetables and leaves with whipped taramasalata.

If you need something more substantial, the dry-aged cheeseburger, stacked with smoked cheddar, provolone and a glossy potato bun, does exactly what it needs to do—decadent, engineered for one hand, and correctly messy. Cheese lovers should angle for the tête de moine tart, a finely layered, modern take on the classic cheese-and-fruit combination, or a lush Brillat-Savarin with a mini apple tarte tatin, both calibrated to play well with spirits-forward cocktails.

DRINK >

This is where Death & Co does what it’s famous for: cocktails that are as deeply considered as they are quietly fun to drink. The menu splits between internationally recognised house signatures and newer builds that respond to Melbourne’s tastes, but there’s an easy through-line—precision, balance and a willingness to reach for sherry, mezcal or amaro without making a big song and dance about it.

The Naked & Famous remains a modern classic for a reason, its equal parts of mezcal, Chartreuse, Aperol and lime bringing smoke, sweetness and citrus into sharp focus in a single coupe. Likewise the Oaxaca Old Fashioned, built on reposado tequila, mezcal and agave, arrives on a single clear rock—familiar, but clearly tuned by people who have lived inside this spec for years. For those who don’t want to read a menu at all, Dealer’s Choice is central to the house style: a brief chat with the bartender, a quick calibration on mood and spirit, and then something from almost two decades of Death & Co recipes lands in front of you, feeling tailored rather than improvised.

Yes, it’s the sort of place where you can get a flawlessly made stirred-down, spirit-forward drink, but it’s just as satisfying to sit back with lighter, lower-ABV builds that use vermouths, fortifieds and citrus in clever proportion. Either way, glassware, ice, dilution and pacing are all dialled in—this is hospitality as craft, not theatre.

CONCLUSION >

Death & Co arrives in Melbourne with a lot of mythology attached, but what’s most impressive is how quickly it settles into the rhythm of the city: a bar that feels both like a destination and somewhere you could happily claim as your regular if geography allowed. Come for a pilgrimage to a modern cocktail institution, stay for the easy, highly competent hospitality, the quietly luxurious room and a drinks list that rewards repeat visits, late nights and a healthy curiosity about what’s possible in a glass.

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Image Credit | Death & Co

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