To understand Crown Towers’ long reign as a grand dame of the Melbourne hotel scene, a visit to The Waiting Room is a must. Serenaded by a tuxedo-clad pianist tinkling the ivories in the adjoining lobby, guests in the plush bolthole are taken from brunchtime Bloody Marys to champagne high tea and into the night with an excellent list of Victorian wines. Or try the house Martini, which celebrates the taste of Australia with Davidson plum and lemon myrtle.

Next by name, next level by nature. There’s serious attention to drinking excellence being paid at this slick hotel in the glamorous 80 Collins development – as evidenced by the apothecary-like Barrel Room, where classic cocktails and spirits are aged in wood to enhance their toasty complexity. Grab one of eight seats nestled among the barrels or head to the adjoining mood-lit Manhattan-style bar for an aged Negroni, Manhattan or Old Fashioned.

The views from the 80th floor of the west end’s sparkling new Ritz-Carlton are incredible but Cameo doesn’t rely on altitude for its wow factor. Dark timber and candlelight make the sophisticated setting for suave cocktails designed by local bar mavens Michael and Zara Madrusan (the Everleigh, Heartbreaker). Aged, rare spirits and liqueurs make the perfect foundation for “antique” cocktails, including a Sidecar boasting Calvet Grande Champagne Cognac made in 1917 and an Old Fashioned built on Hiram Walker bourbon distilled in 1930.

Don't be surprised to find yourself rubbing shoulders with locals at the cocoon-like Curious bar, a surreal yet chic vision of swirling beams and velvet lounges where cocktails riff on Melbourne themes. Look no further than the grungy cheek of the Fitzroy Garage Party (fat-washed bourbon with burnt corn syrup and chocolate bitters) or the tribute to the Birdman Rally based on whisky and fig apéritif. Finding the W Hotel’s subterranean bar, hidden down a spiral staircase, adds another layer of fun.

The golden bar backdrop and twinkling mini table lamps at Jin Bar aren’t simply a nod to fashion. Meaning “gold” in Mandarin, Jin’s subtle references to the 1850s gold rush are backed by a drinks list keeping things proudly local with the help of top-flight products such as Bass & Flinders gins and Four Pillars Spiced Negroni. Hickory smoke adds a touch of theatre to an Old Fashioned and if you’re feeling peckish the mod-Oz menu from upstairs Port Bistro is at your disposal.

The Neo-Gothic bluestone walls of Coburg’s former HM Prison Pentridge (one-time home of Ned Kelly) provide the atmosphere-drenched backdrop to Olivine. An A-grade wine list awaits in the erstwhile B Division, where cells have been repurposed into velvet-upholstered drinking nooks and award-winning sommelier Liinaa Berry is on hand to guide you through her globe-trotting collection of more than 500 drops.

Long-time Melbourne al fresco favourite Rooftop at QT has had a makeover just in time for summer. The indoor-outdoor venue still flaunts a gorgeous garden setting with city skyscraper views but the QT’s trademark quirk has been dialled up with the help of local artist Dwayne Hutton’s strikingly colourful works. Newly installed booths are great for groups; so is the cocktail menu that serves signature drinks including a Daiquiri elevated with clarified apple and basil oil for up to five people.

Time travel to America’s Prohibition era at The Douglas Club. The elegant speak-easy isn’t hard to find – it’s hiding in plain sight on the ground floor of the Hilton’s grandly renovated 1930s Equity Chambers building in the heart of the CBD – but the intimate space decked out with dark velvet lounges and moody lighting is a film noir-worthy vision. To drink? Classic cocktails, of course, the golden age of excess conjured with Perrier-Jouët vintage champagne poured by the glass and updated with modern twists including a strawberry-infused Negroni.

Fancy visiting regional Victoria without straying from the city? The Sheraton Melbourne’s newly launched wine bar and shop With Gusto pays tribute to the state’s top-flight producers of wine, cheese and artisan smallgoods. Showcasing a tempting array of bottles, the inviting space brings the country to the CBD with earthy hues, wine barrels and ornamental olive trees. Stop by for a glass of Mornington Peninsula chardonnay or King Valley prosecco – staff will oblige with a taste before you commit to a full glass – and chase it with locally made terrine, charcuterie and other deliciously salty snacks.

A subtle neon martini glass signposts Backroom, the furtive basement bar at South Yarra’s rockstar-ready Ovolo. Heavy red drapery and a Mad Men vibe adds a layer of sophistication to the hotel’s retro excess, with a simpatico list of classic cocktails and highballs. Prepared by acclaimed sibling restaurant Lona Misa, the snack menu is entirely plant-based, which is no great hardship with punchy Latin-leaning bites, such as tacos with fermented pineapple and mushroom.

Trust the extroverted Ovolo hotel to boast a bar that’s pitched as a pub. A lively space on a prominent Little Bourke Street corner, Amphlett House delivers the upmarket version of the Aussie drinking hole with an excellent selection of craft beers on tap and cocktails giving a local spin on the classics (cases in point, the Eucalyptus Smoked Margarita and Finger Lime Daiquiri). And with elevated pub classics by celebrated chef Ian Curley, there’s good reason to stick around for fried school prawns with malt vinegar or good old steak frites.

All Gatsby glamour on St Kilda Road, this former Rolls Royce car dealership (yes, really) has been turned into an extravagant vision of Roaring Twenties excess. Surrounded by mirrored columns, satellite-sized chandeliers and a circular staircase worthy of the most demanding diva, Showroom Bar is a venue for cocktails, whether the creative Orchard Daisies made with smoked mezcal and floral syrup or a textbook Tom Collins. Lounge in the club chairs or take a table for a lobster roll and club sandwich.

Melbourne’s OG laneway hotel bar Om Nom remains at the top of the city’s cocktail game thanks to extra-sensory creations such as its cinnamon, honey and rosemary-infused Old Fashioned served in a cloud of hickory smoke. The Espresso Martini is even more theatrical, with a caramel and coffee foam that’s snap frozen at the table with liquid nitrogen. For those who prefer the road more travelled, classic cocktails are also on the menu in the avant-garde space decked out like a futuristic Studio 54. There’s also a tasty parade of snacks, including popcorn prawns and mushroom arancini.

The heritage-listed Pelaco sign overlooking vibrant Richmond newcomer The Motley Hotel is a neon reminder of a now-defunct clothing label and the guiding light for the second-floor terrace Threads Bar. Its signature cocktail – named the Pelaco, naturally – is a refreshing spritz made with locally distilled Brogan's Way gin and Aperol. Spicy Margaritas and foam-topped Gin Sours up the fashion ante, while crowd-pleasing snacks include salt and vinegar potato cakes and cheese and charcuterie platters.

Gin’s most definitely the thing at Bar Triana, where 24 labels traversing the spectrum from crisp and floral to earthy and robust wait to put their unique spin on a G&T. A Spanish theme guides the cocktail list at the seventh-level Southbank bar with twinkling city views – an elevated Sangria uses locally made Maidenii Sweet Vermouth in place of red wine – while jamón with guindilla peppers and charred bread makes the perfect snacking compañero.

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