Running from Monday 25 May to Sunday 14 June, the three-week campaign will see 15 bars across Melbourne and regional Victoria each serve three exclusive cocktails built around locally crafted spirits. Each venue has been paired with three Victorian distilleries and given full creative freedom to develop their trio of serves.
At the end, consumers will be invited to vote for their favourite, with one cocktail ultimately named Victoria’s Serve of the State.
“From the outset, our intention with Serves of the State was to build a platform, not just an event, that showcases the depth, creativity and momentum of Victoria’s spirits industry in a way consumers could experience,” said Marianne Duluk, Executive Officer of Spiritis Victoria.
“Victoria is home to some of the most exciting spirits producers in the country, and this campaign gives people the opportunity to experience that innovation where it matters most, in great bars, through world-class cocktails and during one of Melbourne’s biggest cultural periods of the year.”
The venue line-up spans Melbourne’s inner suburbs and beyond: Dom’s Social Club, Union Electric, Reedhouse, Whiskey & Alement, Mr Mills, Pinnacle Hotel, Moondrop, Bar Selecta, Springrock,Death & Co, Hazel, Black Kite Commune and Backspace, with Jackalope on the Mornington Peninsula and Grainery Lane in Ballarat extending the campaign’s regional footprint.
The campaign runs concurrently with Melbourne RISING, the city’s mid-year arts and culture festival, positioning participating venues at the centre of Melbourne’s winter cultural calendar.
More information and the full list of distilleries involved can be found here.