The Black Pearl

A Brunswick Street institution since 2001, The Black Pearl helped put Australian cocktail culture on the world map. Before the term "craft cocktail" existed in Melbourne, the Pearl was making them — house-made syrups, obscure spirits, bartenders who read Difford's Guide for fun. Dark, intimate, no natural light. The jukebox leans toward soul and post-punk. Still the benchmark by which other cocktail bars measure themselves, and still independently owned.