Distillery bar levels up with banging cocktails and a restaurant that puts flavour at the forefront.
Cocktails, and entire lists of cocktails, don’t come much more polished than those at Republic of Fremantle. House-distilled grape spirit is at the heart of every drink, but it’s the unity of garnishes and ingredients, plus presentation and glassware that elevates the crafted spirits to another dimension. Of course, skill and expertise is at play here too, as evident in a Bamboo, where sherry and vermouth are built atop vodka in a dainty slipper that’s as faultless as it is refreshing. Fan favourites aren’t left by the wayside, though, with a trio of Negroni’s, Vodka Sodas and G&T’s getting plenty of love. As for snacks, an accomplished kitchen still oversees a winning selection, so much so that you’re just as likely to find that guests are here to fill the communal tables in the new dining room, where Hungarian fried bread might come with melon, kingfish ceviche might come with macadamia cream or beef rump cap might come rare, lifted with a hint of miso. Wins all round.