Who would have thought so many years on the Old Melbourne Gaol would be turned into a raging pop-up bar?! The National Trust hosts gin, vodka and bourbon pop-up bars throughout the year and last weekend, after a long week, we had knock off drinks with a twist at the Old Melbourne Gaol Gin pop-up bar.
 
History tells us that over a century ago Gin Palaces used to be large, imposing, and luxuriously furnished palaces. So while the Old Melbourne Gaol is large, luxurious isn’t quite the word we would use to describe the rest of the experience. Instead, the lights was dim and the ceiling was illuminated with a dramatic red glow. The live band and the chatter of guests filled the echoey space with laugher and fun! Not how a Gaol would traditionally sound…I’m guessing.
 
Guests were welcomed with their cocktail of choice, a G&T with gin from either Spain or New Zealand. The Spanish gin, Gin Mare had savory undertones and was served with rosemary (cool right?!). Fans of a lighter spirit enjoyed the Black Robin Gin from New Zealand served with a classic lemon wedge. Both gins were balanced, delicious and served in a mixture of martini glasses and trendy glass tumblers. The back bar had a different menu. They boasted dirty martinis and (our favorite!) a White Lady cocktail that tasted as good as it looked. Of course we had to try all of them just to be sure.
 
Drinks in hand, we set out to explore the Melbourne Gaol and get a bit of a history lesson as we climbed flights of steel stairs, took sneaky peeks into pitch-black cells and wondered about the lives of the prisoners in the very cells they used to live in.
 
It’s a great novel experience, and if this is what it means to be locked up in a Gaol cell, I’m in!
 
There’s just one more of these pop-up event for the season, it’s going to be a rum pop-up at Polly Woodside on November 27.
 
Rum not your thing? Catch our events for this weekend here.
 
WRITTEN BY:
Nadine is currently studying media communications at the University of Melbourne. She enjoys exploring Melbourne and finding the hottest restaurants and bars. Catch her on Instagram here.