After a long day carving up the snow, there’s just one thing you’ll want to do … Grab a drink. (Well, it’s what we want to do.) If you’re heading to the Victorian ski fields this winter, here are some of our favourite spots to grab a tipple. The good news is that many of them serve food alongside cocktails and craft beers, so you can also look after your nutritional needs.
Moosehead Whisky and Blues, Mount Buller
Head into the basement at the ABOM Hotel – you might want to have dinner at ABOM Bistro first – for this fun bar with a touch of speakeasy style. Order something from the small but well-formed cocktail list or work your way through the extensive selection of whiskies on offer from around the globe. There might be trivia or a game of footy on the tellie when you arrive at Moosehead, but on the weekend, you’ll be able to listen to music from bands and DJs. Check the Instagram page for details.
Basement, 31 Summit Road, Mount Buller
The Frying Pan Inn, Falls Creek
Located right in the heart of Falls Creek’s Village Bowl, this fun spot has been part of the town’s landscape since 1965. At the Frying Pan Inn, the feature booze is craft beers from right across Australia, and they try to match what’s on the taps to what’s going on with the weather and the seasonal menu from the kitchen. (Don’t worry, wine, spirits and cocktails are also on offer.) When the day’s done, arrive for happy hour (4pm to 6pm), fill up on tasty fare from the wood-fired grill, then hang around to get warm by the fire or play pool and darts.
4 Village Bowl Court, Falls Creek
Miss Mary’s Bar & Eats, Mount Hotham
The white and bright interior of this fun spot gives it a different vibe to most bars at ski resorts. The theme here is decidedly pan-Asian. Take the Miss Mary’s cocktail list, where drinks have ingredients like yuzu, ginger, sriracha and gochujang. If you’re here early and suffering from last night’s revelry, wrap your lips around a Sunchang Bloody Mary, a Korean spin on the favourite hangover cure. We’re into the Purple Lychee Disco Sour, which, as the description promised, made us much better dancers. There are also Japanese highballs, wines sourced from Victorian vineyards and a changing selection of beers. There are great Asian bar snacks, like dumplings and edamame, if you’re feeling a little peckish.
Downstairs, Hotham Central, Great Alpine Road, Hotham Heights
Powderkeg Bar, Falls Creek
If you want to spend the final hours of the day, sitting outside on the deck watching the last skiers and snowboarders heading down Wombats Ramble, Powderkeg Bar is the place to do it. Part of St Falls Resort, and right near Halley’s Comet (the resort’s main lift), this is the perfect spot for an après craft beer, cocktail or wine. On the food menu is a short selection of Tex Mex dishes from the crew at Nama Please, but it’s the lively ambience and welcoming atmosphere that makes this a great place to sip a few drinks. Every weekend there are DJs out on the deck and parties to keep the action going long after dark.
17 Bogong High Plains Road, Falls Creek
The General, Mount Hotham
Located 1750m up the side of a mountain, The General is the highest pub in Australia. It’s one of the go-to spots in Hotham for dinner, but wait till that crowd retreats to their accommodation and things get a lot more interesting. The staff night on Monday is always buzzing, you can win a decent-sized bar tab at darts night, and most of the football games (of both codes) are shown on the big screens. Then there are bands and DJs on the weekend, usually from about 9pm till late. Oh, and there are nearly always drink specials. Do you really want to go skiing tomorrow?
96 Great Alpine Road, Hotham Heights
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