The Alchemist Cocktail & Tapas Bar, Fitzroy

Whenever I think of alchemists I think of people in cloaks drawing weird circles on the ground, creating fire from thin air, reviving the dead and making weird and wonderful things out of whatever are lying around. The influence was, of course, from watching too much Japanese animations, especially the one called Fullmetal Alchemist where two kids go on a journey to find the Philosopher's Stone in order to retrieve body parts that were lost in a failed attempt to revive their dead mother. I would never dare to revive the dead. How scary is that? If I was an alchemist, I would be the world's best pastry chef where I can make perfect desserts every time as long as I have the ingredients in front of me and what's better than doing it instantly by clicking my fingers together? :D. Oh, I might also make myself pretty clothes and handbags so I'd never have to go shopping again. Ah…I'm daydreaming…

The Alchemist Cocktail & Tapas Bar, situated in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Brunswick St Fitzroy, which is also a neighbour of Naked For Satan, is another bar that I've recently visited and liked. Prior to this adventure, I've never really fully enjoyed going to bars. I believe this could have been the influence of my Asian flush genes which renders me unable to drink more than one standard drink at any one time.

I liked the name and the idea behind the bar. The decorations are fitting although the open space in the middle of the room makes the place seem a little less mysterious. Maybe they should draw some alchemist circles on the ground! What I definitely liked was their website. If you haven't already done so, check it out at http://www.thealchemistbar.com.au/, it's very unique and a bit of fun to look at. I felt like I was casting spells!

They have a nice collection of alcohols available. Cocktails on average cost around $20 a glass. For the quality and size we got, I didn't think it was all that fantastic. It was by no means bad, maybe I'm just not used to such expensive drinks as I'm reasonably new to the drinking scene.

The cocktail I got was The Fifth Muskateer for $20 which is described as 'a beautifully balanced, punch-style cocktail with dried fruit and citrus flavours, made with Appleton 8yr old rum, classic muscat, Aperol, house-made pomegranate syrup and lemon. This is a hearty drink to enjoy at anytime.' The grapes were fresh so I'm not sure where the dried fruit comes in. It was definitely rummy in flavour but the citrus didn't stand out. It wasn't my favourite drink ever. Mind you the photo below is a bit deceiving because Yuye took a sip or two from the glass already.

I was there to catch up with Winwin and meet her friends so we got a few plates of bar food to share. The night was still young and the truth was, I was very hungry. Maybe I should have just ordered some mains and eaten dinner there! The snacks were nice though and freshly cooked. I didn't get to try the salt and pepper squid ($12). By the time I realised, they were already gone! Shows how good they were I think.

Yuye and I ordered nachos ($14) with beef mince, chick peas, guacamole, sour cream and jalapenos. It was quite big I thought and tasted delicious. It was warm, crunchy, full of flavour from all the topping and I adored the jalapenos. Towards the end, I was just picking them out whenever I saw one. Sorry to whoever was still trying to eat the nachos!

A bowl of wedges ($9) was also ordered which came with the usual sour cream and sweet chilli sauces. This was a standard dish you can get anywhere, however, it did go very well with the drink and atmosphere. One after another, we almost burnt our mouths from the heat. I need to learn to blow before I eat my food, or at least wait for other people to make the mistake first. :P

Winwin's friend got an 'interesting' drink to say the least. It was called House Tom & Jerry for $21 which consisted of 'a decadent combination of Cognac, Maker's Mark, egg, sugar and milk expertly blended and heated by the boys, then finished with freshly grated nutmeg and served in a custom pewter cup'. Egg? Heated? It raised an eyebrow or two. But I was one of three brave souls to try a sip. Every time someone tried, it was a look of 'interesting' and slight confusion. Well, it wasn't bad as such, but it wasn't what I was expecting. It had a faint taste of spices (which I thought was from the nutmeg) and a very faint taste of cognac. Apart from that, it really didn't have much taste at all. I was expecting a strong milky and cognacy hit. Hmm. I'll let you try it for yourself.

Sadly as we had already made dinner plans, it was time for us to leave. I was having so much fun too! Although the drinks weren't the most fantastic, the atmosphere was great. Couches were comfortable, candles added that nice warm touch and the food was decent. So, if I had the chance, I'd probably go back there again. Thanks Winwin for inviting me! :)

There are no split bills as we found out but they will give you change if you need it and total what your orders cost.

So tell me my readers, if you were an alchemist, what would you be skilled in?

The Alchemist Cocktail & Tapas Bar
Phone: (03) 9419 8250
361 Brunswick St Fitzroy 3065
http://www.thealchemistbar.com.au

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