Bar Hop - W.Churchill and Santini Bar

W.Churchill, Brookfield Place, Perth CBD

You know a bar named after Winston Churchill, who had a penchant for good liquor, is going to be filled with great drinks. The gorgeous Churchill era-inspired bar features ministerial green tiles, a stately wooden bar and brass desk lamps add mood and ambience. The wine list features great Australian producers including Koerner, Crft, Las Vino and Brash Higgins as well as select international wines. A girls night requires a nice bottle of red and we settle on the gorgeous Alpha Box and Dice Rebel Rebel Montepulciano from McLaren Vale, South Australia to share with the Sir Winston’s Cheeseboard that includes three varieties of cheese, lavosh, and a delicious relish. Saturday night is Gin and Jazz night and, with the gorgeous jazz songstress Allira Wilson and her band singing Bye Bye Blackbird, we say cheerio to the worries of the week and have a proper catch-up. Don’t forget to try one of the gin-based cocktails or house specialty cocktails.

Verdict: A great place to drink cocktails and slide into the weekend with good booze and jazz. Saturday’s between 8-9 pm Gin and Tonicas are $15

Don’t Miss: The Archie Rose Distillers Gin and Tonica with pear, native pepper berry, Honey and Fevertree Indian tonic.

Hours: Monday - Friday 11.30 am to midnight, Saturday - 5.00 pm to midnight.

Price: Cocktails from $15

Santini Bar, QT Perth, Hay Street

Santini Bar in QT Perth glitters with coolness, with its moody lighting and shiny sleek bar and twinkling bottles. For those who are lovers of wine like me, it has a drool-worthy glass-enclosed wine cellar you can peer into. With Italian-inspired wine greats like barbera, trebbiano and corvinas on the list from both Australia and Italy, and Italian-inspired bites, it’s an ideal date night spot or a quiet night out with the best friend who, on this visit, is my date too. Service is slick and helpful, so I order a classic negroni. Negronis have only three ingredients: gin, vermouth rosso, and Campari. They sound simple to make but can easily go bad. No such fear at Santini. This Negroni is perfectly balanced and one of the of the best I’ve ever had – anywhere. Bar bites range from small plates of dishes like crostini and stuffed zucchini blossoms to larger plates, like wood-roasted pork jowl. Neapolitan-style pizzas are a specialty here and we order the San Marzano tomatoes and basil pizza which has the lightest crust and is crisp and delicious. A visit here will make you want to book a trip to the Italian coast to the sun and sea.

Verdict: A great place to date night, drink cocktails or late-night supper.

Don’t Miss: Pizza and negroni chasers for the win. Try the Manhattan too.

Hours: Monday – Sunday 5.30-11 pm

Price: Cocktails starting from $16

Gin paradise

Santini Bar, QT Perth

By Sloane Carvell (@crumbs_and_corks)