R-Bar to open at Crown Towers in Melbourne

Crown Melbourne will open Rockpool Dining Group’s new R-Bar next Friday, replacing the former Waiting Room in Crown Towers lobby.

The R-Bar will have a strong focus on barrel-aged cocktails, spirits and martinis. A main feature of the new bar will be the 20-litre oak barrels used to age pre-made cocktails. The negroni, old fashioned and manhattan cocktails will be the first to be barrel-aged, with vieux carre, boulevardier and sazerac following soon.

“You have this perfect window where oak really enhances the product inside,” bar manager Jamie Gibbs told the Herald Sun.

“All cocktails and spirits behave different in oak … so we have to keep tasting and testing the product.”

Guests will also be able to choose their own martini garnish at the table.

“People have very little understanding of martinis. They know what they like and drink the same style their whole life,” Gibbs said.

“We’ll have four to five different garnishes for them to try.”

Rockpool Dining Group culinary director Neil Perry said R Bar brings a new lobby bar experience to the city.

“We’ve taken our inspiration from some of the world’s best hotel lobby bars and put our Rockpool spin on it, which means working with boutique, Australian producers and distillers and adding our signature razzle dazzle to the drinks list and fabulous food offerings,” he said.

Sheridan Randall, 17^th July 2019