Australia’s first non-alcoholic cocktail lounge, Brunswick Aces Bar, opens its doors on May 1. The new venue will be serving a menu of over 100 non-alcoholic beers, wines and cocktails, curated by the team behind Australia’s first zero alcohol ‘spirit’, Brunswick Aces. 

Located at 124 Weston Street, Brunswick East, next to the busy foodie district on Lygon Street, the bar is a haven designed using an ‘Industrial Baroque’ aesthetic. Customers can sip on one of the many cocktails or beers while viewing the Brunswick Aces distillery behind the bar. 

The team has made the drinks accessible, with wine starting from $6 a glass, beers ranging from $7, spirits or sapiirs and mixers from $11, with cocktails starting from $15, all focusing on great Aussie local produce, with some international premium brands. 

The venue will also be home to the first physical non-alcoholic bottle shop in the country, with sober-seekers able to browse a wide variety of products to take home, including popular Aussie brands like Heaps Normal XPA, Songbird Wine and Ovant, as well as international brands including GNISTA and Vandestreek Playground IPA.

The new bar is open Thursday to Saturday, between 3-11pm, with the bottle shop operating Monday to Saturday, between 11am-5pm. Distillery Tours continue to operate every Saturday 12-2pm.  

CEO and Co-founder, Stephen Lawrence said: “When we initially announced the new bar back in February, we expected some positive feedback from locals, but we’ve been inundated with messages from far and wide. Moderate and sober drinkers from Perth to Sydney and even the US and UK, have contacted us not only keen to visit, but also asking us to open venues in their home cities.

“Following the feedback, we also decided to add a physical bottle shop to the rear of the venue. Melbournians wanting to browse can now visit and have this experience. At Brunswick Aces, we want to ensure anyone interested in non-alcoholic products has a great experience, and what better way to do that than to be able to try before you buy. The bottle shop will also be hosting tasting sessions so customers can even sample a few options before deciding what they like.

“We’re aiming to be the hub of non-alcoholic, not only in Melbourne, but Australia. There is no other space like it in the country where you can come and sample such a large range of what the market has to offer in one place. Many people have to rely on online bottle shop owner reviews and trust their word, with some feeling disappointed when their purchase doesn’t meet their expectations. With Brunswick Aces you are being looked after by a venue like never before.”

First non-alcoholic bar to open in Melbourne