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LIQUID GOLD


It’s happy hour somewhere, right? Muddling peak summer ingredients (hello, stone fruit season) together with the finest hard stuff, the Gold Coast’s best bars ripple with expert mixology this time of year. Spanning sunshine-friendly classics and crafty seasonal fusions, the region’s most vibrant cocktails are guaranteed to spark serious holiday vibes. Let us shine a light on the menus worth driving up north for.


WRITTEN BY KRISTIE LAU-ADAMS





CADILLAC SUPPER CLUB

Escape the subtropical heat at Cadillac Supper Club, the southern beaches’ outstanding speakeasy. Just a skip from the surf, the moody venue serves as a hipster-cool, Art Deco-laced homage to the northern hemisphere’s notorious underground restaurants – but there’s nothing dark or dated about the drinks. The Sour teams Yellow Chartreuse and gin with limoncello, while their Long Mac mixes coffee tequila and macadamia liqueur with cold brew.


JUJU

The once-loved Rubi Red Kitchen and Bar is now Juju, the Gold Coast’s hottest new bar and restaurant. The real magnet, however, is its rooftop cocktail bar, serving a killer roll call of creative concoctions right over the buzz of Mermaid Beach’s well-trodden bars and eateries. Standout picks include the Spicy Angel with tequila, rockmelon, passionfruit and Midori (a 90s throwback we never knew we needed) and for dialled-up heat, choose the Hottest Juju with chilli mango gin, tequila and watermelon juice.

Mermaid Beach | jujumermaidbeach.com.au


MOUSTACHE

Is it really summer without discovering a new, all-too-smashable margarita? Consider your mission complete at Moustache, a bustling small bar in Mermaid Beach’s village that nails summer classics. Half-rimmed with sea salt, squeezed with fresh lime, crammed with ice cubes and splashed with one of the Gold Coast’s tastiest takes on the crowd-pleasing Tommy’s Margarita, it transports you directly to Mexico’s famed cantinas.

Mermaid Beach | @m.o.u.s.t.a.c.h.e


ROSELLA’S

A long-loved LOCALE favourite across the road from dazzling Burleigh Beach, Rosella’s is the king of imaginative sips and attentive service. Find a cosy booth, pull up a bar stool or grab a table by the road — these drinks will have you floating in no time. The Fantales, a mix of rum, chocolate and caramel, paired with a melt-in-your-mouth home-made ‘Fantale’ choccy, is a no-brainer, while the Jellurgal cocktail, combines gin, bunya nuts, pineapple and passionfruit marigold for a refreshing twist.

Burleigh Heads | rosellasbar.com.au


LARS BAR AND GRILL

There’s magic cooking in the kitchen at Lars Bar and Grill but it’s the shaken and stirred delicacies that bowl us over. Dust off the sand from your bake session at Nobby Beach, just a short stroll down the road, and step inside for elegant thirst-quenchers. Showstoppers like the Beach Side with agave spirit, pineapple juice and Blue Curacao, and the Dragonfruit Martini with gin, watermelon and dragon fruit, scream utter escapism, but our favourite tried-and-tested? The Spatula, adored by the bar crew themselves, mixed with spiced rum, egg and Amero Montenegro for a pillowy light and creamy surge of summer.


KIRRA BEACH HOUSE

Grab a seat in one of the rooftop cabanas and kick your heels up — Kirra Beach House is the city’s most iconic summer destination. And while the views out to Surfers Paradise are jaw-dropping, the cocktail menu is dripping in deliciousness. If you’re blessed with a sweet tooth, the Iced Vovo with coconut tequila, pineapple, berries and strawberry is a dream come true, while The Far Eastside with mango chilli gin and fresh mango is universally irresistible.

Coolangatta | kirrabeachhouse.com


LULU

Let your hair down at Lulu, a rooftop bar in the heart of Surfers Paradise. Famed for its bottomless brunches, staged every Sunday, the rowdy party palace throws high-octane holiday vibes. Think frozen slushie cocktails speckled with rainbow lollies, vividly hued sips dotted with edible flowers and Aperol Spritzes everywhere you look. DJs spin tunes long into the evening so booking an overnight stay is highly advised.

Surfers Paradise | lulurooftopbar.com.au

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