The Best After Work Drinks in Melbourne CBD Just Got More Interesting

Bar Ferdinand opens at 5pm seven days a week at Level 1, 7 Alfred Place. It’s a 21-seat botanical cocktail bar in a heritage 1885 room — the kind of place that turns one drink into three without you noticing.

The Spirits Business covered the opening and described the interiors as “warm, layered and slightly transportive” — wooden herringbone floors, burgundy studded leather lounges, suede chairs, marble-topped tables and brass finishes. A large hanging installation of dried Queen Anne’s Lace forms the centrepiece above the bar. After a day in the CBD, it’s a deliberate shift in atmosphere.

The Drinks

After work, the Camellia is the one to order first. A house tea blend steeped into fino sherry, bright and savoury over crushed ice — nothing like what you’d usually reach for at the end of a day. Once you’re settled, the list opens up with eight botanical collections, each one shifting with the season.

Two house signatures complete the list. The House Martini: gin, vodka, Cocchi Americano and freeze-infused apple mint. The House Japanese Slipper: house melon liqueur, yuzu liqueur and citrus cordial — a nod to the cocktail created in this exact building in 1984. Bottled beer and a compact wine list are available for anyone easing in slowly.

The Food

Hospitality Magazine described the food concept as “a polished picnic hamper” — and the menu earns the description. Oysters. Olasagasti anchovies with lemon. Pork and pistachio terrine with mustard. A German pretzel with salted butter. Wagyu pot pie. Chocolate bark with wattleseed. Snacks designed to extend the evening, not anchor it.

Alfred Place After Work

Bar Ferdinand is open from 5pm until midnight Sunday to Thursday, and 1am Friday and Saturday. Downstairs, 7 Alfredserves steak frites if the evening calls for a full meal.

Reserve your table at Bar Ferdinand.

As featured byThe Spirits BusinessandHospitality Magazine, April 2026.

Bar Ferdinand practises the responsible service of alcohol. Drink responsibly.