Ericka had been dreaming of opening a little wine bar in Melbourne for 20 years and – with an inheritance from her grandmother – she has finally done it! Now, she’s focused on making Murrumbeena Wine Bar the quintessential neighbourhood “home away from home” that puts the spotlight on boutique Australian wineries, breweries and distilleries.

The entire venue is available for private events. The interiors are splashed with a rich teal colour that we’ve decided totally counts as your something blue. But we particularly like the moody, hidden private dining room behind plush velvet curtains for special “parents meeting one another” dinners, micro-weddings or even catching up with your bridal party for pre-event scheming (over much vino, naturally).

As much as they champion wine here, they have a fondness for cocktails too. And don’t worry about the name of this sweet and sour cocktail being a jinx; there was no actual heartbreak involved in the creation of this drink. It’s simply named after the bar’s chef Joey Hart!

Hart Breaker by Murrumbeena Wine Bar

  • 1 strawberry
  • 45ml London dry gin (they use Tanqueray)
  • 15ml elderflower liqueur
  • 30ml lemon juice
  • 10ml sugar syrup
  • 15ml aqua faba
  • Edible yellow flower, to garnish

Muddle a strawberry in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add the rest of ingredients (except for garnish) and dry shake without ice. Add ice and shake again. Double strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with flower.

Ms Zebra Says: What a fabulous set up and wonderfully intimate venue! I mean, who really doesn’t love a wine bar? 

About Ms Fleur De Lys: Aside from being Ms Polka’s Editorial Assistant, Ms Fleur de Lys is also Polka Dot Bride’s Melbourne correspondent so you’ll see her running all over town finding wedding inspiration. As both a lifestyle journalist and cocktail aficionado, Fleur appreciates the power of words whipped up as deftly as a good martini.