Thumbs up for Hands Down, a new drinking den with Above Board and Bar Liberty DNA

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To say that fortified wines are having a renaissance in Melbourne’s cocktail bars would be to deny their essential place in some of the world’s most iconic drinks. After all, what would a martini be without the dry vermouth – or a negroni without the sweet stuff?

But what’s undeniable is the emergence of clever, creative cocktail lists that work all things fortified into, well, all things. At Three Horses, the Caretaker’s Cottage crew’s new city bar, the catchcry is “where sherry reigns”, and it bolsters the bulk of the drinks.

At the month-old Hands Down bar – Fitzroy’s newest drinking destination – fortifieds might not be as front and centre in the marketing, but their mark is all over the menu.

Conceptually, that makes sense for a bar inspired, at least in part, by Spain, where sherry was born and vermouth culture booms. But it’s the interesting ways these drinks are infused and integrated with other flavours that earns Hands Down a thumbs up.

A traditionally sherry-starring cocktail, the cobbler, subs in Portuguese madeira, which is taken to the tropics with a house infusion of overripe pineapple and served over a mountain of crushed ice. In the Tall Fruity Little Bit Spicy, rockmelon sherry (and apricot brandy) lend a mellow sweetness that quells the jalapeno hit in the back of your throat. And black walnut vermouth from Melbourne’s Saison Aperitifs brings nuttiness to the delicately balanced highball, with pear whisky and roasty Japanese genmaicha tea.

They’re listed under user-friendly subheads to help drinkers of all cocktail competencies pick their poison. “Fruity & Fortified”? “Salty & Stirred Down”? You decide.

It’s quite a shake-up for the Greeves Street site formerly home to Bad Frankie, a side-street bar known for its impressive all-Australian booze ethos (and jaffles).

But the baton has been passed to a worthy team. Anyone who intrepidly drinks (or eats) out in the area will find these faces familiar. Dominic Xavier, likely your consummate host, is a long-serving manager atBar Liberty. He’s joined byAbove Board owner Hayden Lambert, and Manu Potoi, a founder of Bar Liberty, Capitano and Falco.

The trio has preserved some of Bad Frankie’s goodness in the brass-trimmed bar and timber panelling, now extended all over the walls. But lily-shaped glass pendant lights soften the space, casting a golden glow over the teal-leather banquettes, which are separated by partitions for some date-night discretion. An L-shaped bench stands freely in the middle of the room, looking a little out of place when no one’s perched at it.

Hands Down bills itself as somewhere “friends can gather before dinner or slide into something stronger after it”. And that rings true from my experiences, with the in-between time proving quieter. It’s a vibe at aperitivo hour, when the afternoon sun engulfs the al fresco booths, and again when the late-night crowd shuffles in to Egyptian funk, a conversation-stopping vintage Tannoy sound system running the genre gamut.

While I’m all for the fortified focus, the drink I’m most into doesn’t rely on them at all. Filed under “Easy & Spritzy”, the Ca-Lee-Mo-Cho (also written as kalimotxo) is a simple Spanish sipper that’s equal parts red wine and cola. Hands Down deports it to Italy, souping up the sparkling with lambrusco and locally crafted Joy Italian cola, plus herbaceous Alpine amaro and tangy umeboshi (pickled plum) vinegar.

Honour the drink’s Spanish roots with your accompanying snacks: either a briny, two-bite gilda or a bowl of smoky paprika crisps with a coil of guindilla peppers on top.

This north-side newcomer borrows the best bits of its owners’ other nearby venues, but moulds them into something fresh. There’s an air of Above Board’s cocktail ingenuity, but Hands Down remains approachable (the less-hidden location helps). And Bar Liberty’s stellar service gets loosened up to create a more fancy-free feel. It’s a good fit for Fitzroy by a team who know a thing or two about making a bar work in these parts.

Three more bars pouring fortified wines

Bar Marmelo

Within the hattedMarmelo is a dedicated front bar where you can drink its diverse, Portuguese-powered wine list – starring fortifieds including madeira (also in a negroni) and port from the Douro Valley – without committing to an entire meal.

Ground Floor, 130 Russell Street, Melbourne, marmelorestaurant.com.au/bar-marmelo

Bar Lourinha

Excellent Iberian eats aren’t the only drawcard at Matt McConnell’s hatted tapas hideaway. Spain’s “sherry triangle” production region is strongly represented in the wine list and blackboard specials, spanning all varieties.

37 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, barlourinha.com.au

Bomba Bar

This is another enduring tapas bar where what’s in your glass is as considered as what’s on your plate. The substantial sherry list ranges from affordable, easy-drinking finos to $260 bottles of amontillado.

103 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, bombabar.com.au

Open Tuesday-Thursday 4pm-11pm; Friday-Saturday 4pm-midnight

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.