Play At Misty For Me

The Age

Tuesday November 6, 2007

Michael Harden

AS OUR barfly cousins in Coathanger City take to the streets, demanding their right to sit in a hole and drink chardonnay, Melbourne's bars are filled with a generation of drinkers who have never known (night) life without the bar-hopping option. And while the seemingly endless parade of new bars captures most of the noise and flurry, it is the places with a few miles on the clock that are the solid foundation of our local bar scene's success and reputation.

About nine years ago, Misty Place was knee-weakeningly hip. Not only did it have a laneway location (graffiti-strewn, no less), but it combined good design (miraculously remaining comfortable despite channelling 1970s Kubrick) with a fierce commitment to quality alcohol and a fondness for DJs that blurred the line between bar and club.

While it may no longer be front and centre on the scenesters' radar, Misty remains a stylish place for a drink. The two well-used rooms are looking good with a bit of age. The generously upholstered stools and banquettes have been pummelled into comfortable submission by the force of a thousand butts, the painted concrete floor has worn to an attractively historic patina and the circular cut-out between the rooms and the illuminated inset shelves behind the bar have kept their curved '70s slinkiness.

DJs still feature later in the week and the bar plays host to various film screenings and other artistic pursuits throughout the year, but it is the commitment to good booze and solid cocktail making that best explains Misty's longevity.

It may seem commonplace now, but a list that includes signature cocktails (Misty Bitch: vodka, Campari, grapefruit and lime, $12), quality spirits, geographically diverse bottled beer (from country of origin only), Spanish sherry and French sparkling was fairly out there at the turn of the century. And it is this philosophy - that people actually care about the type of gin in their martini and the skill with which it is made - that helps explain both Misty's continued success and the strength of Melbourne's coveted bar scene.

Where: Misty Place, 3-5 Hosier Lane, city, 9663 9202

Open: Tue-Thu 5pm-1am; Fri 5pm-3am; Sat 6pm-3am

Cards: All and Eftpos

Wheelchairs: No

Cheers: The once-modern interiors look interestingly weathered rather than tired and dated.

Jeers: Ear-bleeding DJ-ing to a room of six people when it is still light outside makes Misty seem desperate when it's not.

© 2007 The Age

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