Champagne with oysters is all well and good, and there’s a lot to be said about pairing briny Sydney rocks with the high-acid, wet-stone qualities of Sancerre. Guinness and oysters is a match made in Irish pub heaven, and adding a crisp lager to a freshly shucked half-dozen is never a bad idea when you’re within view of some water.
A martini and oysters, though? It doesn’t get any better, as long as the martini is murderously cold and the oysters are in top form (which they always are in Australia in the dead of winter). The first jolting sip of martini to make the cares of the day fall away; then the richness of a peak condition oyster shucked to order. Brilliant.
The drier the martini, the better it’ll cleanse the palate and allow each new oyster’s flavour to run long and clean. Kudos to anywhere that offers a variety of oysters to taste the difference between regions and estuaries.
Anyone who suggests you sip cold vodka or gin immediately after an oyster (or caviar, for that matter) should be approached with caution. That certainly won’t happen at these following bars and restaurants, which treat both martinis and oysters with the utmost respect.
81 Bay, Brighton
Join the happy locals who pile into Ian Curley’s Brighton wine bar, a beacon of stylish snacking away from Bay Street’s hubbub. An impeccable take on prawn toast lands on most tables, but you can use this smartly dressed room however you wish, whether that’s an afternoon drink or a three-course dinner. Oysters typically come from Appellation, which source from 60 farms stretching from northern NSW to the Victorian border. In your glass? An extra-briny martini made with Papa Salt Coastal Gin, or perhaps sake or grower champagne.
81 Bay Street, Brighton, baix.com.au
Apollo Inn, city
Two doorways, a foyer and a heavy velvet curtain herald this hideaway cocktail bar. It’s no longer a secret, thanks to a city-wide reputation for reliably excellent drinking and snacking, yet sitting in Apollo Inn’s cloistered surrounds still feels like being at a members’ club. Slide onto a dark leather-covered banquette and a jacketed waiter will soon appear with tempting choices. Whichever martini you select – there are four – it’ll be properly frosty and balanced, all the better to pair with oysters handled with care and attention, much like everything here.
165 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, apolloinn.bar
Bar Carnation, Carlton North
Whether it’s a Wednesday or a Saturday, stylish young things sit elbow to elbow at the long timber bar and fill up the footpath tables, ready for wherever the night takes them. That could mean a deliciously bone-chilling martini with piping-hot fries. Or the day’s crudo, always sparkling fresh, and a picky plate of mortadella and gordal olives. Wines are usually lo-fi and always interesting, and cocktails are impeccable. Among the timeless timber panelling and white tablecloths, adding oysters to any order just feels right.
386 Rathdowne Street, Carlton North, barcarnation.com
Pearl Diver, city
The name’s your first clue as to just how seriously this bar takes its oysters. Sourced from around the country, Pacifics and Sydney rocks, hot and cold, dressed and condiment-free are listed on a tick-box menu. Get ’em in towers of 18 or order mollusc by mollusc to find your favourite. Martinis can be had any which way but, for true seafood lovers, there’s one made with Saint Felix oyster shell gin. During happy hour, Tuesday to Friday from 5pm to 7pm, oysters are just $2 each.
56 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne, pearldiver.com.au
The Walrus, St Kilda
The martinis are icy and the oysters are shucked to order at The Age Good Food Guide’s bar of the year. But it’s the team – offering a welcome as warm as the yellow walls – that make this place a neighbourhood gem. Let them direct you to your perfect match from the day’s oyster offerings, displayed on ice at the bar. Bar snacks favour seafood, with fish roe pepping up crunchy chicken skin and potted crab ready to smear on waffle fries. The numbered cocktail list (correctly) puts the martini in first place. Get one for $15 – plus $3 oysters – during late-night happy hour, 10pm to 11pm Friday and Saturday.
9 Inkerman Street, St Kilda, thewalrusoysterbar.com
Coming soon
Plus a saloon for all things briny and good, Fitzroy Oyster House, opens this weekend at 422 George Street, Fitzroy. A horseshoe bar fills the space, foreshadowing rollicking good times over dozens and half dozens of Australia’s finest paired with something chilled and delicious, naturally.