As cost-of-living pressures continue to reshape how Australians drink, the rise of premium bottled serves has become one of hospitality’s quiet success stories. According to global drinks research firm IWSR, ready-to-drink and pre-batched cocktail formats have been among the fastest-growing alcohol categories worldwide over the past five years, consistently clocking high single to double-digit growth. Closer to home, IBISWorld has noted that consumers are increasingly trading nights out for “quality-at-home” drinking.
It’s a shift driven as much by economics as convenience. A bottled cocktail offers price certainty, no tipping-point panic at the bar, and none of the gear, waste, or guesswork of DIY mixology. For venues, it’s a way to extend the bar beyond the barstool – capturing revenue without relying solely on foot traffic, and meeting drinkers exactly where they are: at home but still craving something well-made.
Sydney bars have been quietly leaning into this model for years. Maybe Sammy bottles refined serves like the Eucalyptus Gimlet and Chamomile Martini, translating its world-class polish into take-home form. Continental Deli Bar Bistro remains a pioneer of the format, with its canned classics – the Mar-tinny, Can-hattan and Cosmopoli-tin – now embedded in the city’s drinking culture. PS40 continues to offer bottled iterations of its creative signatures, while neighbourhood favourites like Earl’s Juke Joint keep things bold with stiff, spirit-forward bottled Margaritas and Negronis.
Enter Bar Planet.
The Enmore Road martini bar has just bottled its cult Dirty Martini, bringing one of its most-loved pours out from behind the terrazzo and into Inner West freezers. Joining the existing Bar Planet Martini, the new release leans unapologetically savoury – built on MUCHO’s house-distilled seaweed vodka, French vermouth, and a generous hit of olive brine.
True to Bar Planet form, the serve comes with instructions that are more vibe than recipe: straight from the freezer, accompanied by popcorn-dust fingers, a cold glass and a slightly cursed garnish.
For modern day bars, it’s not a departure from the bar experience, but instead described as an extension of it.