Port Melbourne’s plush new cocktail bar, the first in the area, keeps you guessing. First, there’s the name.

Clooney may serve the Hollywood hunk’s mezcal, but the speakeasy is actually named after his aunt and jazz singer Rosemary. Co-owner Kate Dickins of neighbouring venue Ciao Cielo drew inspiration from the 1950s, the heyday of her actor grandfather Lloyd Martin, whose image hangs among the collection of black and white photos on the walls.

Clooney is a handsome space with dark wallpaper, chocolate-coloured floorboards and a grand Tasmanian oak bar. But to keep us guessing again, Dickins has steered clear of the typical masculine, clubby style of speakeasy, and chandeliers and bolts of velvet dispel any whiff of blokeyness.

Chef Leigh Stanicic (late of The Fat Duck and Melbourne Wine Room) has created a spread of entrée and grazingstyle dishes inspired by food he likes to eat himself. Oysters ($4 each), shucked to order, are drizzled in a lip-smackingly good bush-tomato consommé. The kingfish crudo with finger lime, kimchi dressing, saltbush and sesame makes a fine palate cleanser, while the truffle deluxe oozes umami goodness in a bite-size sanga of truffled salami and pecorino. Chicken liver pâté cannoli, meanwhile, delivered in an impressive stone box are a must-try, the pâté piped into two crisp brik-pastry cigars and served with Iranian fig and vincotto. It’s hard to stop at one serve.

Co-owner and bartender Will Crennan gets creative with his cocktail menu – a mix of originals and his take on classics. The gin and yuzu spider made with Nosferatu blood orange gin and foamed yuzu juice is a sweet, sour and bitter winner. Can’t choose what to have?

There’s a four-cocktail, four-dish dégustation for $100. What will Clooney come up with next? Your guess is as good as mine.