Follow the sound of glasses clinking and cocktails being shaken via a secluded doorway to where a leafy oasis presents a small, 40-person inner-city bar. QT’s Secret Garden Bar may feel like a lush, private terrace, yet this shady retreat sits in the centre of Melbourne.

Having teamed up with local pals Four Pillars, the hotel’s intimate bar will feature a unique cocktail list that highlights herbs grown in the venue’s own garden.

The ‘Passion Killa’ cocktail blends Four Pillars’ Bloody Shiraz Gin with sour passionfruit, while the ‘Wild Strawberries’ makes use of the secret garden’s wild strawberries and coriander, muddled with the distiller’s Rare Dry Gin and ‘Wild Rosé’.

To eat? Guests can sample dishes from the Secret Garden Bar menu, created by Four Pillars’ ‘Creative Director of Made from Gin’ Matt Wilkinson and Executive Chef Andy Harmer. Gin Pig Skewers with Marmalade Glaze and Gin Pig Chipolatas are said to be highlights.

The Secret Garden Bar will be open every Thursday and Friday, from 5.00pm.