The 924 Cocktail Co — Melbourne's Barrel-Aged Cocktail Pioneers
The 924 Cocktail Co is one of Australia's most original and celebrated ready-to-drink cocktail producers — a Melbourne distillery born from a simple but brilliant idea: that the world's greatest cocktails deserve the same patient, careful ageing that the world's greatest spirits receive. Founded by three Melbourne neighbours from houses 9, 2, and 4 on their street — hence the name — The 924 Cocktail Co has grown from a garage experiment into a fully established Camberwell distillery that is producing barrel-aged cocktails of extraordinary quality, complexity, and character.
The Story
The 924 Cocktail Co was born in 2016, when three Melbourne mates — neighbours from houses 9, 2, and 4 — began experimenting with barrel-aged Negronis in their garage. What started as a passion project quickly became something more significant: a realisation that barrel ageing transforms a great cocktail into something truly extraordinary, softening the edges, integrating the flavours, and adding layers of oak complexity that no amount of stirring or shaking can replicate. As their creation became more significant, the three neighbours established a distillery in Camberwell, and The 924 Cocktail Co was born. They have been ageing cocktails ever since.
The Barrel-Ageing Philosophy
The defining characteristic of every 924 Cocktail Co product is barrel ageing — the patient, unhurried process of resting a fully assembled cocktail in oak barrels for a minimum of two months before bottling. This is not a gimmick or a marketing exercise: barrel ageing fundamentally transforms the character of a cocktail in ways that are immediately and unmistakably apparent in the glass.
The oak barrels used by The 924 Cocktail Co are sourced from a particularly distinctive and personal provenance: they are hand-coopered by a family friend in the Adelaide Hills, using a combination of new and used French oak and given a medium char that imparts vanilla, caramel, and the characteristic toasted oak complexity of French oak maturation without overwhelming the cocktail's essential character. The use of hand-coopered barrels from a trusted artisan source — rather than commercially produced barrels — is a mark of the extraordinary attention to detail and personal commitment that defines everything The 924 Cocktail Co does.
During the minimum two-month ageing period, the cocktail undergoes a series of transformations: the harsh edges of the spirits soften and integrate; the flavours of the individual components — spirit, vermouth, bitters, sweetener — marry and harmonise into a unified whole; and the oak imparts its own distinctive character of vanilla, caramel, and spice that adds depth and complexity to the final product. The result is a cocktail that is ready to pour and enjoy at its absolute best — no mixing, no measuring, no compromise.
Our Range
The 924 Cocktail Co Barrel-Aged Negroni 700mL — 24.9% ABV — The cocktail that started it all — a barrel-aged Negroni of extraordinary refinement and complexity. Made with Campari, a citrus-driven bitter vermouth blend, and Original Spirit Co. gin — Victoria's award-winning gin crafted with native, foraged, and seasonal botanicals — aged for a minimum of two months in hand-coopered Adelaide Hills French oak barrels with a medium char. Deep ruby-amber with warm mahogany depth. Complex aromas of Campari, coriander-driven botanicals from the Original Spirit Co. gin, and citrus-driven vermouth. Refined and beautifully balanced on the palate, softened and integrated by the French oak barrel ageing. At 24.9% ABV, no additional dilution is required — simply pour over a large ice cube in a rocks glass, garnish with an orange twist, and enjoy. Outstanding as a sophisticated aperitif or alongside charcuterie, aged cheeses, dark chocolate, and orange-based desserts.
The 924 Cocktail Co Barrel-Aged Old Fashioned 700mL — 37.1% ABV — A barrel-aged take on the most timeless of all whiskey cocktails — the Old Fashioned. Made from a classic combination of bourbon, Angostura bitters, and muscovado sugar, matured in barrels for a minimum of two months and bottled at 37.1% ABV under cork. The barrel ageing integrates the bourbon, bitters, and muscovado into a seamless, harmonious whole — the muscovado's rich, molasses-driven sweetness, the Angostura's aromatic complexity, and the bourbon's vanilla and caramel all softened and unified by two months of French oak maturation. Best enjoyed with a big ice sphere and some jazz to go with it — as the creators intended.
How to Enjoy The 924 Cocktail Co
The Barrel-Aged Negroni is best served over a single large ice cube in a crystal rocks glass, garnished with a wide strip of fresh orange peel expressed over the glass and dropped in. Store in a cool, dark place and serve at approximately 10–12°C. The Barrel-Aged Old Fashioned is best served over a large ice sphere in a rocks glass, garnished with an orange twist and a Luxardo cherry. Both cocktails are ready to pour and enjoy at their absolute best — no mixing, no measuring, no compromise. Simply chill, pour, and savour.
Explore our full 924 Cocktail Co range below and discover why these Melbourne neighbours — who started ageing Negronis in their garage in 2016 and never looked back — are producing some of the finest and most original barrel-aged cocktails in Australia.
