The award-winning Everleigh cocktail bar on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy and sibling venue Bar Margaux in a basement in the CBD have announced they are closed, after yesterday appointing liquidators.

The Everleigh was opened in 2011 by couple Michael and Zara Madrusan, and became a training ground for many of the city’s best bartenders, many of whom posted messages of support on the bar’s social media page in response to the closure announcement.

“Thanks so much to @michaelmadrusan and @zaramadrusan for allowing all that worked there to hone their craft and give people some of the best service and coldest drinks the country had to offer,” wrote bartender Lachlan Bentley.

Its Prohibition-era style, seated service and attention to the fundamentals of making cocktails, including many drinks from bygone eras, earned it a solid reputation here and abroad.

It won The Age Good Food Guide’s Bar of the Year award in 2012, and was regularly included on the World’s 50 Best Bars list from 2013 onwards.

After opening The Everleigh, the Madrusans went on to add Heartbreaker, a dive bar in the CBD; Navy Strength Ice Co, one of the first high-quality ice makers for contemporary bars in Australia; and Bar Margaux, a New York-style bar and bistro underground in the CBD.

But in September, The Everleigh Melbourne Pty Ltd and the other businesses appointed restructuring practitioner Andrew MacNeill to help manage debts.

Bar Margaux appointed the same liquidators as The Everleigh, PFK, on March 4 and posted a message to social media announcing the closure. It won the Good Food Guide’s Bar of the Year in 2019 for its 5am licence and “basement lair glitter”.

“The reason for the closures are put down to current trading conditions and the financial impact still being felt from challenges from the past five years,” said a spokesperson for the group in a statement provided to Good Food.

“Both venues attempted to restructure under the Small Business Restructuring scheme ... for which they were both eligible, but unfortunately were rejected. Michael and Zara wish to thank all the incredible employees who have worked at The Everleigh and Bar Margaux, and to the thousands of guests who have visited the venues.”

The Madrusans will continue to own and operate Heartbreaker and Navy Strength Ice alongside their hospitality consultancy business, Bartender’s Choice. They will also release their second book later this year, the spokesperson said.

The Herald Sun reported in November that Heartbreaker went into voluntary administration in October but was allowed to continue trading under a deal that saw the Madrusans commit to paying back at least part of the company’s debts.