Time to try a truffle cocktail?

Truffle in a cocktail? It might sound unexpected, but it’s proving a hit at Melbourne’s La Madonna bar and restaurant (which has just relaunched a new culinary direction under Michelin-trained executive chef Jacopo Degli Esposti).

Part of a limited-time truffle menu available until mid-August, La Madonna’s Black Truffle Old Fashioned is a warming mix of Woodford Reserve bourbon, Fee Brothers aromatic bitters, and truffle honey syrup made in-house by grating and steeping Australian Manjimup truffle in honey.

The same honey truffle syrup is also used in the Chamomile & Truffle Mocktail, a bright and floral blend with citrus and soda.

The two cocktails can be enjoyed at the bar, with the option of pairing with elevated bar snack, La Papillote à la Truffe - a juicy Mooloolaba prawn wrapped in delicate pastry and served with a silky truffle dressing - or in the restaurant alongside two limited-time truffle dishes.

The Spaghetti alla Truffe sees shavings of black truffle added to spaghetti with a 30-month aged Parmesan cheese emulsion, while the Tournedos Rossini takes things up a notch with a grass-fed tenderloin fillet served with house-made brioche, seared foie gras and rich Madeira sauce, finished with generous shavings of black truffle.

La Madonna is sourcing French black truffles fresh from Manjimup Truffles, part of the Blakers family business, located just outside the town of Manjimup, the heart of Western Australia’s truffle-growing region.

“We select the truffles by hand every fortnight when our supplier visits with a selection sourced straight from Manjimup,” says La Madonna’s Food & Beverage Director Romain Le Quilleuc.

“The cocktail and mocktail have both been very popular so far, as people seek out ways to add a little luxury to their life this winter through elegant experiences with a difference.”

Walk-ins welcome at the bar, and reservations recommended at the restaurant via nexthotelmelbourne.com/drink-and-dine/la-madonna