What's the vibe like?
Relaxed and intimate. A great place all round and not too loud (so you can actually have a conversation!) with great tunes playing all night. The décor features low lighting, dark woods, palms and an amazing tea cabinet.
It’s smart, and when we arrived the crowd looked like they were still on a post work, 'it’s Friday night, let’s get a drink or 4 kind of vibe'. After this, a mix of people really, all small groups though. From speaking to the manager we hear it can get very busy later on, especially when their DJ’s kick in. I think it would still keep its nice atmosphere though and I reckon it’s probably quite fun.
There’s a nice outside area with blankets provided for those bare knees. It’s big too, which is rare in this area of town.
When would you go?
In the evening with a small group when what you want is great tasting drinks where quality is the focus and where you can feel like you won't get disturbed or annoyed by your fellow drinkers.
How about the menu?
Very good selection and a very clear menu. There’s a big range but it’s not overwhelming. It features everything from classics to Latin inspired fruity concoctions as well as their Tea Infusions (which they make by infusing the chosen spirit with tea leaves for several hours).
What's the drink to try?
The Blue Star Tea-Knee. With hints of earl grey, a citrusy kick some great gin and some amazing almond flavours thrown in for good measure it was a great way to start the evening. It went down pretty quickly (note to self, learn to elegantly sip a drink). Try out a recipe for a tea-infused cocktail here.
We were glad to stay for a few hours and make sure we tried a cocktail from each section. My other favourite was their old fashioned. So so good. One of the best I’ve had. Also, try their sours. The East India Club Cocktail uses egg yolk to give it an amazing texture.
Is it a good date spot?
Absolutely. It’s ideal for a night with that special someone and if it isn’t going well there’s always the bookshelf with a nice selection of reading material to dip into.
Is it worth the cash?
With cocktails averaging out at £7.00 I’d say great value. These are good cocktails made by a friendly and very knowledgeable team. These guys know their cocktails and were great at recommending drinks, suggesting what we might like after as we threw random words and feelings at them to indicate what we were in the mood for. They got it spot on every time.
For more great cocktail recipes you can make at home download the Mixed Cocktail app.
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.