Some days all you want is a cocktail.
Nothing fancy, nothing fussy, no pounding bass, no giddy overly bouncy host or hostess who proceeds to tell you all about the themed night they’re running, or rugby scrum at the bar filled with leery types who’ve probably had a little too much.
It might be because the weather is good. Or bad.
It might be because you’ve had a good day. Or a bad one.
But sometimes, just sometimes that craving kicks in and you’re dreaming, mouthwateringly of that drink – Mai Tai, Margarita, Old Fashioned.
And it can strike randomly. At 4:30pm on a Thursday perhaps.
Now I could say that that’s how I ended up in Be At One. In truth, it’s not, but it was when I found myself heading to St Ann’s Square, to Barton Arcade to find this little hideyhole that sits next to Pot Kettle Black.
Some might say a little too well hidden. I might then, however, mention the 150 cocktails – yes 150 cocktails on their menu, that would mean that you really wouldn’t need to go anywhere else.
Oh and did I mention that 32 of those cocktails involve gin?
My, er, inspection of the bar and it’s menu began simply, with one of my favourite cocktails, the Breakfast Martini. Oh yes, I wasn’t going to just choose any old cocktails. I was going all in, with some of my favourites. This combination of Beefeater 24, Cointreau, fresh lemon juice and orange marmalade was well balanced, citrussy and addictive. As I’ve alluded to before, citrus is one of my weaknesses and this (particularly if you make yourself a side of toast to dunk in it – trust me here) is a beauty.
While I was still awaiting my date – I leant into another favourite, the Dirty Martini.
For me, dry and dirty is the way to go – how dirty I hear you ask? To quote (and if you can figure out where I got the quote from I’d be grateful as I cannot remember) ‘Tie me up, but don’t blindfold me’.
And yes I have said this to bartenders.
And yes, sometimes they are scared.
The dirty Martini is a simple creation gin (or vodka if you prefer), dry vermouth and a little olive brine, garnished with olives. Be At One have Beefeater as their gin in the menu, but they have others, so if there’s one you prefer, or you’d like a recommendation you can just ask. It’s one of the most simple cocktails that can be tailored easily to your preferences, so it can easily be made sweeter and softer. But do bear in mind it is all booze. So definitely one for sipping.
My date arrived and was more than ready to dive into the cocktails. Her first choice, the Gin Re-Fashioned is a twist on the Old Fashioned cocktail, featurin Sipsmith VJOP (a juniper heavy gin), passionfruit syrup and orange bitters. Sweet, junipery, soft, it was perfect for her to start her night with.
My next one was another favourite the Clover Club. Be At One use Bombay Sapphire gin, dry vermouth, lemon juice, raspberry syrup and egg white. My perfect Clover Club should be a sweet, sharp, mouth drying combination of flavours. Sweet and fluffy from the egg white and the raspberry, the lemon should add a tartness, that just balances it out. This one was, sadly, too sweet for me, coming out as a sweet, fluffy, confection, not quite what I’d hoped for.
My date’s Aviation, however was perfect.
Flavours of violet and cherry, balanced with the earthiness of gin, and a little lemon, if you like Parma Violets, you’ll love this. This was so well balanced my date didn’t want to share. Well, except for the cherry. She let me have that.
We were all ready to leave when I spotted this number – no, not the Porn Star Martini, the Flame Haired Vixen. It seemed… appropriate.
I’m the first to admit, this one isn’t going to be for everyone. Earthy carrot and ginger, floral notes from the violet, it’s a bit of a marmite drink. As someone who finds a source of Pago carro, orange and lemon juice, this was refreshingly different for me, though my date was less impressed. 
And so she indulged her sweet tooth with one of the ice cream based cocktails instead. After all, it is summer.
The popster is a combination of butterscotch schnapps, sweet and salty popcorn and vanilla ice cream. And even I must admit, it’s a bit luscious. It really does taste like liquid popcorn, and is a perfect dessert style cocktail, ideal for a post dinner date treat.
Be At One has more cocktails than you can imagine, with flavours to suit everyone – and even if you’re the designated driver, there are virgin options, so you can still enjoy palate tingling flavours.
Of course, the bonus is that they have an app, so you can set your own personal happy hour (or ‘appi hour as it’s called), book in advance so there’s no missing out on a booth for you and your mates, or even ‘Be Appventurous’ and receive a randomly selected cocktail for £5 that day.
So…. See you later?
With thanks to Be At One for the invitation – some of the drink were at the invitation of the bar, some were purchased by ourselves. We were generally impressed with the drinks and the service was excellent. Thanks guys.