I spend a lot of time at bars.
No, I mean a lot.
I may not always be drinking (OK I mostly am), but a good bar has almost become a home from home. There’s a feeling when I walk in, and I know when I’m going to find good drinks, a great venue and somewhere that I could happily perch all evening, chat to the staff, learn about their creative processes and sample some fantastic drinks.
I found that a Lucky Liquor Co.
Sure, we didn’t have much time, and could only pop in for a drink early on the Saturday (unlike my last trip to Edinburgh which resulted in 4-5 hours of cocktail sampling in Panda & Sons), that feeling hit as soon as I walked in the door.
When I watched the chap behind the bar sink candyfloss into a pan and place it onto a hotplate, that feeling grew.
The space is small – there’s a downstairs section with a pool table, and it has a vintage simplicity about it. Like it’s always been there and has had bits updated, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
My favourite spot is always going to be at the bar itself. I want to watch the bartender create, have them talk to me about what they’re doing, what they’re putting into it and why. It’s as fascinating as watching a chef work, or an artist. There’s a level of skill and innate creativity, merging with a technical knowledge that I love.
Well, that and the cocktail at the end, obviously.
The menu is creative – it doesn’t shy away from using flavours that might have the customer raising an eyebrow at. There is of course a selection of beers, and wines that I suspect have been selected carefully for flavour, and they even do an off license service, that includes bottled cocktails for you to take away. Given the delayed train the next day, I kind of wish I had invested for the trip home.
But I didn’t. Dammit.
Instead, Mr GFB and I had a little taster cocktail before we went to dinner at Restaurant Mark Greenaway. Something to wake our tastebuds ahead of the indulgence of a tasting menu.
Mr GFB opted for the Blunderbuss. Brandy, rum, strawberry, bay and black pepper syrup, lime, ruby port, Lucky allspice liqueur & bitters. Beautifully balanced sweetness that suited his sweet tooth perfectly. The strawberry added a fruitiness that kept the brandy, port and rum combination form being too heavy, the spices creating a warmth on the palate.
For me, it was all about citrus – I wanted an acidity to wake my palate ready for dinner. And so I chose Twin City – mezcal, aperitivo, orgeat, lime and pandan marmalade soda. Sharp, sweet, it was like marmalade on toast, the orgeat adding those nutty toasted flavours that lingered in the mouth.
I only wish our visit had been longer, that I’d been able to sample another couple of cocktails, and take one home for that very cold, very late train home.
Still. I guess it means we’ve just got to go back. Right?
All drinks were paid for by ourselves.