Monday, August 24, 2015

C.O.L.D. Bar, 27th July

Sometimes I forget what I’ve even officially got on my List and what are places I just kinda want to go to. So I went to the COLD bar the other night thnking I’d just like to see what it was like, but in fact I have had it on my List.

So, I didn’t really take any pictures but hopefully my words will paint conjure an image for you. I went on a Monday night, assuming it wouldn’t be so busy that a reservation was in order. I was correct and had almost the pick of the place. I chose two comfy looking armchairs in the corner by the still. For COLD stands for City of London Distillery and they make gin. And besides making it, they sell lots of it too. One of my very amiable bartenders told me they have something like 320 varieties in stock. More than one could ever need. So it is no surprise that all their cocktails are gin-based. I happened to take someone who doesn’t really like gin but, starting off with a beer, he was able to wean himself onto a gin cocktail that he really liked. How so? Well, while some of them are purely gin-based, there are enough that are blended with others to create quite a non-gin taste, especially if they use the more ‘blank slate’ varieties.

As I descended the stairs I was pleased by the warm, welcoming tones of the place. Lots of soft browns, it feels like your kindly posh old uncle’s library, if such a person existed in your family. The guys bringing the drinks were chatty and knowledgeable and happy to help you choose a drink to suit your tastes or moods. My first was the millionaire, a sweet yet punchy drink with sloe gin and rum.
For my second I went the other way and ordered something more bitter, the Communist - more gin but this time some brandy too, and citrussy fruits. A good contrast to my previous, this was just as easy to drink as the first.

Sadly, this place is not cheap and much as I would have liked to work my way through the entire menu, after two drinks we departed for somewhere a little more affordable. Hidden off Fleet Street where you would never expect to find a distillery, this definitely counts as a hidden gem and would make for an impressive date venue or somewhere to go for a special occasion.

Click to add a blog post for City of London Distillery on Zomato

No comments:

Post a Comment

Please feel free to add your views, or maybe suggest somewhere I should put on my list!

View my food journey on Zomato!