Tired of ordering the usual at the bar? Pint or Pinot Grigio not doing it for you any more?
We have just the thing. Crazy cocktails.
Having undertaken exhaustive research (no need to thank us) we have compiled this list of the maddest mixes, the most bonkers blends and the most far-out fusions you can find in a glass anywhere in the city.
Try them all! But not in the same evening…
1. The Graham Norton
Ah, the Graham Norton. Found in Dusk on New Street, this cocktail has a base of vodka and peach schnapps and is primarily drunk through a sugared rim on the glass.
It is an acquired taste but one that many find themselves returning to again and again. All cocktails are named after celebrities, but the menu doesn’t reveal their full list of ingredients – so choosing can be a gamble!
Cocktails are £5.50 each or 2-4-1 before 10pm.
2. The Green Fairy
The Evil Eye Lounge on Stonegate is a place on every cocktail lover’s list.
And with a chance to see Johnny Depp (it is allegedly his favourite bar) you can guarantee it’s going to be a good night.
I have chosen the Green Fairy. Warning: this is one not for the faint hearted! At £7 this mega concoction contains absinthe, Plymouth gin, orange bitters and pomegranate juice.
An Evil creation in more ways than one.
3. The Blue Sh*t
The next, although not technically a cocktail, is one that I couldn’t leave out. The Stone Roses Bar on King Street is famous for its £3 trebles for vodka, Malibu and pretty much all things spirit.
The best thing about this (apart from the price) is that the alcohol can be combined with some damn good mixers – and not the flat Coke we’ve all had to face!
Fanta Fruit Twist and Fizzy Vimto are two of my personal favourites. however the one most notable is the Blue Sh*t. When asked what this weird blue liquid is, the bartender simply shrugged and replied, “blue sh*t”. So that’s what it is.
4. Lemon Cheesecake
One for the dessert lover. Banyans very own version of a drinkable, alcoholic Lemon Cheesecake is a favourite at the Stonegate bar.
It is made of Ketel One Citroen vodka, limoncello, lemon and gingerbread and topped with a biscuit for the best and alcoholic desert you can possibly have.
5. Kingston Town Iced Tea
The next on my list is rum. No, literally, this cocktail is made of every rum (that is white, dark and spiced) and shaken with lemon, pineapple pulp and falernum extract, and topped with ginger.
It’s a formula that adds up to the Kingston Town Iced Tea from Bobo Lobo on Stonegate, priced at £7.95 for the lot.
The Caribbean recipe is served in some form of Tikki cup – and you are warned to watch out for flamethrowers…
6. The Atomic Bongo
A new addition to the Vodka Revolution cocktail list is the Atomic Bongo. It is described as an explosive creation that is topped off with popping candy by the Coney Street bar staff.
With Bacardi and Wray & Nephew rums, Teichenné coconut schnapps, pineapple and passion fruit this is one chemical cocktail that certainly creates a bang!
7. Lavender Martini
If it’s local you’re after, head over to the new Chapter House Bar at the Royal York Hotel. There, the bar manager Craig will create his very own Lavender Martini (£8.75).
And what makes this unique is the taste of home – the lavender is grown in the hotel grounds. Perhaps James Bond should try it next time he’s in town…
8. The Red Devil
And the final weird and wacky cocktail on the list is the Red Devil from Bora Bora on Back Swinegate. And be warned, it is very, very strong! (But aren’t most cocktails, sigh).
Made from five different types of spirits – vodka, triple sec, peach schnapps, gin and Southern Comfort – topped with orange juice and grenadine it is priced at just £4.95.
Or if you’re in a party mood, you can get a jug for £14.95!