21 brilliant places for cocktails in Cardiff which you will want to visit right now
JOSHUA KNAPMAN FINDS CARDIFF HAS YOU COVERED WHEN IT COMES TO CREATIVE CONCOCTIONS
WHEN it comes to cocktails, you are truly spoilt for choice in Cardiff these days. Just take a stroll down the likes of St Mary Street or Mill Lane where you’ll be met with a vast - but classy - selection of cocktail bars to enjoy and indulge in.
Whether you’re a fan of the overly sweet and sugary tipples (we’re looking at your pornstar martini) or prefer a more bitter beverage - there’s something in the city for everyone that’s guaranteed to go down easily.
Here’s a round up of the places in Cardiff (in no particular order) which you must visit if you’re a cocktail aficionado - and a taste of what you can expect on the menu...
1. The Colour Changing One at The Alchemist
If you’re crazy for creative and mindblowing cocktails that not just taste delicious but put on a show, then you must pay a visit to Cardiff’s The Alchemist. Be prepared to be dazzled by the magic of The Colour Changing One.
An adults chemistry experience, this drinks brings together Grey Goose Vodka, Briottet Apple, Soda, Citrus and a touch of Magic.
Where: 117 St Mary Street
2. 7emon Deadly Sins at The Libertine
Offering “Cocktails, cheers and a cheeky bit of sin”, The Libertine is a classy, ‘20s style bar which has some artistic cocktails on offer - with creative monikers to match.
Made with Italian liquor made with rose petals, Italicus, Limoncello, lemon, passion fruit and prosecco, this mighty cocktail packs a strong punch that’ll transport you to the Amalfi Coast.
Where: 28 High Street
3. Kiss From A Rosé at Be At One
If you’re up for a beverage and a bit of a boogie, stop off at Be At One for the best of both worlds. With over 100 cocktails to choose from, you’ll be spoilt for choice. From frozen ones to the bartenders’ choice, there will be at least one drink that is the perfect tipple to top off your day.
If you want a taste of summer, the Kiss From A Rosé is a refreshing option this summer. Tanqueray gin and rosé wine topped off with strawberries, cucumber slices, pomegranate and Fever-Tree elderflower tonic. Where: 60-62 St Mary Street
4. Espresso Martini at The Bootlegger
With a theme of prohibition - or lack thereof - this quirky bar takes you back to the days of speakeasys. Offering the classics as well as swanky new creations, their drinks are delicious and slide down your throat far too easily.
Their signature espresso martini is a “drink of legend” with a menu all to itself offering a collection of variations of the drink. For example, their White Chocolate and Mint esppresso martini is made with Vodka, espresso, coffee liqueur, Cacao blanc, chocolate bitters, Creme De Menthe and topped with shaved white chocolate our mouths are watering.
Where: 5A Womanby Street
5. Ultralight Beam at Pennyroyal
This charismatic cocktail bar is celebrating its fifth birthday this year after landing in Cardiff in 2017. With the bar’s team priding themselves on being “purveyors of bold, eccentric cocktails & carefully curated spirits”, characterful cocktails is what you’ll get when visiting this charming establishment.
Named after a Kanye West song according to the bar’s Instagram - this tasty tipple consists of cognac, blanc Quinquina, Banane du Brésil, White Peach and Jasmine Soda and a dash of celery bitters and Absinthe.
The team are even setting up a new haunt where the renowned Buffalo bar used to be.
Where: 22 High Street
6. Peach Pie at Tonight Josephine
This sweet as (peach) pie short cocktail at Tonight Josephine is one for those with a sweet tooth.
A concoction of Southern Comfort, Disaronno Amaretto, pineapple, white peach and topped with citrus juice.
Where: 46 Caroline Street
7. Rhubarb and Sage Spritz at The Botanist
These cocktails are both delicious and beautifully finished. And with non-alcoholic versions available, you have an abundance of choice.
This fresh and tangy cocktail is made with Portobello Road Gin, rhubarb liqueur, ginger ale, rhubarb and sage cordial. Thirsty yet?
Where: Unit 5, 10 Church Street
8. Passion Fruit Martini at Dirty Martini
A flavourful twist on a classic, this London bar opened its first regional venue in Cardiff in 2016 and has brought some quality cocktails with it.
This one is made up of Beefeater gin shaken with Passoa passion fruit liqueur and fresh passion fruit. And if that wasn’t enough passion fruit, the drink with passion fruit juice. Where: Imperial Gate, St Mary Street
9. Martini at Park Plaza
Part of the hotel’s classic cocktails
menu, this iconic beverage consists of Bombay Sapphire gin or Belvedere Unfiltered vodka with a hint of Dry Vermouth.
Where: Greyfriars Road
10. Y Ddraig Goch at Dead Canary This ‘secret’ drinking den, where you have to ring a bell for entry, is renowned for its cocktails.
This particular drink, as part of its brand new menu, translates to the red dragon. A vodka cocktail, this
deliciously fruity tipple packs five
fruits into one drink and consists of grapefruit vodka, dragonfruit grenadine, blood orange liqueur and topped off with lemon and cranberry. Where: Barrack Lane
11. Mojito at Peppermint
This classic Cuban concoction had to be on the menu of a bar called peppermint.
It’s made with rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water and mint.
Where: 63 St Mary Street
12. Mango Collins at Las Iguanas Along with its food, this place has a bit of a reputation for its great-tasting cocktails - and the Mango Collins is a bit of a customer favourite.
It consists of Absolut Mango Vodka, triple sec, orange, mango and is topped up with refreshing lemonade. Where: 8 Mill Lane
13. Passion fruit and vanilla mojito at Wahaca
It’s first and foremost a Mexican restaurant but did you know that Wahaca
has a top-floor cocktail bar too?
An inventive twist on a traditional Cuban drink, the bar and restaurant has put its own tasty stamp on the mojito.
Where: 51-53 The Hayes
14. Strawberry Daiquiri at Mocka Lounge
This city centre cocktail bar prides itself on offering exceptional service and cocktails and their daiquiris are no different.
The strawberry and crushed icebased cocktail looks fantastic and regulars rave about the taste. Where: 1-2 Mill Lane
15. Glitch | Artificial Intelligence at Lab 22
Tucked away at the top of Chippy Alley, Lab 22 has a great cocktail menu (see their menu here) which includes an interesting cocktail called Glitch | Artificial Intelligence. An interesting name calls for an interesting recipe of Bacardi 4, Amaro Montenegro, peach liqueur Peche and ginger homebrew.
Why wouldn’t you expect cocktail experiments in a bar with ‘Lab’ in its name.
Where: 22 Caroline Street
16. Espresso Martini at Chapel 1877 While plenty of places offer this popular tipple, not everywhere offers it with a bit of fancy art on top, which is exactly how it comes at this renovated threestorey chapel.
You expect coffee art in your lattes but not so much from your Espresso Martinis . Top effort.
Where: Churchill Way
17. French Martini at Slug and Lettuce
This place does 2-for-1 cocktails all day, every day, so there’s no excuse not to sample a few. We recommend the French Martini. Go on, try it for yourself...
Where: The Friary
18. Sherry Trifle at Bar 44
It would be rude not to include a sherry cocktail in the lineup - especially this one created by the sherry connossieurs at Bar 44, the fabulous team behind which is about to open the doors of a brand new hotel in Cardiff, Parador 44.
A rich and creamy cocktail, the sherry trifle is a unique concoction containing gin, fresh raspberries, Micaela cream sherry, cream and lemon, as per their menu.
Where: 15-23 Westgate Street
19. Bloody Mary at Society Standard
One of the bars and restaurants located in the foodie mecca that is Whitchurch Road, its Bloody Mary is a stunning hangover remedy - what better way to start recovering?
The tomato juice-based beverage is the perfect hair of the dog.
Where: 79-81 Whitchurch Road
20. Coco Colada at Turtle Bay
The Caribbean restaurant has a bar as its centrepoint where you can supp a cocktail or two before your meal.
If you like Pina Coladas... you’ll probably love this.
It’s made of coconut rum, fresh coconut and zingy pineapple - perfect for a summer’s day.
Where: Hodge House, 114-116 St Mary Street
21. Southside Royal at The Cocktail Club
Cardiff’s latest cocktail bar to grace St Mary Street, The Cocktail Club is, as the name would suggest, a haven for the most fabulous and flavoursome cocktails.
Take Southside Royal, for example; this remix of their “legendary Southside” is served with a bit of heat: flamed absinthe mist, as per their menu. It consists of Sipsmith gin topped with Prosecco.
If “crisp and complex” is what you’re looking for in a cocktail, try this on your first visit.
Where: 75 St Mary St