Eighteen08 or nineteen-Tontine.. pub has pride in past and present

Why would you call a trendy drinks venue 1808?

Is it the time the happy hour starts on a Friday? Is it the number of customers expected on a busy night?

Is it the price of a round of the most expensive craft gin on the menu?

In the case of Greenock’s 1808, or Eighteen08 as it’s officially known, the name is the year in which the old mansion house in which it’s located was built.

The then- owner George Robertson, businessman and magistrate, was said to be the first person in Greenock to own a private carriage or a piano.

He was a generous employer – supplying the men who built his house with three glasses of rum each day in addition to their wages.

His home would later became the Tontine Hotel and remains locally owned.

A major refurbishment of a basement section just over a year ago resulted in Eighteen08, with drinks served nowadays a tad more sophisticated than the rum downed by the builders.

A n extensive range of cocktails, bubbly, spirits and beers are on the menu alongside food which is unsophisticated in its presentation but hearty and tasty nonetheless.

A big hit is afternoon tea at £16.95 for two – plus £ 8.50 per additional guest – for a dainty stand stacked with f inger sandwiches, homemade scones and a selection of the chef ’s homemade cakes.

Pub Spy observed this was popular among local ladies fond of wash ing it all down with a brightly coloured cocktail or two.

Eighteen08 has a little bit of everything and it all adds up to a popular spot which blends a modern bar in a historic setting.