Door 34 Cocktail Bar - Bath

Never one to turn down the opportunity to check out a new cocktail bar, I jumped at the chance to attend the launch of ‘Door 34’, a funky new venue situated a stones-throw away from the Theatre Royal in Bath, Bristol’s picturesque neighbouring City…

Date and Time: Wednesday 29th June 2011, 18:00

Name of Establishment: Door 34

Location: 34 Monmouth Street, Bath

Reason for Visit: Launch Night Invite

Fronted by award-winning cocktail shakers, Craig Edney and Andy Walsh, Door 34 provides a sophisticated watering-hole for the discerning drinker. Though openly targeting an adult audience and in a prime location for a pre-theatre tipple or two, I wondered how this intimately arranged space would also cope with Bath’s huge student presence – not to say that the younger clientèle will shun their beloved Vodka Revolution Bar for a classier alternative but what is essentially a pretty small space could become overrun with students at the height of ‘term-time’. 

Musings aside and back to the evening at hand. I noted that Door 34, had an eclectic buzz which was both inviting and engaging. Besides a plastered unicorn head which became quite a talking point as the evening progressed, the bar itself is effortlessly stylish, the focus resting firmly on the quality of the cocktails which are well-measured and knowledgeably prepared to say the least. I started with a ‘Mary Pickford’ which combined Pampero Añejo rum with pineapple juice, a dash of Luxardo, lime and finished with Maraschino and a ‘bar-spoon’ of grenadine. A complicated arrangement I’m sure you’ll agree but the outcome was a wonderfully contrasting bitter-sweet concoction which was hugely refreshing on such a warm evening. The Boy opted for the ‘Bees Knees’ which muddled Tanqueray gin with freshly-squeezed lemon juice and runny honey – a lot more simplistic in terms of its make-up but equally as delicious! It’s worth noting at this point how reasonable the price tags are (cocktails averaging six to seven pounds each). I thought that, given the bar’s central-location, the somewhat elite range of available liquors as well as on-hand expertise, that the damage to one’s pocket would have been a lot worse! Quite the contrary and a great excuse to stay for a second round…

Unicorn walks into a bar - why the long face?!

Next up, the Mojito drink-off – I ordered the classic version and The Boy upped his game and chose the ‘Ultimate Mojito’ which, enhanced with 23-year-old dark rum, was by far the highlight of the evening for him. In fact, both drinks had been prepared with a real attention to detail - even the mint had been specifically selected to balance the flavours of this signature cocktail.

Mojito Magic

For my final drink of the evening (indulging in a third purely for research purposes) I let the experts guide me towards a Raspberry Martini with a (Tanqueray) gin twist. I loved the fruity sweetness and the delicate foamed finished in which nestled a single boozy raspberry – just divine! Subsequently, I enjoyed the friendly, unassuming nature of the bar staff who, upon being given a vague brief or a favourite base-line spirit, could conjure up something spectacular. There really were no pretensions nor were you made to feel daft for asking for something off the beaten track – as per the bar's ethos, the focus remains on accommodating individual taste and simply, creating 'good drinks and 'good times'.

Raspberry Martini...with a gin twist

Canapés were served courtesy of Theresa Faggetter of ‘Nibbled Catering’,* constituting a lovely array of top-notch titbits. The Boy made it his mission to try them all and concluded that the blinis were the best he had tasted and the asparagus spears wrapped with parmesan-sprinkled parma ham were very tasty with flavours that married together perfectly. Although well-received at the launch, Door 34 would be wise to offer accompanying nibbles as standard in order to soak up the (very generous) alcohol content of the venue’s beverage-list!

Canapé Creations

With its funky vibe and balanced appeal, I see this bar moving from strength to strength as its reputation for high-quality, no-nonsense cocktail creation disseminates amongst the City’s socialites. I certainly hope so as, for me; Door 34 is definitely a new favourite and a reason to visit Bath more often!

And now for the second opinion…

The Boy gave Door 34 a rating of 9/10 and his three words depict the sole recommendation derived from his experience…‘drink Ultimate Mojito’! Enough said…

References:

* http://www.door34.co.uk/

* http://www.hydromelevents.com

The Door 34 Cocktail Academy also run master-classes and team-building experiences whereby a ‘mixologist’ will take participants through an interactive lesson of how to create their own concoctions. Craig Edney also heads Hydromel, an events company which brings the bar to you – genius!

* www.nibbledcatering.co.uk