Of course something this bizarre would find it's place in London. I first read about this event in TimeOut Magazine, and had been dying to try it.
Perched on a corner just behind Borough market we were met with a rather gregarious speech, revving the crowd up. He tells us about the theme, how the the cocktail that we taste is a mix of spirits that were once made by monks We are given stamps on our hands for that certain feel of exclusivity and it's into a dark, narrow corridor that descends down into a dinky little room where we are instructed to adorn ourselves with a plastic poncho to protect our clothing. Then we head to the bar to order a separate drink. It's cheap but its kitsch so what else would you expect. They have some cocktails, beer and a mocktail for those who don't want to up the alcohol intake, aptly named "Celibate".
After drinks are collected we make our way to the cloud, at first it's so misty that you can't really tell how big the room is but it's not that big so you are very close to the people in the space.We try to breath it all in and see if we could taste specific spirits, i can only really taste gin but that's probably down to my lack of spirit knowledge. It feels wet, not sticky and I am not sure if I could tell if my eyeballs were absorbing something like the guy at the door said it would, but it's certainly fun and definitely different. They have some great tunes playing so it has a club-like atmosphere. Small enough that two people can enjoy it, like we were but if you were in a larger group it would probably start your night off well. You are only allowed in for 50 minutes and you are swiftly removed when the time is up but you don't feel rushed. The decoration is great with a nod to the patron saint of beer!
I would recommend it anyone who enjoys those unique london experiences, it put a big grin on my face. 1 thing ladies, don't waste time with your hair straighteners, its pointless, have the extra 30 mins kip! read more