In a little corner of the Northern Quarter, down a set of stairs, lies a new bar.
Brought to you by those behind Liquorice (all the way over on King Street), and the Damson restaurants, Guilty By Association is a mite different, in both interior, drinks and character.
Playing on both an industrial and jail bird theme, it's all a little rough around the edges, with benches, stools and car seat chairs I'm assured once I sit down in, I won't want to get up from.
The wine list is looking pretty good - limited but with one or two names I recognised, as is the beer and cider selection, with a healthy number of bottles in the fridges alongside the taps. The gin selection is also showing signs of promise (a lovely 16 on offer currently), as is the whisky and bourbon, but of course, given Liquorice's reputation for cocktails, this was where my tastebuds were going to wander.
I kicked off with a Rum Sazerac. Taking the original bourbon beauty, this uses soft sweet rum and an absinthe spritz, so that instead of the dry woody flavours of the original cocktail your nose is filled with the scent of aniseed and your palate flooded with soft sweet lingering brown sugar.
Daring to sample a second cocktail, I opted for the Ginger and Honey Old Fashioned. It is fabulous. Soft orange and cinnamon hit you on the nose from the garnish, then it's all dry bourbon and sweet honey. Using the King's Ginger liqueur is a great idea, it's a very underrated liquor, sweet, but with a nice tickle of spice at the end. Think of it as the alcoholic version of a Jamaican ginger cake.
Though my visit was short (I did have a wedding to go to the next day and needed my beauty sleep), I'm already completely hooked. The staff are knowledgeable and the booze on offer is looking better by the day. read more