A very sexy and refreshingly good cocktail bar - finally found by my husband and me - yanks from Seattle who've relocated here for the next 3 yrs. We've been looking for a good cocktail bar and Raoul's isn't it. I don't need a tropical fruit basket and umbrella w/ every drink. I don't want flourish. I want a good cocktail.
The House is down a teeny tiny alley we found from the back, walking down Bear Lane. We sat at the bar, which you can't do in many places in Oxford I've noticed. I rather prefer sitting at the bar in any given establishment. You get more attentive service usually and can ask questions and/or strike up a conversation w/ other customers or the bartender. In this case, as they'd just opened for the night, my husband and I chatted quite a lot w/ the 2 male bartenders who were professional and kind to humor us. Coming from Seattle where the prohibition era cocktail and quality ingredients have been king for a while, we're maybe a bit snobby about our drinks. I'm a fan of negronis and a good dark and stormy and my husband likes manhattans and a good whisky. Unfortunately they'd run out of Bulleit pouring him less than a double. He took it but then there was a fruit fly in it.. Classy, my man, he picked it out and still drank it. Why waste good Bulleit? I had the Thyme & Lemon, a lovely concoction w/ egg whites. I do love a good egg white drink. Not too sweet, really lovely. He had a manhattan next and I had a negroni. Unfortunately, because he asked for it 'dry-ish' they wouldn't put a cherry in it, which is what they do in the states. They also don't ask you if you want it dry or sweet, which they do here. Apparently here a cherry is only for sweet manhattans so they put a lemon peel in it. And for mine, I'm used to a peel of orange and they put in a whole wedge. I'm being picky, of course, but w/ a manhattan, the garnish can change the flavor. Just interesting the differences we've encountered.
I'm not sure if the lights and ivy were only from the Christmas holiday, but they added a really pretty glow to the main bar area. It was just really gorgeous in there and I could see stopping by a lot here as they have very generous happy hours daily.
They also have a games room upstairs for events and I've already told my husband I want to have my birthday there.
All in all, a lovely place I can see us frequenting often. read more