Shaken or stirred? Bath’s best cocktail bars
A great way to start any night out when visiting a new city is with a truly delicious cocktail. If you are planning to visit Bath, there are plenty of fabulous cocktail bars to choose from quirky subterranean dens to swanky lounge bars.
The best cocktail bars are all easy to reach from Panda Sanctuaries’ self catering properties in Bath, which are a short stroll from the historic city centre.
Here we list some of Bath’s best cocktail bars:
The Dark Horse
For us this tops the list of Bath’s best cocktail bars. The Dark Horse is a red-lit underground haven where you’ll find a creative menu of seasonal cocktails alongside much loved classics. Velvet, leather, wood and metalwork all add to the atmosphere while intimate candle lit tables and alcoves make it perfect for small groups.
Bar 15 at No 15 Great Pulteney Street
This opulent lounge bar in the elegant Georgian surrounds of this recently revamped hotel is a spoiling place to enjoy an evening tipple. Bar 15 perfectly combines old fashioned luxury with contemporary chic while serving up perfectly mixed cocktails and more.
The Montague Bar
If you want a five-star cocktail experience then head to The Montague Bar in Bath’s famous Royal Crescent Hotel. Lie back and enjoy some old fashioned decadence as you sip on a Riviera Fizz.
The Canary Gin and Wine Bar
A must for gin lovers. Spread over two floors, the Canary is home to the Bath Gin Company and uses its ‘gin of a different persuasion’, which derives from Kaffir lime leaf, wormwood and liquorice, to create many of its signature cocktails. Start on the ground floor Gin Bar before heading upstairs to the Martini Bar, for as the bar’s tagline says, ‘A place to Drink Gin and to Drink More Gin…
Circo Bar and Lounge
A bar whose interior is as sleek as its cocktails with panelled walls and Chesterfield sofas. With one of the most extensive back bars in Bath, Circo produces its own bitters, infusions, juices and purees, which its mixologists handle with finesse. It also offers a mouthwatering menu drawn up by award winning chef Rob Clayton. Open until 3am at weekends.
Sub 13
At this stylish cellar bar you can sip on an expertly mixed house martini in one of the intimate subterranean alcoves, or head out to the courtyard garden, festooned with fairy lights. Here you can enjoy something fizzy from the Perrier-Jouët Champagne terrace bar, designed by Shaun Clarkson of OXO tower fame. Open until midnight on week days, 2am on Fridays and 3am on Saturdays.
Opium Bar
Tucked away in the vaults next to Pulteney Bridge, this atmospheric bar conjures up the fin-de-siecle Paris of Toulouse-Lautrec with a dash of Victoriana and Bohemian charm. It also offers a range of fantastic cocktails, with classics and unique ‘house’ recipes as well as a hand-picked wine list and great selection of beers. Open until 2am Thursday to Saturday, midnight Tuesday and Wednesday.
