There's a new little hide-away in the City of London serving wonderful cocktails in a beautiful Victorian bath house with private booths. 'Victorian Bath House' opened their doors 'By Appointment Only' at the end of March this year. Booking is available two weeks in advance, and visitors feel like they are part of an exclusive event. The venue is also open to events and private parties, and they were getting ready for one when I visited.
The bath house was constructed as a Turkish Bath in 1895 and was inspired by Middle Eastern decor. I was told that many of the tiles are original, but the company that originally produced the tiles is still in operation and has re-made additional ones that were needed. Many exclusive areas are scattered around with two main bar areas, and curtains can be closed for privacy.
I was informed that the mixing of drinks started when they had an abundance of plums after an event, and the plums were put into a jar of gin. These were put into alcohol to give it a flavour, and this maintains most of the alcoholic content. Some of these are on display in the back cabinets.
One private area, which could be curtained across, had a selection of bottles available that could be filled with spirit. There are several 'flavours' of London Dry Gin to suit any taste (pear and sage, plum, quine and blue cheese, camomile meadow, and rosemary and lavender). Decanters can also be purchased with the different drinks.
A bath tub at the back of the venue is filled with ice and alcohol. This is filled prior to events.
Upon arriving, I received a welcome drink. This consisted of a red wine with other flavours, and these were explained to me at the time.
I was then treated to a buttery whiskey. Butter is used to add the flavouring, which takes the edge off of it. Sea Salt and Caramel is the flavour, and it went well with the figs. It was easy to drink.
Classic Shambles was the next drink I had, and it was described as an apple pie. It had a subtle apple and vanilla taste and was topped off with champagne and a floating slice of apple.
I had the Rhubard Punch next. The first drink I had, after the welcome drink, was the first photograph in this post. This was the Rhubard Flip. It tasted like rhubarb and custard and was such an easy-going drink. I loved it, and it was my favourite drink of the evening.
The bloke arrived later as well as he got stuck at work. When he arrived, he tried the Blue & Blue Velvet, which is Guinness topped with champagne and blueberries.
Before we left, we had one last drink to try - a buttery rum drink. I wish I had taken some notes to write properly about the different drinks, without giving much away.
All good things must end, so our time was up and we had to make our way home. I took a photograph of the outside of the Victorian Bath House. Do not be fooled by its appearance. It is like a Tardis inside. Actually, the main rooms are underground.
Would I recommend this venue? Yes, I would. The cocktails and drinks are beautifully made, mixed well, and have a lot of flavour without feeling like you're drinking too much alcohol. Of course, this could be bad because it's so easy to have too many. The venue is also special from a historical London point of view. To avoid disappointment, get yourself over to the Victorian Bath House located near Liverpool Street station at Bishopsgate. It's located in the church yard.
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