I don't get to go out much these days. With a business to run, two small children and a very needy dog, I mainly leave the house to do the school run, take the kids to clubs or walk the dog.
So a rare night out with my husband feels like stepping back in time. And, how apt that, this weekend, we went to a new cocktail bar that has just opened up in Salisbury with a 1920s theme called the Caboose Parlour Bar.
What a jolly old treat it was as well. This bar is run by the same couple that own Tinga and the Deacons, and like their other establishments, this place is decorated exquisitely and with a serious eye for detail and style.
And the bar is like an experience. A mix of theatre and glamour with each of the Signature Cocktails made in a unique and distinctive way. The Dorothy Parker is served with a quill and ink, the Alma Vass is presented in a metal car, the Sweet Nothings looks more like a dessert that a cocktail with sweeties, cream and flowers.
But the absolute star of the show is the Pink Lady. This comes in a small lantern box with a pink Barbie perched on top and is infused with smoke that is added via a burner and tube. Tastes pretty delicious too.
You have to reserve a table and there is no standing. Every table was booked and we had the bar stools which was perfect because we had front row seats to watch the drama of the cocktails being made. And, while we were there, lots of people came in and were turned away.
This place is well too cool for Salisbury! It's about time we had a really impressive cocktail bar and something genuinely different and a real talking point.
The Caboose Parlour Bar also has rooms upstairs which we didn't see. But, I'd guess they are really nice.
Can't wait to go back!
I've wanted to visit the Bombay Sapphire Distillery for ages. So for my husband's birthday, I bought him tickets for a tour of the gin distillery (these were absolutely not bought for me of course).
I was hoping to book the Gin Masterclass for us both, but sadly, this was not available on the day, so we opted for the "Discovery Experience" instead. This is a self-guided tour of the mill which includes a complimentary cocktail for £16. It was great because you could go round the mill at your own pace and listen to the various pieces of information about the distillery and the history of Gin and Bombay Sapphire as we went round.
Our favourite bit (other than actually drinking the gin!) was going to the Botanical Dry Room and creating our own aroma profile to see what styles of gin and gin cocktails we prefer. You basically go round the room and sniff a range of the botanicals that go into gin and Bombay Sapphire. You then stamp a piece of card and it lets you know whether you prefer Pine, Spicy, Earthy, Citrus or Floral gins.
You then hand your card to the staff in the bar and they are supposed to use your card to serve you the perfect cocktail based on your preferences. Although this didn't actually work in practice because the bartender just asked us to pick a cocktail that was closest to our stamps.
It didn't matter because we both ended up trying quite a few cocktails each. My favourite one was "Rosy Rain" which was described as "a long, creamy and sherberty cocktail incorporating Bombay Sapphire, Martini Rosato, Bottle Green Rhubarb and Schweppes Salty Lemon Tonic. my husband really enjoyed the "Queen of Hearts" cocktail which contained Bombay Sapphire, white chocolate liqueur, Bottle Green Raspberry Cordial bound together with egg whites. I also loved the Gin Basil Smash and Tonic - basically, we loved them all!
We were so lucky because, even though it was September when we visited, it was such a sunny day. The distillery looked glorious in the sunshine and we were able to sit outside for our lunch and also to enjoy our cocktails. We could have spent all day sitting in the sunshine, sipping on the fabulous gin.
The only slight downside to the day was the cafe. We went there early for lunch and, although the food was delicious, the cafe itself was a bit poky and you couldn't have a glass of wine or gin with your lunch as they only served soft drinks. They did offer to box up our lunch and we could take it to the bar area to eat it, but we didn't really want to eat out of a box. Presumably, there is some licensing issue, but given that the bar is next door to the cafe, it seemed a bit ridiculous.
We stayed the night at the Watership Down Inn which was 10 minutes walking distance from the distillery. The rooms were clean and comfortable and we had a really, really nice meal there in the evening.
