All shook up

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All shook up

It’s a tough job but somebody had to do it. Melissa Blease goes in search of the best places to quaff some suitably festive cocktails.

DECADENT DINING

In Bath, both 1453 and the Hudson Bar and Grill offer pre- and post-dinner cocktail selections that may well turn the grub-break in between into a mere formality (although when there’s food of this standard on the menu, that’s unlikely). Being Bath, both bars in these glorious watering holes are small but perfectly formed; Bristol’s equivalents, however, both go large. Hotel Du Vin offers around 40 cocktails on a list that sweetly waltzes from classic to frivolous and back again (and features a walk-in humidor for those who fancy a stogie to accompany their screwdriver), while the multi-ambient good times hotspot Goldbrick House is home to a dedicated champagne and cocktail bar and a rooftop terrace offering cityscape views alongside a myriad of festive-friendly options. Want to make Goldbrick-style cocktails at home? Visit the website for information on their popular cocktail training and tasting sessions. Slurp!

VIBRANT VENUES

The Amoeba head honchos call their vibrant Bristol venue a “funky treasure” – and who are we to disagree? Eclectic, laidback but always lively, there’s art on the walls, squidgy armchairs to lounge in, a decadent array of drinks at the bar and regular cocktail masterclasses on their lively events schedule. Prefer to leave it to the experts? Slurp two cocktails for £9 every day from 4-9pm. Alternatively, warm yourself up in the Big Chill Bar, who specialise in superior medleys (including superb mojitos), proving that the festival vibe is for life... and especially welcoming at Christmas. But can Bath ‘do’ funky? Oh yes it can. Sip cocky cocktails in a spacious, diverse merrymaking area that offers a downhome, neighbourhood-hangout form of intimacy: a bit of Berlin here, a nuance of New York there, but mostly all its own work: yup, you’re heading to Banglo.

CLASSIC CHIC

Fancy sipping your sparkly, gorgeous thing in surroundings to match? Make a direct angle in the direction of Bristol’s Square, a decadent paean to all things glamorous. Make friends with a member (or make an application yourself; visit website for details) and enjoy award-winning cocktails in a super-tasteful environment. Talking of which, the maestros orchestrating the fabulosity of the Heritage City’s hippest hotel, the Queensberry, have revamped their Old Q Bar to exacting standards, turning it into a plush, uber-glam but delightfully quirky cocktail hotspot: kick back (in your glad rags, n’est pas) and dive into a taste of Bath at it’s most impressive.

Original and best - there ain’t no ccoktail like a Goldbrick cocktail