Mixed Blessings
Whether you want an evening of creative mixology or a relaxed night with classic cocktails, Cambridge has a diverse scene to explore. We asked some of the city’s leading mixologists what to order
From James Bond to Del Boy Trotter, Carrie Bradshaw to Margo Leadbetter, cocktails have long been celebrated in pop culture. They’re enjoying something of a moment now: an elevated way to enjoy a night out on the town, cocktails offer a sweet, sour, fruity or creamy alternative to your usual go-to pint or glass of dry white wine.
Mixology is now a familiar part of our social vocabulary: the science and art of blending techniques, flavours and ingredients to create drinks that are balanced and innovative. “Mixology has really taken off in the last ten to 15 years,” says Darren Brooks. Owner of Bar 196 on Mill Road, Cambridge and Dutch in Turing Locke Cambridge, Eddington, Brooks has been in the business for 37 years.
“Coming up with new cocktails can take weeks,” he says. “If I’m charging £11 or £12 for them, they need to be the best they can be. I get fully immersed in it – for instance, I’ve just spent the last few days smoking a dozen peaches to concoct a new winter drink. Last year I created one that I called Gold!, inspired by the San Francisco gold rush and made from our own moonshine (brewed in-house), paired with sweet potato, toffee apple and a corn liqueur grown and distilled in the US, so it has a fair bit of backstory.
“I wouldn’t say we have a signature style – each cocktail has its own unique character. We try not to use the same ingredients too much, but we do use a lot of Mexican ones like tequila, mezcal and raicilla, which are distilled from agave, and sotol. They used to be very hard to come by this side of the pond, but they’re more readily available now.
“Cocktail making is not rocket science but you have to pay attention to detail. The secret to a great cocktail is in the balance of flavours, which comes with experience.
“You can spend weeks perfecting the way a drink looks and tastes, but you then also need to consider the type of ice you use – crushed or cubes? You have to check how it tastes after 20 minutes to see what it’s like once diluted, right at the end.”
La Raza on Rose Crescent is one of the best-loved and longest-established cocktail bars in the city. Its extensive drinks menu caters for a range of tastes, including classic and modern drinks with creativity and flair. Offerings include botanical blends, prohibition-style cocktails and molecular infusions alongside original creations such as Love Island Iced Tea, Spritzwilliam and Papa Don’t Peach – all unique to La Raza’s menu. Distinctive ingredients like sun-blushed tomato vodka, butter-washed bourbon and pear eau de vie set them apart from the standard.
The Lab on Regent Street is also rewriting the rules on cocktail creation, giving its drinks a scientific twist using ‘molecular mixology’. This involves using foams, gels, smoke, infusions, tinctures and spherification (creating caviar-like pearls of liquid). Presenting cocktails in beakers, test tubes and other lab-themed glassware creates a theatrical element people love.
“The bar’s decor has elements of the American prohibition era, with the science theme running through as well,” says events manager Kerrie Dickson. “The scientific theme weaves into the cocktails too. They’re very experimental and look and taste wonderful. For instance, customers always ask for ‘the one with the bubble’ – the Hawking’s Big Bang, a blend of dark rum, apricot brandy and fresh lime juice. It arrives at the table with a big bubble on top that you can blow out, which dissolves into smoke. People often ask us to re-bubble the drink because they enjoy popping it so much!”
Another cocktail called The Inspiration has an edible paper topper printed with an image of Einstein – it’s a delicious blend of white rum, bergamot and citron liqueur, passion fruit liqueur, fresh lemon juice and foam. “We also have a cocktail dedicated to Marie Curie that’s served with a variety of edible flowers. One eye-catching cocktail, which features purple foam, always causes a ripple of excitement in the bar!”
Whether it’s the exciting combinations of texture and flavour that float your boat – or the theatrical presentation – there’s sure to be a cocktail out there with your name on it. And if there isn’t, the time is surely right to invent one.
Where to go
La Raza
4-6 Rose Crescent
Vibe: Underground bar with a laid-back, cosy atmosphere, known for its eclectic cocktail menu and live music. The combination of tapas, live DJ sets and great cocktails makes it a go-to for nightlife.
The Lab
90 Regent Street
Vibe: Science-themed cocktail bar with experimental drinks.
Hidden Rooms
7B Jesus Lane
Vibe: A sophisticated, speakeasy-style venue.
Cambridge Gin Laboratory
10 Green Street
Vibe: Interactive retail space offering classes in gin mixology.
Thirsty Cambridge
46 Chesterton Road
Vibe: Relaxed and quirky bar that often collaborates with food trucks.
Novi
12 Regent Street
Vibe: Roof terrace cocktail bar with a botanical theme.
Garden Bar
Graduate by Hilton Cambridge, Granta Place, Mill Lane
Vibe: Historic, elegant bar located in a boutique hotel.
Dutch
Turing Lock Cambridge, 47 Eddington Avenue
Vibe: Sleek cafe-bar with a stylish, Scandinavian-inspired interior.
2648 Cambridge
14A Trinity Street
Vibe: A subterranean bar with an industrial-chic vibe and a party atmosphere.
Parker’s Tavern
University Arms, Regent Street
Vibe: Stylish, elegant and relaxed, overlooking Parker’s Piece.
See what to order in the November 2024 issue of Cambridge Edition.
