BAR GUIDE 2010
BEST BARS 2010
A nother 12 months of drinking time have elapsed since our last bar guide, and thankfully there are enough gin joints still in business to ease our recession woes. In fact, crops of excellent new bars have sprouted in both Glasgow and Edinburgh. We've listed many of these more recent openings over the next eight pages, along with some old favourites. Our 2010 guide is organised by area, giving you a choice of different sorts of bars in different locations. If, for example, you're in Edinburgh's Old Town you can pinpoint high glamour (Missoni Bar) and homely comforts (Bow Bar) just a few paces away. We've made our
choices based on a few simple criteria: range and quality of alcohol, decor, atmosphere, unexpected benefits (who doesn't enjoy a ping-pong table?), plus the 'Ronseal factor' – does it do what it says on the tin? After all, there's no point judging a cocktail bar on its range of draft beers, as long as its martinis are perfect. And if you suspect us of shirking our drinking duties, be reassured that many millilitres of alcohol were consumed in the production of this guide, with every bar being tested in the last month. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it. (Jonny Ensall)
Contributors: Niki Boyle, Jonny Ensall, Malcolm Jack, David Kirkwood, Mary Murray-Brown, David Pollock, Jay Thundercliffe
DRINKER’S DIGEST Top tips in various useful categories
COCKTAILS Glasgow: Lebowski’s (page 13) Edinburgh: The Raconteur (page 19) WINTER WARMERS Glasgow: The Belle (page 14) Edinburgh: The Parlour (page 22)
PRE-CLUB Glasgow: MacSorley's (page 12) Edinburgh: City Café (page 20)
FUN & GAMES Glasgow: Hillhead Book Club (page 14) Edinburgh: Hawke & Hunter (page 18) A TOUCH OF GLAMOUR Glasgow: Blythswood Hotel (page 13) Edinburgh: Bar Missoni (page 20)
REAL ALE Glasgow: WEST (page 13) Edinburgh: Blue Blazer (page 19)
MUSIC BARS Glasgow: Captain’s Rest (page 14) Edinburgh: Nobles (page 22)
BAR FOOD Glasgow: Bar Gandolfi (page 13) Edinburgh: Kings Wark (page 22) STUDENT-FRIENDLY Glasgow: Firewater (page 12) Edinburgh: Brass Monkey (page 22)
LATE-NIGHT HAUNTS Glasgow: Nice N Sleazy (page 12) Edinburgh: Pivo (page 18)
BAR GUIDE KEY
FOOD SERVED COFFEE
COCKTAIL
OPEN AFTER HISTORICALLY
PUB QUIZ
REAL ALE
SMOKING
DJ NIGHTS
LIVE BANDS BAR GAMES
LGBT
STUDENT-
SERVED MENU
1AM IMPORTANT
SPECIALIST TERRACE
HANGOUT FRIENDLY
2–16 Dec 2010 THE LIST 11