Memoirs of a Martini: Best Cocktails in Nottingham

A Nottingham sunrise

Back from my holiday to Australia and a house move on the cards I was feeling decidedly more settled into the city. So settled in fact I was even considering purchasing some kitchenware (new coffee machine..swoon). Moving around a lot is a double-edged sword, itchy feet and the thrill of new experience is tempting but the downside is that I am never able to really settle somewhere.

Things were changing and Nottingham was looking and feeling a little more like home. To celebrate the heady joy of standing still for once I have upped my tour of the city. So this series of posts starts with the best cocktails in town (it's tough research but someone has got to do it).

Browns

20 Park Row, Nottingham NG1 6GR

http://www.browns-restaurants.co.uk/locations/nottingham/

Berry martini and a cosmo

Our tour starts at the newly opened and rather fancy Browns. My fellow food lover and office mate HS suggested some Sunday afternoon cocktails and one thing led to another and before we knew it we were enrolling in their loyalty program and telling all that would listen about the joy of their booze.

The great thing about Browns is that their signature delights are only £3.95 after 4pm from Sunday-Wednesday. How could we resist. Purely for research purposes we tried a multitude but we can highly recommend the cosmopolitan (complete with lit orange zest) and the berry and pomegranate martini. Our Greek companion NC loved the rum based vanilla daiquiri and the marinaded olives. If you want to soak up your straight booze a little more the flat breads adorned with chorizo and prosciutto are a tasty and cheesy snack.

Flatbread joy

The bar staff are really friendly and we even had an impromptu martini making session. If you are lucky enough to snag a table in their dining room the mains are a very reasonable price. However, be warned, this place is flavour of the month and perpetually packed full of beautiful people with pearls, nice neat beards and fancy jackets (not all at once, that would just be weird) so get there early.

Tilt

Upstairs, 9 Pelham Street, Nottingham

http://tiltbar.co.uk/

Tilt seems like an old friend to me now, the type of friend that always insists on getting me drunk.

It was love at first sight, I was mainly attracted to it's cosy loft, smiley staff and promise of good liquor and live blues. What could be better than that? The cocktails are great, a favourite of mine being Gin Garden which is adorned with cucumber and elderflower cordial. Refreshing and delicious.

I have hazy memories of sampling their rum cocktails, although I do believe that the such incident culminated in me falling asleep next to a carton of cheese, chips and garlic sauce in front of Snog, Marry, Avoid.

You can take the girl out of Wales....

The Living Room

7 High Pavement, The Lace Market

http://www.thelivingroom.co.uk/location/nottingham

I have mixed feelings about The Living Room, I'm not usually a fan of chain places but the setting of this place is something special. Set in the heart of the Lace Market just off a little cobble stoned walkway and opposite my favourite Saturday night hang out Nottingham Contemporary it's a convenient place for some decent food and a great cocktail.

I've visited The Living Room on a number of occasions from early in the evening to a quiet Sunday night to a bustling Saturday. Saturday it all gets a bit packed and stressful but early Friday night is the best time to nab a table, not have to queue for the bar and enjoy some live piano music. I always love a grand piano when I'm out and about. Maybe it's because I secretly want to be in Ally McBeal, without the anorexia and hallucinations.

A special living room cocktail treat is their apple pie martini, concentrated appley alcoholic goodness topped with real double cream. It's rather decadent and worryingly tastes totally non-alcoholic. Hiccup...bar tender pass me the custard.

Tonic
6b Chapel Quarter, Chapel Bar Nottingham
http://www.tonic-online.co.uk/

Tonic is another one of those places that I love to hate, I love the nice food, the fancy table service and importantly the cocktail menu but a little piece of  my heart does belong to the more quirky independent places. That aside, Tonic does make a damn good Grey Goose martini.

Oh they also do food too, good food. Like this, rare fillet steak with a rich jus, marrow garlic kiev and dauphinoise stack.

Remnants of a martini

 As you can see the martini was demolished way before this arrived. Can I have another? Shaken..not stirred and some more dauphinoise please.