It was all the way back in February 2015 that we posted news of a Crowdfunder campaign from Kit Churchward, who was aiming to raise the £20,000 needed to open a steampunk bar in Bristol: a bar that he said would look like it had “jumped straight from the pages of a Jules Verne or H.G. Wells novel”.
Well, now that dream has become a reality, with The Clockwork Rose set to open its doors on Friday, September 29th.
You’ll find the new bar at 16 St Stephens Street, opposite Pata Negra in the building that used to be home to a branch of The Co-Operative Bank. The planning application to convert the Grade II building to a cocktail bar was granted in April this year, and the team are now taking bookings via their website.
We love how The Clockwork Rose have created a fictional story behind the bar: the premise is that it’s the fictional watering hole of choice of Captain Sebastian Commodore (he has his own back story too), where he and his airship crew would gather when returning to England to share the stories of their travels. The Captain has his own back story on the website, and the tales they’ve told have been expressed in cocktail form…
Here, you’ll find everything from The Nautimore (named after the airship) with its blend of rum, blood orange liqueur, lemon juice and sugar, to the Earl Grey Fizz, with Earl Grey crème infused vodka, elderflower cordial, hibiscus syrup and Champagne. There are plenty of choices for non-drinkers on the “Temperance Potions” menu too, including the Prohibition Fruit Cake made with Henny & Joe’s chai, morello cherry cordial and orange juice – or the Dark Tide with ginger beer, lime juice, coffee and chicory syrup and smoked sea salt.
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