The staff at Rick’s were in a celebratory mood on the night I visited. And so they should have been – it’s not often you are named number one bar and pub in Bristol according to Tripadvisor.
Considering how many bars and and pubs there are in the city, that’s quite an achievement. But then since it opened in the tired old Shore cafe bar, Rick’s has injected a little bit of glamour into harbourside drinking.
Named after the mythical gin bar in the classic 1940s film Casablanca, there is a stylishly retro look to Rick’s, which is part of the adjacent Bristol Hotel. The weather outside may have been freezing but the rattan chairs and flickering candles added a warm glow to the place.
It being early on a Friday evening, there was also a DJ setting up in one corner. Apparently there’s always a DJ on Friday and Saturday evenings from 7pm to 10pm, just to add to the chilled ambience.
There’s also a concise food menu on offer. Choices include oysters, Korean fried chicken, charcuterie boards and honey roast ham, Somerset Brie, Dijon mustard and mayonnaise sourdough toasties – all good stuff for soaking up that booze.
In keeping with its Casablanca namesake, there is an emphasis on gin with signature serves using a gin specially created in collaboration with Bristol’s Psychopomp micro distillery. These can be enjoyed on their own or in popular cocktails such as Negroni, Martini and Vesper.
There are also several ‘classic’ cocktails including Cosmopolitan (Belvedere vodka, Cointreau l’Unique, cranberry and lime) and a Strawberry Daiquiri (Mount Gay Eclipse Rum, lime, sugar, strawberry).
But it was the signature cocktails I was more interested in. Priced from £12-£14, these have been created by the bar’s own staff and include Happy Talk (Rémy Martin VSOP, Earl Grey, Bénédictine, Orange Bitters) and Magic and Make-Believe (Mount Gay Eclipse Rum, lime, banana, Pinot Grigio and caramel foam).
I went for the Fresh as a Daisy (£14) which was essentially a twist on a classic Martini. Served in a stylish Martini class, it was a blend of Belvedere Organic Infusions Pear and Ginger Vodka, Dolin Dry Vermouth, apple with a sage leaf garnish.
Strong, dry but with delicate fruitiness and a tingle of spice from the pear and ginger vodka, it was a fantastic cocktail, well made and with a kick like a Weston donkey.
Facing the river next to Pero’s Bridge, Rick’s has a prime spot in the harbourside and it’s an ideal place to kick-start an evening. Now that it’s number one in Bristol, I’m sure it will also be the first choice for meeting up before all those Christmas office parties.
Rick’s, Prince St, Farr’s Lane, Narrow Quay, Bristol, BS1 4QF.