Takeovers Taking Over
Toby Mckenzie barrels down the stairs – literally – straining under the heft of a key keg of Witless III. Thumping the cardboard-sheathed, Redwillow-filled beachball on the floor of the Hanging Bat, he stands up, introduces his wife, and looks pleased to be shot of it. That’s not surprising, as the ‘beer in a bag […]
Friends of Ham
Destination bars are by no means a new concept; I’ll bet as long as people have been drinking alcohol they have been willing to travel to indulge themselves. Making that effort to find the perfect drinking experience depends, I think, on what kind of booze-hound you are; some go to Victorian-explorer levels of commitment to […]
How local does a local have to be?
A few days after you read this, I am set to move across this blustery, malt-scented city, from one side to the other. The distance isn’t that great, as the crow flies – Edinburgh being such a compact capital – so hopefully it shouldn’t take too long to trundle our possessions from old A to […]
New Edinburgh bar – Jake’s Place
Market Street in the city centre has always had plenty of drinking options, with several bars co-habiting, elbow to elbow; as if they’ve shuffled down the hill from the Mound or Cockburn Street, and all come to rest at the bottom. The Doric, Hebrides, Belushi’s, Sportsters and the like have now been joined by the […]
New Edinburgh bar – The Vintage, Leith
Re-invention has long been a staple of the Edinburgh drinking scene; new sets of owners take on boarded-up institutions, aiming to appeal to a different group of potential customers. Recently though, it seems that plenty of these second (or third, or fourth) chance saloons have been appearing – the furious interest in all things foodie […]
Beer in the Sun – soon, there might be an app for that
When it comes to beer, few things can lift the spirit higher than enjoying one outside, in the sun. In February, the prospect of warm, after-work beerage is a distant, far away thing – but we can at least think about it. Several years ago, when I used to live in Sydney, many’s the time […]
