News / Cocktails
Secret cocktail bar opens hidden underneath Indian restaurant
Some cocktail bars like to give the impression of a long and distinguished history. Stock Exchange Cocktail Club already has it in spades, despite only having been open for a few weeks.
On a recent Friday evening, one first-time visitor had to ask a waiter at the Indian restaurant upstairs if he was heading in the right direction.
Just stroll in confidently as if you know exactly where you are going. Keep walking down the stairs, and arrive in Bristol’s newest subterranean drinking den.
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The sign outside may say Sex C.Club but this venue isn’t going to be subject to a public consultation that could see it shut down.
The bar can be found in the basement of Old India on St Nicholas Street, in the former boardroom of Bristol’s stock exchange, which was built in 1903.
Its civic foundations can still be seen with the city’s heraldic crest above the temple-style frontage, with the bar’s logo featuring a version of this shield.
“We went outside and thought, what would the unicorns look like if they were drunk?” one of the barmen in a bowler hat told a guest perusing the menu.
The artwork was drawn by Rupert, the cousin of owner Fabian Dryden, who previously co-owned Playground cafe and bar almost opposite.
An Old Fashioned at Stock Exchange Cocktail Club, whose artwork was designed by Rufus Dayglo, the cousin of owner Fabian Dryden – photo: Martin Booth
Inside, Stock Exchange Cocktail Club has seating for around 30 people and half a dozen at the bar. Tea lights flicker on each table, there is a piano in one corner, and a scarlet Chesterfield sofa in front of a grand fireplace with a bust of Queen Victoria on the mantelpiece.
“Pineapples at the bar just always look good,” another guest exclaimed as she walked in.
Tiki-themed seat covers and bamboo chairs present a contrast to the mahogany panels, as Motown songs play on the stereo.
Had people wandered to the toilets in the Old India, got lost, stayed for a cocktail and let their vindaloo get cold upstairs?
Within the former boardroom, most recently used as a storage area by the upstairs restaurant, Cuban pornstars now replace the poppadoms.
Some of the cocktails here have edible garnishes, especially on the current Christmas specials: with Home Alone (Baileys, chocolate bitters, Bacardi Carta Negra, milk) served with a cookie and Cherry Christmas (Grey Goose vodka, cranberry juice, Disaronno, cherry brandy) coming with a Jaffa Cake.
Cocktails range in price from £9.95 to £11.95 and are divided on the menu into ‘smoking jackets’ (the likes of Old Fashioned and negroni), ‘dancing shoes’ (including dark & stormy and mai tai) and ‘Christmas stockings’.
The puntastic Sleighomi Campbell and Chai Hard are among the options on the latter selection in a fun-loving bar within these historic surroundings.
Walk down the stairs at Old India to find Stock Exchange Cocktail Club – photo: Martin Booth
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read more: Best places in Bristol for an after-work cocktail
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