As Scotland steps slowly but surely from a brisk winter into a fresh spring, the city is laying stake to the claim that it’s a global mixology player, complete with pound-for-pound creativity and distinct influence, be it within intimate speakeasy dens like award-winning Panda & Sons or thoughtfully curated, bustling hotel bars.
Maxim dove into the city’s memorable and at-times surprising, boundary-pushing cocktail culture during a winter visit, trekking across cobblestone streets and scouring the city for a dram, a pint or a wild new cocktail, starting with a stay at the Hoxton Edinburgh. In-the-know travelers tend to harbor a few tricks up their proverbial sleeves, like the idea that the hotel bar can be so much more than average, especially in a city like Edinburgh, where colorful imbibing remains a cultural staple.
And so it goes with recently opened Hoxton Edinburgh, part of nearly 20 Hoxton hotels worldwide operating under the Accor Group umbrella. The newest ‘open house-style’ hotel spans 11 historic townhouses transformed into more than 200 lavish-yet-cozy rooms, with a food and drink program luxurious in its scope.
Warm Scottish hospitality can be found in spades across the city, as we found out during an exclusive winter visit crisscrossing the city in typically rainy Scottish weather. No matter your preference when it comes to a stiff drink (or something with a softer touch), there’s heritage and modern variety aplenty, said Joshua Cowan, the director of food and beverage at The Hoxton Edinburgh. “For a relatively small city, we have a brilliant mix of traditional pubs, luxury hotels, and innovative cocktail bars,” he told Maxim. “No matter what kind of night you fancy, you can find excellent service and great drinks across the city.”
Any good exploration of a global destination starts with the right home base, and the Hoxton Edinburgh looks to deliver that sense of foundation and community, Cowan added. The hotel’s trattoria-themed Patatino boasts a clever Negroni on draft, complemented by wonderful, Italian-inspired classical twists, like a Manhattan with Punt e Mes or the savory Pomo-Dorini, featuring tomato and basil cordial, along with a distinctly Neapolitan-tinged food menu. By day, the space functions like an especially hip co-working space, complete with coffee service or the option to enjoy a Spritz over lunch, while London craft brewery Coalition Brewing dreamt up two custom Hoxton beers to complement the restaurant’s nearly 50 different wine offerings.
Not far from the Hoxton Edinburgh is Old Pal, inspired by the cocktail of the same name and highly recommended by more than one bartender pulling a pint of lager. Make special note of the icy cold, crisp Freezer Martini, while specialties like the intriguing and utterly savory Mustard and Pickled Pear Gibson deliver supreme layers of flavor.
Back at the Hoxton Edinburgh, cultural know-how is the phrase of the moment, as the boutique-style space offers its own curated guide to the city’s hotspots for intrepid travelers, all within walking distance of Old Town and some mere steps from the hotel. A stroll towards Edinburgh Castle delivers that most quintessential of Scottish sipping pursuits in a visit to the Johnnie Walker Experience. Between its impressive, knowledgeable tour and an assortment of rare Scotch tasting opportunities, it’s not hyperbole to say it’s a must-visit in the city.
Of course, heritage makes its presence known seemingly around every corner, particularly on frigid Edinburgh days that call for a cozy pint in a rich, historical setting. That environment is in no short supply, and Haymarket mainstay Ryrie’s delivers an expert Scottish pub experience, as do other highly recommended favorites like Toolboth Tavern and the legendary Sheep Heid Inn, reputedly the oldest licensed pub in the city. Writer, cultural critic and fashion aficionado David Coggins owes a debt of gratitude to another favorite, the traditional Scottish pub Oxford Bar, set on a cobblestone street in New Town. Coggins called the spot “artful and intimate,” with a “possibly perfect” ambiance and a fine selection of utterly classic ales.
The beauty and rugged charm of Edinburgh reveals itself slowly and then all at once, from a quaint, breathtaking sunset stroll through historic Dean Village to the industrial, windswept shores of Leith, an up-and-coming area that’s home to the 9-story, fully vertical Port of Leith Distillery. The operation is utterly innovative, with its single-grain, Edinburgh-distilled Table Whisky proving especially quaffable. Keep an eye out for the distillery’s own single malt aged releases in the years to come.
In the spirit of innovation, hidden gems persist throughout the city, the Hoxton’s Cowan said. That list of underrated finds includes Old Town’s Hey Palu, which Cowan said features “great service and interesting takes on Italian classics.” A sense of global innovation and a keen eye seems to guide the city’s bartenders, with a slew of spots not content to merely pour classic ales (although, again, there’s a season for all sorts of drinkers in Edinburgh).
Tucked away in a moody New Town basement and fittingly situated across the street from thorny vines woven through park fence posts, Bramble is a long-running icon with two decades of mixology know-how under its belt. Its proprietary bottled cocktail is particularly memorable, served in an exposed brick setting that projects an edge of in-the-know, rock n’roll flair. Be advised: The bar takes walk-in clientele only. In a similarly cozy space (and owned by the same parent group), Lucky Liquor Co. pairs a robust vinyl program and soundsystem with cocktail expertise in spades, complete with a lively, late-night Queen Street crowd.
And with drumroll fanfare, there’s the star of the Edinburgh cocktail scene, a place almost mythical in its quality, consistency and penchant for delicious, game-changing cocktails across the past dozen years. That would be Panda & Sons, recently crowned the number one bar on the planet by Top 500 Bars (it also clocks in at no. 34 on the World’s 50 Best Bars ranking).
Using a mix of cocktail “mad science” and difficult-to-perfect techniques like freeze distillation and switching (the process of swapping out water in a spirit for another liquid in a cocktail), the bar’s menu at the moment is fittingly named Transcend 2.0.
Of Panda & Sons, The Hoxton’s Cowan said “it’s been regarded as one of the world’s best bars for years,” a sentiment echoed by the Top 500 Bars team, who called out the Iain McPherson-founded bar for its “friendly Scottish service in an intimate and cozy surrounding.” The Solasta, with Johnnie Walker Black, Lagavulin 16-Year and marsala wine alongside lemon verbena, is remarkably delicious and a prime example of the bar’s knack for curation and a willingness to take rather bold mixology risks.
But any time a bar becomes king of the hill, so to speak, it’s worth asking: Does it live up to the hype? Tucked away behind a vibrant red ‘barber shop’ facade and further placed behind a secretive bookshelf entrance, the spot manages to pull off a speakeasy-esque air, although a full house of packed tables on a rainy Wednesday night seemingly proves that it’s the hottest ticket in town, and with plenty of good reason. A bright future seems on the horizon for the bar, along with Edinburgh’s inventive cocktail scene, one that pulses with heritage and a sense that, no matter your drink of choice, the city has more than enough to offer on tap.
