HarBAR Brighton
“Oh I do like to be beside the seaside” we trilled as we headed toward Brighton for an overnight gin tasting tour. We stayed at the excellent new boutique address, the Brighton Harbour Hotel. Mrs. Gin was attracted by the seaside location, shops, spa, funky chic rooms and, of course, gin; I was drawn to the HarBAR, “Brighton’s ultimate destination bar”. Quite a claim. It certainly cuts a dash with a marble top bar, stylish design touches and seafront position and has already scooped up an award – Brighton’s ‘Best New Bar’.
What about the gin, I hear you ask? Mrs. Gin has been in a martini mood of late and the barman’s eyes lit up when she asked him to make a martini of his choice. He narrowed it down to shaken, lemon peel, Tanqueray 10 and delivered it with a flourish; it was served in a miniature carafe within a small glass ice bucket. A great idea, if a little messy when the ice sticks to the side. Mrs. Gin was impressed, if a little wet…
I enjoyed a good gin wag with barman Anas Smaali; I love it when a barman knows his or her gin, can recommend garnishes and new gins to try and has obviously tasted the stock. Anas was proud of his Da Mhile Seaweed gin concoction so I duly ordered this. I have some at home and have tried varying mixes myself but I was intrigued to see what he’d do with it. I was knocked out by his serve; in a copa, ice, Fever Tree, garnished with samphire, orange peel, juniper berries and white peppercorns. It was a revelation, truly delicious.
Anas and I were discussing the range of gin they stocked which includes Portobello Road, Gin Mare, Aviation, Fords, Money 47 and Xoriguer. I liked the option of ordering a copa glass with double measure and tonic, which is priced from £8.80 with recommended garnishes for each gin. An example is Gin Mare garnished with rosemary, basil and caper berry, which sounds imaginative and very tasty. Single measures are also available, served in a hi-ball glass.
The talk turned to the stronger gins and I found myself sipping neat Monkey 47, Star of Bombay and Plymouth Navy Strength the latter of which I hadn’t tried before. All were good but one surprisingly so as it’s tricky to balance a strong gin without it becoming overpowering. Anas wanted to know what I thought of the Navy Strength; I told him I was amazed, it was much smoother than I expected at a whopping 57%. Anas nodded sagely. I had agreed with his findings. The HarBAR is a great place to drink, but it’s the staff that make it a true gin joint.
