HarBAR on 6th, Southampton
“Southampton’s most exciting destination bar” is the lofty claim for HarBAR on the 6th, the bar on the sixth floor of the new Harbour hotel in Southampton. With indoor and outdoor seating, funky décor including an antique dentist’s chair, fire pits, wood-fired pizza oven and panoramic views over the Ocean Village Marina and down Southampton water to the Isle of Wight, the bar certainly cuts a stylish dash. Yet it’s not pretentious or overly hip: when we went , it was busy with locals, families and hotel guests of all ages. Food is available all day but in the evening the mood changes to more of a laid-back club scene with live music or DJs on Fridays and Saturdays.
But what of the gin, I hear you ask? There are 23 Gins and a massive array of cocktails available on the menu. We were privileged to be treated to a gin tasting masterclass by head barman Walter Nigro, who had laid out a magnificent array of gin, garnishes and tonics. The gins selected for us were a mixture of our old favourites, and some less familiar. We tasted Mermaid and HMS Victory from the Isle of Wight, Pothecary, Conker, Jinzu, Half Hitch, The Botanist, Gin Mare, Malfy Lemon Gin, and Scapegrace. All were sampled neat and we chose our favourite two to sample in a G&T expertly mixed by Walter. Mrs. Gin favoured a Malfy from Italy, which was garnished with juniper berries, a lemon twist, a lemon wedge and served with Fever Tree Light. I selected Mermaids Isle of Wight gin garnished with juniper berries, a lemon wedge, cucumber and also served with Fever Tree light. Both were delicious.
We were encouraged to try various garnishes and then take a sip of G&T to see if there was any change in taste. We tried cardamom pods, blueberries and orange slices. All made a subtle but noticeable difference; it was an interesting and worthwhile experiment, even if our senses were slightly fuzzy after all the gin we had quaffed.
As we headed unsteadily to the exit I noticed, with delight, a vintage table football game. And then I saw that there was a late-night menu between 11pm and 5am serving some of my absolute favourite dishes such as Rogan Josh and toasted Mozzarella sandwiches. The HarBAR on the 6th is certainly my favourite destination bar. Anywhere.
