THE ALCHEMIST REVEALS ‘DARK ARTS’ COCKTAIL BAR IN CARDIFF

By Wales online

The Manchester-based ‘experts in the dark art of molecular mixology  will launch on the site of the former NatWest bank in Cardiff’s St Mary Street on Friday, July 20.  

The mysterious 200ft sign – a match for the innovative drinks chain’s geometric-style logo – appeared on land at Dyffryn, in the Vale of Glamorgan, to mark the announcement.

Also, a mobile mixology van – The Alchemistress – will be outside the venue on Friday, July 13 and Saturday, July 14 between midday and 6pm to let you sample exactly what you’ve got to look forward to.

More than a £1.5m is thought to have been pumped into the city centre project, helping turn the 5,000sq ft premises into a two-storey “copper cased wonderland, with warm interiors and unique artworks”.

It will also serve elaborate and inventive cocktails that display a penchant for the theatrical and which are as much a treat for the eye as the tastebuds.

Take the Smokey Old Fashioned, for example, which is a blend of Woodford reserve whisky, maple syrup, Jerry Thomas Bitters, the smoke of charred oak chips, and a large ice ball; or why not try The Screwball’s adult twist on a childhood favourite, with Absolut raspberry, Briottet blue curacao, apple, lime, white chocolate foam and bubble gum.

Kick, meanwhile, is a tonic base with a coffee foam, and Pencillin boasts marmalade vodka , burnt cinnamon and ‘bonfires’.

The Cardiff branch is one of several new additions to The Alchemist franchise, which includes venues at Nottingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Birmingham and Leeds.