A Cardiff cocktail bar has been named the best in the UK in a prestigious set of industry awards.
Lab 22, which is located above a branch of Greggs on Cardiff’s Caroline Street and hard to spot if you don't know about it, was named number one in the UK and also the highest climber in the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list 2022. It wasn’t the only Welsh cocktail bar to make the top 50 as Pennyroyal, also in Cardiff, was ranked at 36.
Read more: The 50 best restaurants in Cardiff in 2022
Run by the same organisers as the Top 50 Gastropubs list, which was announced last week and featured three Welsh pubs, the Top 50 Cocktail Bars are chosen by a panel of industry experts who select their favourite bars from across the UK.
The bars on the list are voted for by hundreds of experts, bartenders, bar owners and drinks writers, with a big focus on gaining votes for bars within specific regions to ensure the list represents as much of the UK as possible.
Lab 22 is no stranger to picking up accolades as it already holds the title of Best Cocktail Menu in the World at The World's 50 Best Bars Awards.
Owned by Pajtim Tana Hasa and led by award-winning head bartender Max Hayward, Lab 22 is described by the awards judges as a “unique space in every sense of the word” and it “offers a scientific approach to its cocktails, incorporating a wow factor into every drink mixed, shaken or poured".
Commenting on the venue, they said: “The bar itself is sensationally designed, mixing contemporary style with a touch of elegance and bounds of fun and exceptional experience.”
Taking inspiration from science, Lab 22’s current menu ‘Theories + Frontiers’ looks at unexplored ideas and phenomena which humanity has yet to conquer.
According to the judges, “every cocktail on this thoughtful and intelligent menu offers a comment on the world around us by drawing on important conversations – real thinking drinks".
For example, Concrete Daisy, which is inspired by Urban Farming, incorporates urban honey as an ingredient whilst Point Nemo, which takes its lead from marine exploration, uses sea salt fish scales as an ingredient.
Pennyroyal, which is listed at 36 and is a new entry in the top 50, is located on Cardiff’s High Street and from its exterior appears to be a Victorian emporium with its vintage gold window signage and velvet curtains.
However, once you step inside you’re presented with a dark and atmospheric candlelit bar which has over 300 different bottles of spirits and serves bold flavoured cocktails accompanied by a hip hop soundtrack.
According to the awards judges: “Staff are extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the classics, but also the array of spirits on offer in the bar. And despite being a highly designed venue with an exceptional drink offering, it is a friendly neighbourhood bar where locals mix with drinks aficionados and revellers alike.”
They also praised Pennyroyal for its “no-fuss approach to the cocktail menu, with each serve being clean and distinct and limited on the theatrics".
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