Cocktails at Johnnie Walker's 1820 Blue Room Rooftop Bar
During our trip to Edinburgh, we visited the Johnnie Walker 1820 bar on Princes Street. It's a reservation-only establishment requiring you to book and pay a deposit to secure your table. There was even security on the door, with a Maitre d' on the door pointing us to where we needed to be.
The 1820 bar is a cocktail bar located on the 6th floor of the Johnnie Walker premises. Although it doesn't sound high, it gave magnificent views of Edinburgh, along with its famous castle, that you wouldn't be able to experience anywhere else. The Johnnie Walker bar is in a prime location, giving you a great span of the park, the Christmas market, the monument, the castle and all of the little alley ways and streets with old-y-world-y shops dotted around.
It was worth the trip up there just for that, but then there were the cocktails, and they're just in a whole other league. They don't offer the cocktails you would think they do. Instead, they have very innovative flavour combinations and most of them are made with, of course, a few of their famous Johnnie Walker blended whiskys (whisky is the Scottish spelling). So with that in mind, let me take you through the drinks we had, because you will be surprised to learn what was in them, I'm sure.
Round one: Elderberry & Sumac and Blueberry & Stroopwafel
The elderberry cocktail is the one in the whisky glass, whereas the blueberry cocktail is the one in the highball, just to give you some reference. So let me tell you what was in them. The Blueberry and Stroopwafel cocktail contains: Johnnie Walker Double Black, golden syrup, cinnamon and Raspscallion Berry Bay Boy soda.
Despite sounding very sweet, and not containing any blueberry notes whatsoever, it was actually quite smoky in flavour, thanks to the Johnnie Walker Double Black. I'm not a whisky drinker, especially not in the neat form, so this was a delightful compromise that I actually grew to love the more of it I drank.
Where I can't speak much for the Elderberry and Sumac cocktail, I did try a tipple and that, I would say, was sweeter, although sharper, than the one I had. Mine was smooth and smoky, whereas Tom's was a bit more fruity. Either way, I recommend trying both of these if you ever pay the bar a visit.
Round two: Banana & Pesto and Johnnie & Ginger
Now the latter cocktail in that heading sounds pretty normal, right? But the former sounds very odd. It was something that caught my eye on the menu that intrigued me and I knew I just had to try it while I was there. The one in the highball is the ginger cocktail whereas the one in the whisky glass is the banana and pesto one. Let me tell you what was in it, because you might change your mind about how odd it sounds.
It contains: Johnnie Blonde, homemade pesto washed Ketel One Vodka, Turbo Banana and Pedro Ximenez Sherry. It sounds like quite the combination, but it was actually delicious. It was very rich and had hints of banana, but then the flavour followed through with something more herby and grassy. The Johnnie Blonde gave it the edge though, of course.
The ginger cocktail was pretty much what it said on the tin, it contains: Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Y.O, homemade ginger syrup, honey, demerara sugar and soda water. I gave this one a try as well and, as someone who isn't keen on the ginger flavour, it was actually really tasty, with a very subtle taste of ginger that just gave it something to set it apart from others on the menu. Much like the first round, I would definitely give both of these a try because they're just as amazing and complex as they sound!
Round three: Glenkinchie Distillers Edition (single measure)
Having visited the Glenkinchie Distillery just a few days prior, it was nice to have a glass (almost) from the source. You can read all about our visit to the Glenkicnhie Distillery here if you're interested :) According to Tom, it tastes woody, creamy, smooth and with just a hint of spiciness to it.
Now, I'm no whisky drinker, so I can't confirm whether or not it tastes different to other people (don't tell Tom, but I think they all taste the same, haha) but let me assure you that it's good stuff. Being on the expensive side of the whisky collection, it's one to try if you're up that way because you can't get Glenkinchie, really, from anywhere else in the UK.
The rooftop bar & views of Edinburgh
I've already told you about the views you get from the rooftop bar, but you do need to venture outside if you want to see the city in all of its glory, which was difficult for us because it was almost freezing outside, being just 1 degree! But it was worth being cold for because the views over Edinburgh were stunning. It's worth just paying for a reservation for that, to be honest.
The bar itself was trendy and modern. It was very clean and felt high-end. A very chic place to end the night, it also had a service to match. The bar staff couldn't do enough for you, but it was actually table service, which I've never had in a bar before. It was convenient and stylish - just how I like it. I expected it to be a first-class experience because we had visited the shop just a few hours beforehand, so I had high hopes that were certainly met.
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I hope you enjoyed this blog post? Let me know in the comments below whether you've been here before or if you're looking to go on your trip to Edinburgh and I'll see you again very soon with a brand new blog post :)
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