Ice Bar: Review

No small part of the joy of living in London is the extraordinary number of new things it is possible to discover more or less anywhere you are. So I was more than pleasantly surprised to find out there is a real life ice bar just off Regent Street and even more so to find there was an event for bloggers on there.
Although clearly labelled, the bar Below Zero is hidden at the end of Heddon Street, which is a fairly inconspicuous street somewhere off Regent Street’s main thoroughfare. Furthermore, if you didn’t know it was an ice bar, you’d never guess it. The ice bar itself is well hidden and partitioned from the chic main bar area, which serves a fantastic array of cocktails among other things.
This event was hosted by Cosmos Holidays and was, suitably enough, in aid of Lapland tourism, which I wholeheartedly support having been to Finnish Lapland a few years ago. Before we went in to the actual ice bar (you’re only allowed in for 45 minutes at a time as the -5 temperature is pretty chilly!) the guys putting on the event had set a game for us to play, which, after the open bar was going to be a challenge; (I should confess, at this point, I don’t drink, so I may have had a slight advantage.) carving a polar bear out of a block of ice. Having been let loose with chisels and gloves, the ice flew across the bar and soon we were all taking it a little more seriously than perhaps was necessary! Still, it must have paid off as my team won.

Finally, heading into the ice bar, we were kitted out with warm ponchos and gloves before being let loose on the ice bar and its ice cups. Being careful not to stick your lips to the glass we marvelled at the skill and time that had obviously gone into the creation of this most unique venue. All the ice had been imported from Sweden and even had pieces of seaweed embedded in it. The bar is definitely one of the most interesting I’ve ever been to and totally incongruous in its location, but if anything that enhances its charm.
If you’ve never been to an ice bar, much like me, then I can’t urge you to get down there quickly enough.  The guys who run the places are great, the selection of drinks is fantastic and there aren’t too many places out there that can offer you bars composed of two very different materials and offering two such totally different experiences.

Why not check the bar out yourself here: http://www.belowzerolondon.com/

Written by Peter Churchill

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