Be At One Opens In Monument

I can honestly say I’ve never had a bad night at a Be At One, and Thursday’s launch party to celebrate the refurbishment of their Monument branch, along with the launch of their new cocktail menu, was certainly no exception.

The Monument branch of Be At One has been hidden away under scaffolding while new buildings are going up around it for quite some time, and it’s taken that chance to have its own £300,000 makeover. They’ve redecorated, and added a higher seating area, where you can sit and survey the action below while catching up with friends, or admire the well-lit bar while trying to choose your next drink.

The menu is extensive, ranging from all the old favourites to some quirky new additions, and if you’re struggling to make a choice (understandable as there’s more than 100 cocktails on offer), you can amuse yourself playing the Drinkr game on their app (think Tinder for cocktails). Asking you a variety of questions about personal tastes in all things, you swipe left or right on their suggestions until it gives you your perfect cocktail match. Our love of gin and 90s music had us matched with their new cocktail Blue Steel, which, while resembling a Blue WKD in a fancy glass, is considerably nicer. A blend of gin, prosecco, blue curacao, lemon, white peach and egg white, it’s an excellent way to get the party started. Many silly Zoolander-inspired selfies ensued.

The new menu is inspired by a play list, and there are music and movie puns aplenty, handily segregated by base spirit.Particular favourites were the Blueberry Muffin, which smelled vaguely Christmassy with its gingerbread syrup, blueberry jam, cranberry and lemon juice and Absolut Vanilla Vodka, and the ice cream cocktails, especially the Popster. It tasted of popcorn ice cream with a slight alcoholic zing from the butterscotch schnapps, and is served with Propercorn Sweet and Salty popcorn on top. The Rhys’ Pieces peanut butter cup ice cream cocktail with Woodford Reserve bourbon was, however, a very close second.

We were also very impressed by their “Virtuous” (non-alcoholic) offering. Normally, being on the wagon involves a boring list of fruit juices and constant nagging from friends to have a ‘proper’ drink, but the extensive list of Virtuous cocktails – especially including the impressive Seedlip alcohol-free gin – mean you’ll never feel left out. They taste like proper cocktails, really look the part, and at about £4 each, are less than half the price. We especially loved the Forest Fire, made with Seedlip Spice 94, for its unique smoky taste.

If you’ve never been to Be At One, this isn’t a quiet bar for a pint after work; it’s full on fun, with great music, great drinks, and a friendly party vibe kept going by energetic staff.

Drinks are around the £9 mark in Monument, which is pretty standard for the area. Check out the full menu – and the crucial Happy Hour times on the website.

Website: www.beatone.co.uk/cocktails

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