Graphic (Bar)

I’ve never been sure what kind of person goes out in Central London on a Friday night and hopes for a quiet night out but that person should not go to Graphic. If however, you like smacking good cocktails surrounded by the more elite of Soho’s after work drinkers, Graphic is your place.

The theme is modern art gallery meets urban cocktail bar – art hanging on the walls (hopefully not too valuable, there must be an accident or two with the cocktails from time to time), but it was so dark and crowded that it took a backseat to the real business of this venue: the drinking.

As it was Friday, it wasn’t particularly surprising that the bar was filled with boys and girls in suits trying to drown out the rigours of the week with a drink or two and a bit of raucous chat but again, if you want a reserved chat with your loved one, this isn’t the place for it. Everyone was lively and friendly, which was perfect as I’d decided to venture in before my partner in crime for the night had arrived.

Let’s start with the cocktails. The list takes some navigating and is presented in quite a heavy tome but once you’ve decided what you want it’s all stations go. As Graphic boasts the biggest gin collection in the UK, with over 60 different kinds, it’s almost rude not to try one of the gin-based creations and there were plenty of those on the menu. Gin and tonic drinkers definitely have nothing to complain about here.

So far though, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Yes the venue was cool, but it’s Soho so I’d pretty much taken it as a given. It was only when the bartender asked if I wanted to have one of the paint can cocktails that I really started paying attention. They come in big paint tins for groups and are then poured into mini individual ones to do exactly what they say on the tin: cocktails in a paint tin to link in with the Graphic/creative theme of the bar.

As my drinking partner/ date for the evening hadn’t arrived yet, I thought it was wiser not to go for the paint-tin beverage just yet as slurping out of a can wasn’t quite the look I was going for. Instead I opted for a gin classic – a gin martini, which gave me nothing to complain about.

We’ve all seen flair bartending but with the end result of drinks that aren’t that great. What about skilled bartending but coupled with some thought to the final product? It seems pretty elementary, but surprisingly rare in some of the more expensive cocktail bars dotted around the city.

Suddenly, I wasn’t buddyless – my date walked in five minutes late and slightly rumpled from a rather frantic journey so we decided to plonk ourselves down at a table and get stuck into one of the paint tin punches I’d been hearing so much about. As we were pretty hungry, we also ordered a selection from the bar’s food menu.

The food, while tasty, was pretty much standard bar fare. Mini fish and chips, mini hot dogs, chicken with dipping sauce – all very satisfying on a night out but probably not worth making the trip for alone.

The paint tin however, was pretty good. Forget horrible memories of Scream pub jugs of strong spirits and not much else, the Very Berry Sling cocktail we ordered was a finely balanced mix of flavours; and very big. Maybe too big for two people, maybe not – we were up for the challenge but by the time we finished it, we were giggling a little too much at each other’s not very funny jokes.

Everything comes at a price and Graphic’s not cheap but if you’re looking for a fun night with good service and a great crowd – it’s the place to go. ...read more