A cocktail bar on the second floor of Harvey Nichols? We’ll admit that we were dubious. Stereotypes jostled into my head, waving champagne flutes, surrounded by harassed personal shoppers. How wrong I was. The bar at Harvey Nichs is cosy, friendly and chic. There’s a quality cocktail list featuring all the old favourites, but the real stars are HN’s own, seasonally changing Second Floor Collection.
We had to stop ourselves from necking a delicious Ace Martini (cucumber, mint, agave and Hendricks with a twist of black pepper) while a Chase Thisi – rhubarb vodka, lemon juice, rhubarb liqueur and pomegranate syrup – was oozingly sweet with a great kick of booze.
The surroundings are undeniably elegant, with long, gold curtains, a softly glowing marbled bar and a silver-shot ceiling, but it manages to be sophisticated without being at all snotty.
With monthly changing food and drinks deals, like a three-course dinner and a cocktail for £20 (yes, really!) the Harvey Nichs bar is a great place to escape the retail scrum of Cabot Circus.