We all love a cocktail. Even more when they have been made with spirits distilled in-house and mixed by some of the most talented bar teams in the city.
Jake's Bar and Still Room, built in the grain store for the original Corn Exchange, has been an intrinsic part of the Call Lane drinking scene since it first opened in 2004. Now, more than a decade later, it's showing no signs of slowing down, courtesy of a brand spanking new menu it calls the Eighth Wonder of the World Edition.
Jakes Bar
This new menu, so called as it is the eighth time the menu has changed, is a re-imagining of several cocktail classics and has something for everyone, whether you're a coffee lover, have a sweet tooth to satisfy or like your drinks nice and fruity.
Jake's Bar is a venue proud to be in Leeds this shines through the menu. This includes the blighty mojito created by Jake himself; the rhubarb rumbullion, which contains rum infused rhubarb jam (yum); or the Leeds take on the 'French 75' – the pink 75, made using Broker's gin, chambord and lemon juice, topped with prosecco.
Tabitha
What makes Jake's Bar so exceptional is that it's just one of a handful of bars in the country that makes its own liqueurs and distillates, mixing up their creations in a copper pot called 'Tabitha', a reference to the Bronte family's beloved nanny.
Tabitha's technology might be more than 3,000 years old, but still good for making sweet vermouth, coffee liqueur, limoncello and blackberry liqueur.
Jakes Bar
To celebrate the new menu launch on September 10, the bar was transformed into a classic speakeasy, hosting a prohibition themed party with music and décor that took you back to the '20s. The party went right back to the bar's roots as Jakes' founder Ged Feltham was inspired by the speakeasy bars of New York's East Village.
Other new additions to the menu include the espresso martini and the clover shrub (which had an uncanny resemblance to a drumstick lolly).
The team have also created a range of homemade syrups and jams especially for the new cocktail menu, which include wild strawberry syrup, homemade rum infused rhubarb jam and homemade tropical almond syrup.
Jake's Bar and Still Room is open Monday to Saturday and the bartenders will be more than happy to run you through some of their favourites from the menu.
Jake's Bar and Still Room, 28 Call Lane, Leeds, LS1 7BT.
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