Martinis aren’t the only things shaken and stirred here.
What might look like a plain black door on a Clifton road holds so much more. As you push open the door you’re confronted by a red telephone box leading into a rather extraordinary bar. Casual.
Her Majesty’s Secret Service (HMSS) is a hidden James Bond-inspired cocktail bar tucked away down a lane towards Clifton Down train station serving up impressive cocktails. You needn’t have to be part of MI6 or enter with an access code or scanning of fingerprints, simply push the black door open to enter a hideaway influenced by the adventures of 007.
Decked with Union Jack pillows, leather booths, classic barstools, tropical plants and small, low-lit lamps, the bar is an old-school speakeasy meets beach getaway. The bar features antique objects such as grandfather clock. old-fashioned telephone and a piano.
Take a seat at the bar, you’ll find horn-shaped lampshades above your head, help yourself to a monkey nut from the bowl there as you ponder their lavish cocktail list. Her Majesty’s Secret Service serves cocktails influenced by locations across the UK, from British landmarks like the Angel of the North in Gateshead and Stonehenge in Wiltshire to cultural nods to Shakespeare and The Beatles.
One cocktail that screams both fun and British summertime is the bar’s Twister cocktail. Inspired by the Blackpool Pleasure Beach and the classic ice cream van lolly, the cocktail features pear vodka, strawberry liqueur, kiwi sherbet and creamy milk.
Other popular cocktails which feature on Her Majesty’s Secret Service include Strawberry Field – served inside a giant strawberry, which gives English country garden vibes. There’s also the Greenhouse Project, influenced by the Eden Project in Cornwall and served inside a Perspex cube with plenty of greenery inside.
But it’s not just the cocktails that are filled with colour and excitement as you can enjoy a game of Jenga whilst you sip cocktails. And the fun and mystery doesn’t end there. Why not push the coats and say hello to Herman?
Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Whiteladies Gate, Whiteladies Road, BS8 2PH