Be At One with Cocktails in Trendy New Nottingham Bar
Brand new party bar Be At One, seems to be the name on everyone’s lips at the moment when it comes to places to visit as part of Nottingham’s nightlife and so I decided to go along and see what all the fuss was about…
Knowing Be At One offer private booths/areas for pre-booking and this being my favourite way to party, I decide to make initial contact via the website to pre-book a booth for myself and six friends for a Birthday celebration on a Saturday night.
The booking process was extremely efficient and quick to respond, confirming my booking and ensuring I had access to all options, including several drinks packages which were priced very well.
Saturday night arrived and our welcome was positive at the door by both the door staff and a member of the hosting team, we were immediately shown to our booth and shown the menu. An array of beautiful looking cocktails were on offer categorised by the alcohol included in them – exotic rum concoctions, trendy martini’s and sophisticated whiskey flavours amongst many others were on offer.
The very friendly general manager Sean greeted us and recommended a few to try as well as explaining the format of the evening- e.g table service is not available, however the bar staff have all received extensive investment and training to ensure that they make immediate eye contact as soon as you are in their peripheral whilst waiting to be served, making pleasant conversation, complimenting you and generally making the time pass whilst you are waiting, not to mention every so often standing on the bar and dancing and singing to the music during some parts of the evening!
The vibe at Be At One is that of a trendy, upmarket cocktail bar and a fun cabaret bar bought together by the mix of genres of music – we danced to anything from Abba, to The Spice Girls, to Mr Vegas and The Killers -so one bar really does suit all.
Back to the cocktails- our group made our way though the menu starting with a famous Pornstar Martini to get the party started – delicious, very well made, fresh passion fruit and a good quality shot of Prosecco to accompany.
We then went for different options to suit our individual tastes, to include an Espresso Martini made with fresh espresso and Kahlua- strong and delicious if you like that kind of thing.
Trying to cling on to the distant memories of Summer 2016, I went for a Pina Colada, which was made with Havana 3 year old rum, Malibu (one of my favourites) and Be At Ones secret Pina Colada mix- intriguing)- creamy, exotic, lovely.
Moving onto the original Margarita and more interestingly the Passion Fruit Margarita – a great variation on the classic did not fail to meet expectations, with the tart flavour of the fruit complimenting the Tequila, these were enjoyed very much.
At some point during the evening… the time exactly is a little hazy, we enjoyed a shot each and the Be At One shot menu did not disappoint…
Not being a huge fan of strong flavoured shots, my newly found favourite is named ‘Lush’ and consists of butterscotch liquor with Baileys that cleverly sits on the top and tastes just divine.
The others went for a larger sized shot of Raspberry Kamikaze with Absolut vodka, triple sec and fresh lime juice, but others we saw available included B52’s, Peanut Butter & Jelly shots and Flat liners (perhaps something to be enjoyed with friends watching over you!)
A clever aspect to the menu is that it features a double page spread of its top 10 favourite cocktails recommended and includes offerings such as Killing Monica– a refreshing Champagne based drink made with Mumm Cordon Rouge Rose Champagne and rhubarb syrup, Candy Pants, a sweet, fruity vodka based cocktail made with Chambord and various fruit juices and for those with a sweet tooth the ‘Popster‘, which looks more like a milkshake made with butterscotch schnapps, vanilla ice cream and topped with sweet and salty popcorn!
To summarise, Be At one do not fail to impress on the quality of service, cocktails and the overall atmosphere is just a bonus with a great selection of music- table service would be amazing, however due to the fantastic service behind the bar, this is not a must and I look forward to returning again very soon.
Fiona Duncan, RSViP