Did You Know There’s A Secret Absinthe Bar in Liverpool?

Your green fairy-tale starts here.

The word absinthe alone can clear a room. The rather mysterious green liquid has been shrouded in myths for centuries, the most popular one being a shot instantaneously triggers off irreversible blindness. Although absinthe is largely banned over the world, there is a bar serving it up in a variety of cocktails and if you blink, you’d miss it. In our quest to unearth hidden gems we now and then come across the problem of removing the exclusivity of some places which is part of the atmosphere but this place was too good not to. A bar so shrouded in secrecy that you can only talk about it in riddles whilst whispering. Not really, but a funny image. The combination of our inquisitive nature and the execution of quality from Some Place… it was bound to happen anyway.

As Some Place was another project under Danny Murphy, the mastermind behind Berry n Rye, Aloha and Jenny’s, you know that the secretive twist they put on their bars makes it all the better when you find it. To say our instructions were vague was an understatement, they were as follows ‘find the green light and follow it up the stairs’. Try putting that into Google Maps. As we wandered down Seel Street, map and compass in hand, we eventually stumbled on the subtle green light and carried our jaws from the floor up the stairs just above Zanzibar. Some Place is absolutely beautiful inside, it’s simple and it’s sleek but it’s most definitely deliberate. Quite like its big brother on Berry Street – it has that same prohibition era feel where there’s a magical red button under the counter that could be pressed to turn itself from a bar to a coffee shop nonchalantly when a rogue individual entered the premises.

Absinthe was commonly referred to as “la fee verte” in historical literature which translates to ‘the green fairy’ in English. Due to being associated with a Bohemian culture, social conservatives largely opposed the drink despite being the choice of tipple of Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway and Vincent van Gogh. Knowing such opulent and creative individuals drank this before us, we decided if it was good enough for them, it was good enough for us. Liverpool, as a city of musicians, artists and indeed, vagabonds, has similarities to those times and Some Place is a great way to collate those people. We started off with an Absinthe and Orange Sour, a popular way to be broken in by Absinthe apparently. As we watched the almost green lava drip on to sugar cubes on our glass from a rather scientific piece of equipment, it felt more like a science experiment than a drink. To our surprise, it actually tasted really nice and it is certainly true what they say, ‘absinthe makes the heart grow fonder’. We imagined every sip to be like a mini shot but the process of how they serve it took all the sharpness out of it and instead of pulling a face like we’d been consuming lemons through our eyeballs, we were able to enjoy. That being said, we treated the drink with respect. This is a slow sipper – anymore and you’ll be head diving into cheesy chips and texting your ex asking how their dog is before you know it.

As well as pure absinthe, they’ve collated a team of makers and shakers to curate a wild cocktail list. ‘Poison Ivy’ is popular – essences of elderflower, apple and lime makes for a fruity affair. For the writers out there, we’d recommend “Death in the Afternoon” – a cocktail made by Ernest Hemingway himself. A mix of La Fee, lemon, sugar and prosecco that Ernest himself recommends drinking ‘three to five slowly’. Well, who are we to go against the great Ernest Hemingway? If you want somewhere to go that is a bit different from your usual bar, we know Some Place that doesn’t follow in other bars footsteps, it creates its own. Beware, such superior knowledge of absinthe in relation to another mere mortal is likely to result in you force feeding information to people at dinner parties and arguing over absinthe forums about what volume of water to distill it in at 3am. But shh, don’t forget to keep it a secret.

Independent Liverpool cardholders can get 2 for £7 la fee absinthe, 2-4-1 cocktails on Wed and Thursday and 2 cocktails for £10 on Fri and Sat.