Award-winning Bristol bar launches ‘dreadful’ new cocktail menu

One of Bristol’s top cocktail bars is launching its most creative concept menu to date, combining classic children’s stories with Victorian horror stories.

The Milk Thistle on Colston Avenue has been widely regarded as one of Bristol’s best cocktail bars since they opened the doors in 2011, and now the award-winning venue is launching its most ambitious cocktail menu to date, fusing a unique combination of children’s tales, Victorian Penny Dreadful style horror stories and The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

For their new menu, named ‘The Dreadful Tea Party’, they have collaborated with local designer Gareth Aldridge to create an original poetry-led narrative, which tells the story of the venue’s vast collection of taxidermy, who come together for a seemingly civil tea party which ends in chaos.

The drinks featured in the menu are the result of a year’s worth of research and development from the team.

The team has collaborated closely with each other to share their creative ideas before working on a one-to-one basis with managers to ensure the drinks are perfectly executed.

Meticulous planning has resulted in a menu showcasing drinks which start light, and develop in depth and taste throughout the menu, with plenty of surprises along the way.

New cocktails include Ripple Tipple, Sugar For The Pill, Silent Saboteur, Old Dog New Tricks and Acid Test.

Speaking about the new menu, assistant manager Sebastiano Fileccia said: “This menu has been a real team effort and everyone has been great throughout the whole process. It’s engaged our team and many of them have developed themselves throughout the process.

“With all the hard work we have put in, it’s going to be so rewarding to see not only the team executing their own menu, but also how happy the guests will be as a result. We hope everyone loves it as much as we do!”

The Milk Thistle’s new menu is available now, and drinkers can book a table Monday to Saturday from 5pm. More information can be found at www.milkthistlebristol.com.