Enjoy a tipple or a date-night drinking experience, then Edinburgh’s got you sorted. There’s no shortage of boozy experiences in the city, whether that be whisky, gin, wine or more. Walk down the Royal Mile alone and you’ll be bombarded with endless choices for whisky shops and tipples along the way. It can be difficult to know where to start or where to find the best.
We’ve scoured the city to find the top 5 boozy experiences in Edinburgh, so you can focus less on the searching and exploring, and more on the drinking and laughing. Cheers!
5. Somewhere by Nico — set off on an interactive alcoholic adventure
Love a theme? Somewhere by Nico revels in playful pop culture references and conceptual cocktails. Every 6 weeks, Somewhere changes up its set cocktail menu and replaces it with a whole suite of new drinks and experiences to try. Never knowing what you’re going to get, Somewhere by Nico is sure to keep you guessing on the edge of your seat.
Whether you are solving an old-school murder mystery aboard a train at their ‘Murder on the Midnight Express’ menu, or travelling through a selection of classic fairy tales at ‘Far Far Away’, or globetrotting across Europe with their ‘Paris’ themed menu, you’re in for a treat. Best of all, every cocktail uses different liquors and alcohol, so you’re sure to find one that perfectly fits your taste.
4. Johnnie Walker Princes Street — become a whisky connoisseur
Johnnie Walker, with over 200 years of history, is celebrated at their grand Johnnie Walker Experience, located on bustling Princes Street. This attraction is perfect for whisky aficionados, giving you an insight into the creation of Scotch whisky, as well as allowing you the chance to try various Johnnie Walker creations. Plus, with an emporium of whisky gifts and other memorabilia, this is a must-visit for booze fans.
Take their classic Journey of Flavour experience and uncover the history behind the brand, follow along with live performances and try a collection of signature whisky drinks. Is that not enough for you? Their Whisky Makers’ Cellar experience takes you below ground to their whisky cellar. Here you can try a selection of whiskies straight from the cask, giving you an experience you’ll not get anywhere else.
3. Edinburgh Gin — mix and muddle with other gin lovers
Prefer your gin with tonic, or paired with something else in a cocktail? Edinburgh Gin’s recently opened experience centre excels in all avenues. Perfect for a gin-geek wanting to know all there is to know about gin; its history, its creation, flavours and ingredients, the classic tour and tasting is just the ticket.
Looking for something a bit different? Their Decadent Duo experience features a chocolate and gin pairing workshop with chocolates from Edinburgh-local COCO Chocolatier. Looking to be more hands-on? Try the interactive Mix & Muddle Cocktail Class to teach you the tricks of mixology, while keeping gin the star of the show. Is that not enough either? Give their Gin Making Experience a go. You craft your very own bespoke gin from scratch.
2. The Chocolatarium — boozy chocolate pairings for big nights out
While The Chocolatarium has everything you could ever want for the choco-crazy; a vast array of chocolates to buy, a tour exploring where chocolate comes from, how we make it, the chance to create your own custom chocolate bar and taste a selection from all over the world, they also specialise in whisky and wine chocolate tours.
Yes, you read that right. On board the Chocolate and Whisky Experience, make your own whisky-infused truffles, enjoy a whisky-spiked hot chocolate and explore different whisky pairings with unique flavoured chocolates.
A wine drinker instead? Try the Chocolate and Wine Pairing experience for a classy touch, enjoying glasses of red, white and rosé alongside white, milk and dark chocolate expertly matched for maximum flavour.
1. The Cocktail Geeks — geek out over fan-favourite cocktail characters
This one’s for the nerds and geeks out there. This creative cocktail bar can be found around the corner from Edinburgh Gin’s centre. Like Somewhere, they swap out their theme every four months, so you’ve only got a limited window to try their unique menus and themes. The quaint bar is redecorated every four months, so you can expect as different an ambience as the different tastes every time you visit.
Having already explored franchises like A Game of Thrones, Fallout, The Last of Us and Super Mario Brothers, you never know what they’ll riff on next. Each menu houses Easter eggs and references only the most astute fan will catch. With 20+ cocktails on each reinvented menu, the greatest challenge of all will be deciding which one you’d like to try next.
