Great food is only half the story at these South West restaurants, where creative cocktails shake up kitchen-garden ingredients, foraged flavours and familiar classics
The Pig at Harlyn Bay, Cornwall
The Kitchen Garden doesn’t just feed the restaurant at The Pig at Harlyn Bay; it keeps the cocktail shakers busy too. The bar team infuse, pickle, dry and preserve homegrown produce, creating drinks that capture the flavours of the garden in unexpected ways.
Rhubarb & Custard pairs custard-infused vodka with rhubarb and Licor 43, while Spice Island combines garden-chilli-infused coconut rum with crème de cacao and Lillet Blanc. We especially love Sorrel State of Affairs, which mixes bourbon with French sorrel, basil, orgeat and lime. It’s a garden-to-glass approach that sits naturally alongside the restaurant’s 25-mile food philosophy.
Salumi, Devon
Dessert or cocktail? At Salumi, you can have both in one glass. The Plymouth restaurant likes to take familiar serves and give them a foodie spin, often borrowing flavours from the season or the kitchen. Its Tiramisu Martini turns the Italian classic into an indulgent after-dinner drink, while the Sour Cherry Daiquiri draws on cherry blossom for a sharper, fruitier twist on the rum favourite.
It’s a playful approach that sums up Salumi well: creative without forgetting that, first and foremost, everything should taste delicious. The food follows suit, with a relaxed, regularly changing menu spanning small plates, bao buns, curries and seasonal specials. The team also lean into the food-and-drink connection with dedicated Curry & Cocktails and Tacos & Tequila nights.
Bandook, Bath
Spice isn’t confined to the plate at Bandook. The Bath restaurant takes its Indian influence behind the bar, weaving cardamom, clove, cinnamon, star anise and peppercorn into drinks such as Gama’s Negroni – an aromatic house favourite combining gin, vermouth, Campari and Amaro Montenegro. For something fruitier, Indian Summer Punch brings chai into the equation alongside gin, watermelon, cranberry, cucumber and lime, while the luxurious French 75 tops gin, lemon and sugar syrup with Champagne.
Cocktails play a huge part of the dining experience here, whether sipped as a pre-dinner sharpener or matched with Bandook’s vibrant Indian street-food-inspired dishes. The kitchen takes familiar flavours and gives them a contemporary spin, from chaats and grills to curries and biryanis, so there’s plenty to explore on both sides of the menu.
Harry’s, Devon
The classics don’t stay classic for long at Harry’s. At this family-run Exeter favourite, familiar cocktails are given a seasonal shake-up, while house-made ingredients add a dose of Harry’s personality. This autumn, the Charlie Chaplin stars one of the family member’s homemade damson gin, while the Kir Royale gets its berry hit from barman Tad’s own crème de mûre.
Elsewhere, Woodford Rye infused with tonka beans takes the Old Fashioned into cosier territory, and a Pumpkin and Stormy gives the rum classic a seasonally spiced spin. The attention to detail extends to fresh citrus juiced daily and a move towards natural spirits and liqueurs. Food changes with the seasons too, with freshly prepared restaurant classics served in the characterful Victorian townhouse Harry’s has called home since 1993.
Ugly Butterfly, Cornwall
Cocktails get the full Adam Handling treatment at Ugly Butterfly. The bar’s Redefining British menu takes inspiration from land, coast, bar and kitchen, turning seasonal, foraged and distinctly British ingredients into inventive serves. Strawberry & Cream is a case in point, riffing on the classic cream tea with strawberry-yogurt gin, coconut-washed vodka and clotted-cream foam.
Salt & Malt gives the Martini a Cornish-coast makeover with sea-salt-infused gin and malt vinegar – with the option to add an oyster. Then there’s Off the Path, shaking Devon rum with toasted coconut and foraged gorse cordial. Even the Espresso Martini gets playful, bringing together fudge-infused Cornish vodka, rum, chocolate, coffee and salted caramel. Add Adam Handling’s acclaimed modern British cooking and dramatic Atlantic views, and this is destination drinking with dinner to match.
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