We tried the most alcoholic drinks in Cowley

We were on a mission, and our mission was simple – to sample the most alcoholic drinks Cowley has to offer, and survive to tell the tale.

Café Baba

We began the night at the jazzy Café Baba, asking the bartenders specifically for their most alcoholic drink. First up was the Mai Tai. Containing Rum and Cointreau, the Mai Tai is not for the faint hearted. A quick Google shows it’s around 18 per cent alcohol – it feels much worse than that.

Like any good journalists, we decided to take notes as we went along. “Cheap, good, fun. Rum!” At only £3.50, this was a winner.

Bar Aroma

Our next stop was Bar Aroma, where we opted for the most heavy duty drink they had on offer – the Long Island Iced Tea. Including Vodka, tequila, gin, rum and triple sec, this boozy concoction is the equivalent of around 4-6 of your average drinks.

Our notes were short and sweet for this one- simply a big smiley face emoji. At this point, slightly wobbly already, we moved down the infamous and alcoholic Cowley Road to the Library. (Exam season would be much more bearable if JHB was more like this kind of Library.)

Library

The Library was where things really started to get messy, probably because it boasts some heavy duty shots. We sampled some ominously titled “guaranteed full strength”, at an eye watering 63 per cent alcohol.

At this point, our notes had lost any attempt to rise above childish humour and simple say: “We wish it had been 69 per cent.”

We helpfully dubbed the shot, known officially as Wray and Nephew White Overproof Rum, death juice. It was definitely alcoholic, but was a revolting departure from our previous yummy cocktails.

Feeling like amateurs, we decided to wash it down with a vodka and coke. Classic.

Big Society

Big Society was the fifth stop on our whirlwind tour of Cowley. We decided that it was mandatory to try one of their unique cocktails. Vodka, Aperol and Vanilla Sugar.

One Snigglejuice and a toilet stop later, we were ready to move on.

Be At One

The Cuban Zombies in Be At One really topped things off. At a pricey £10.50 each, we weren’t sure if they were worth it (even though it’s packed with Grenadine, Havana and Machino Liquer).

He was more than happy to help us with our mission

A variation of The Zombie – touted as one of the world’s most powerful cocktails, this last drink set us on our way for a night out, although it’s not something we’ll be repeating soon.