The Tab tries a cocktail masterclass at the all-new Revolution

The folks at Revolution have truly taken advantage of their prime location in the midst of Liverpool’s trendy Cavern Quarter, with an extensive refurbishment combining a tasteful restoration of the historic venue’s exposed bricks and distressed wood with a stylishly remodeled bar, strobes, lights and a state-of-the-art sound system.

Photo courtesy of www.themancphotographer.co.uk

There’s also a brand new menu on offer, including a whole new range of cocktails. The Tab went along to take advantage of the cocktail masterclass that goes along with it in the ultra-posh new private room The Attic.

The class kicks off with a flashy display at the hands of the expert bar staff, an experience that does little other than to strike fear into the hearts of us cack-handed studenty types, though we’re assured it’s not nearly as hard as they make it look.

We then take turns on attempting a cocktail each, resulting mostly in inexplicable success. However my own attempt at a Tennessee Mudshake is disastrous from the off, spilling literally every ingredient from the ice onwards, and adding twice the legal limit of whipped cream, the result resembling something more akin to a 7-year-old being let loose at the make your own ice-cream stand at Pizza Hut than the classy adult beverage intended.

A basic cocktail: The most stressful experience of my life.

Following our making a mockery of a rich tradition of drinking culture comes an opportunity to ruin Revolution’s impeccable decor once again, with a tournament of cocktail races.

Stand out entrant is editor Catherine Reid, who displays a suspiciously dab hand when confronted with endless amounts of booze, while features editor Cristina Criddle chooses simply to cheat her way to victory in characteristic fashion by blocking the others’ glasses with the end of a bottle of vodka.

The editors battle it out in a contest of speed, wits, and whoever can still see straight after 20 cocktails

We’re also told that if any of us can beat the bar staff themselves in a race then you win a £100 bar tab, but given the fact they’ve not been downing drinks for the last hour, as well as the fact that its actually their job this is a near impossibility.

And who says cocktails can’t be masculine?

The biggest draw of the night is indeed that once you make your cocktails you take the logical step and end up drinking them, and though the night costs £24.95 a head, given the sheer amount of drinking involved it’s well worth the asking price.

Ending a thoroughly enjoyable evening with a round of shots, a few more cocktails for good measure, and a slap up meal from the fancy new menu, we were left well-treated, well-fed, and more than a little bit tipsy.

You can book a cocktail masterclass and check out the all new Revolution menu here

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