Cocktails deliver so much more than flavour. I don’t remember the exact taste of the best drinks I’ve ever had, but I do remember how I was feeling, the atmosphere of the place, and the drama of the serve.
The outrageously delicate coupette of pink vodka I enjoyed on my 28th birthday encapsulated the warmth of spending the day at the beach; the martini I drank to celebrate buying my wedding shoes tasted of triumph; and the many Mimosas I knocked back on our honeymoon tasted of pure happiness.
So cocktails need to do the heavy lifting to create a mood, a memory and a vibe. That’s why I’ve been disappointed by so many of the drink delivery offers that have sprung up in 2020. Putting some liquid in a plastic bag and sending it to my house just isn’t enough – call me demanding, but that experience just can’t justify the price tag of the spirits inside.
Enter: Domino Club. One of my favourite places to end a night out in Leeds, and creators of wonderful cocktails. I had a cocktail delivered for our work Christmas party and within 48 hours we had placed another order.
What was so good about the drinks we received? Well, they thought of everything! We were expecting a bottle of booze and what turned up was actually a beautifully branded glass bottle, coffee beans to pop on top, a massive bag of ice, and some coasters to sit your finished drink on. It’s exactly the level of thought and care you would expect from receiving a wonderfully mixed drink at a great bar. You can even add a cocktail shaker to your order if you need some barware to play with.
Domino Club and Rolands (their sister bar) are genuinely two of my favourite spots in Leeds, and they’re also partnering with plenty of other wonderful Yorkshire-based independent businesses to offer such a brilliant at-home drinking experience; coffee beans from North Star, beers from Huddersfield’s Magic Rock and even pizza kits from Frizza.
It goes without saying that the Espresso Martini was delicious, but I think we’ve established there’s much more to it than that!
